Small Towns, Big Opportunities - Many Workers in Rural Areas Have Good Jobs, but These Areas Need Greater Investment in Education, Training, and Career Counseling

Oct 15, 2026

Small Towns, Big Opportunities examines work outcomes in rural America, emphasizing that many rural workers hold good jobs while local labor markets still face disadvantages. It outlines how low labor-force participation and high disability rates contribute to poverty and despair, while persistent inequality affects racial and ethnic minority groups most. The report analyzes job quality by occupation type, educational attainment, and region, and evaluates where opportunity is strongest or most limited.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages83

Reading Time3 h 29 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Low labor-force participation rates hurt rural America.

The rural economy is particularly good for blue-collar jobs.

Persistent inequality in rural America hits members of racial/ethnic minority groups hardest.

What is a good job?

Part 1. Working Rural America: Some Success Despite Challenges

There are many good jobs in rural America.

Men hold the majority of good jobs, and this advantage is more pronounced in rural areas.

Members of racial/ethnic minority groups struggle to obtain good jobs in rural areas.

Workers with lower educational attainment have better jobs in rural America than in urban America.

Blue-collar good jobs are a larger proportion of all good jobs in rural areas than in urban areas.

Management and healthcare professional occupations are overrepresented in good jobs in rural areas.

The likelihood of having a good job in rural areas is highest in the Midwest and the Northeast.

Part 2. Non-Working Rural America: Low Labor-Force Participation and High Rates of Disability Leading to Poverty and Despair

Small Towns, Big Opportunities Many Workers in Rural Areas Have Good Jobs, but These Areas Need Greater Investment in Education, Training, and Career Counseling 2024 Anthony P. Carnevale Lulu Kam Martin Van Der Werf Reprint Permission The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce carries a Creative Commons license, which permits noncommercial reuse of any of our content when proper attribution is provided. You are free to copy, display, and distribute our work, or include our content in derivative works, under the following conditions: Attribution: You must clearly attribute the work to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and provide a print or digital copy of the work to[cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu](cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu). Our preference is to cite figures and tables as follows: Source: Anthony P. Carnevale, Lulu Kam, and Martin Van Der Werf. Small Towns, Big Opportunities: Many Workers in Rural Areas Have Good Jobs, but These Areas Need Greater Investment in Education, Training, and Career Counseling. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, [2024.](2024. cew.georgetown.edu/ruralgoodjobs)[ ](2024. cew.georgetown.edu/ruralgoodjobs)[cew.georgetown.edu/ruralgoodjobs](2024. cew.georgetown.edu/ruralgoodjobs). Noncommercial use: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. Written permission must be obtained from the owners of the copy/literary rights and from Georgetown University for any publication or commercial use of reproductions. Approval: If you are using one or more of our available data representations (figures, charts, tables, etc.), [please visit our website at](please visit our website at cew.georgetown.edu/publications/reprint-permission)[ ](please visit our website at cew.georgetown.edu/publications/reprint-permission)[cew.georgetown.edu/publications/reprint-permission](please visit our website at cew.georgetown.edu/publications/reprint-permission)[ ](please visit our website at cew.georgetown.edu/publications/reprint-permission)for more information. For the full legal code of this Creative Commons license, please visit [creativecommons.org](creativecommons.org). Email [cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu](cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu) with any questions. Acknowledgments We are grateful to Ascendium Education Group for the generous support that made this report possible. We are honored to partner with Ascendium in our shared mission of promoting postsecondary access, completion, and career success for all Americans. The staff of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce was instrumental in the production of this report from conception to publication. In particular, we would like to thank • Jeff Strohl for research direction; • Nicole Smith for economic methodology; • Ban Cheah and Lillian Fix for data analysis; • Kathryn Peltier Campbell and Artem Gulish for editorial and qualitative feedback; • Katherine Hazelrigg, Fan Zhang, Johnna Guillerman, Maryam Noor, and Abiola Fagbayi for communications efforts, including design development and public relations; and • Coral Castro for assistance with logistics and operations. Many others contributed their thoughts and feedback throughout the production of this report. We especially are grateful to our talented designers and editorial advisors, whose efforts were vital to its successful completion. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Ascendium Education Group or any of its officers or employees. All errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors. I Small Towns, B ig Opportunities II Small Towns, B ig Opportunities Contents | Introduction 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 1
Low labor-force participation rates hurt rural America. 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮 􀀮

FAQs

What does the report say about good jobs in rural America?

It states that there are many good jobs in rural America, including a large share of blue-collar good jobs compared with urban areas.

How do low labor-force participation and disability relate to hardship in rural areas?

The report links low labor-force participation and high disability rates to poverty and despair among non-working rural populations.

Which groups face the biggest barriers to obtaining good jobs?

It highlights that persistent inequality and historical advantages make it harder for members of racial and ethnic minority groups to secure good jobs in rural areas.

Oct 15, 2026

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