Articles

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S., and in rural America the problem is getting worse. In 2023, rural counties had higher rates of chronic disease than urban counties (Figure 1). Between 2010 and 2022, the gap in leading chronic disease causes of death widened between the most rural and the most urban counties (García et al., 2024). Wisconsin faces trends similar to those in rural areas nationally. As the chronic health gaps continue to grow, it is increasingly important to understand what drives rural health outcomes and how it impacts rural livability. 

Those who live and work in rural Wisconsin often champion the attributes that make rural different from their view of big cities. In fact, there is a certain degree of pride in positioning rural as distinctly separate from urban. Yet, we know from an economic perspective that rural and urban places are intertwined: inputs to many urban businesses are supplied by firms in rural areas, rural residents often shop in nearby urban areas, and commuting often ties rural workers to urban employment centers as well as urban workers to rural communities through reverse commuting. This interconnectedness not only blurs the line between rural and urban, but it also has implications for community economic development, especially in rural contexts.