Francisco Albert Scott and Brigitte S. Waldorf

Keywords: rural, startups, dynamics

This article provides data about business establishments in Indiana’s rural counties and has a focus for business startups. Data are interpreted in meaningful ways to aid on decision-making for local and state leaders as well as business starters in rural communities. Moreover, this paper looks at the business dynamics in rural Indiana in the years before, during, and after the Great Recession.

Freddie Barnard and Elizabeth Yeager

Keywords: rural banking, community banks, rural Indiana

This article discusses the real possibility of not having a bank in certain rural counties and what implications that has for that county's residents. Rural Indiana residents have financial needs; and those needs seem to be shifting. Community banks can fill a void in rural communities by allowing access to banking services that would otherwise be absent from the county.

Kevin Camp and Janet Ayres

Keywords: unemployment, rural Indiana, urban areas

Unemployment has been increasing faster in rural counties than in more urban counties, and not recovering as quickly. Unemployment rates help to measure overall economic health of a community. This article contains good visual aids that help to show how unemployment rates are in rural Indiana versus more urban areas.

Brigitte Waldorf, Janet Ayres, and Melissa McKendree

Keywords: population, rural, community

Population size and characteristics are directly linked to a community’s viability and viability. This article provides analysis of rural population in Indiana and looks into the drivers of population change and the implications of these changes.

Janet Ayres, Brigitte Waldorf, Melissa McKendree, and Laura Hoelscher

Keywords: rural, Indiana, rural communities

This paper defines the word “rural” and explains the complications involved in arriving at the definition provided. Also this paper provides a figure and a table to depict a picture of rural Indiana that lays the ground work for further discussion of the issues confronting the state. Local and state leaders who work with rural communities would find the information in this article helpful.

Kevin Camp and Brigitte Waldorf

Keywords: education, deprivation, economy, employment, income

Educational attainment is important for individuals’ economic success. This article compares educational attainment levels for rural and urban areas in Indiana and provides implications of the educational deprivation with an emphasis on its relationship to employment and income.

V. Dimitra Pyrialakou, Brigitte Waldorf, and Konstantina Gkritza

Keywords: rural Indiana, transportation challenges, public transportation

Transport needs can be a huge problem in rural areas; and rural Indiana is no different. When public transportation is not available, many people can be disadvantaged when it comes to such tasks as going to work, routine grocery shopping, and other appointments. There is a large transportation need gap in rural Indiana, but some can be mitigated by use of existing transport opportunities, extending the transport network and coordinating land use decisions.

Brigitte Waldorf and Melissa McKendree

Keywords: aging, rural, population, challenges

This article explores whether rural Indiana is experiencing an aging of its population similar to that of the U.S. population as a whole. In addition, this article provides information about the causes and consequences of the population aging. Future challenges confronting rural communities are also a discussion at the end of the article.

Ann Cummins, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Joan Fulton and Candace Croney

Keywords: animal agriculture, rural Indiana, agriculture

Indiana's economy is strengthened by the presence of agriculture in the state. People's views about agriculture and animal production can have great implications for the market. This article compares views on animal agriculture from those in urban areas versus those in rural areas. Implications of those findings are discussed.