As the US population has become increasingly concentrated in urban centers, rural communities have, at times, been an afterthought. This dynamic has allowed a number of myths to take hold, such as that rural America is “facing an irreversible decline.”1  However, this narrative bears little resemblance to reality: Areas outside of urban centers are actually growing2 and benefiting from both more diverse populations and economies.

Rural American communities are important contributors to the broader economy. In all, rural areas account for one-seventh of the total US population and approximately $2.7 trillion of US GDP (close to 10 percent).3 A better understanding of rural America could help create opportunities for people living in these communities and further unlock impact for the country overall.

McKinsey and its Institute for Black Economic Mobility are doubling down on their commitment to accelerate action on economic mobility. Building on this initial success and recognizing the important needs in other communities, we are expanding on our efforts. In recent years, we’ve supported research on Latino and rural populations—amplifying the realities of millions of Americans who face significant barriers to economic mobility. We are increasing our resources and capacity to more aggressively support economic mobility for these groups while further investing to accelerate our efforts on Black economic mobility. 

Para leer más ingrese a:

https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/who-is-rural-america