The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a report on the different ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic affected spending among rural and urban U.S. residents.

As we all recall, restrictions on gathering in public places affected the restaurant industry. As a result, spending on food away from home decreased in both urban and rural areas, by 32.0% and 44.9%, respectively, when comparing 2019 and 2020. We collectively stripped grocery shelves clean in many communities, so it is no surprise that spending on food at home increased by 7.5% in urban areas during the same time period. It is, however, surprising to some that spending on food at home actually decreased in rural areas by 7.8%.

Gas prices plummeted as demand dried up. Residents of both urban and rural areas drove fewer miles in 2020 than they did in 2019. On average, urban residents purchases 67 fewer gallons and rural residents purchased 17 fewer gallons. One category in particular, medical services, throws the differences between rural and urban spending during the first year of the pandemic into sharp relief. Sara Hylton, an economist at The Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports that “Consumers in rural areas increased their spending on medical services by 26.2% from 2019 to 2020, while spending in urban areas decreased by 14.9% over the same period,” (emphasis Econ Quiz). Increased spending on medical supplies, specifically hearing aids, drove much of the difference in expenditures.

That brings us to today’s Econ Quiz question. When we exclude hearing aids from rural spending on medical services, we observe an increase of 18.2% from 2019 to 2020. When we include hearing aids, the increase is larger. Including hearing aids, how much did spending on medical services increase for rural residents from 2019 to 2020?

A. 25.6%
B. 32.0%
C. 68.3%
D. 45.7%
E. 10.1%

New laws, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), provide substantial funding to move the US to a clean energy economy and tackle the climate crisis. This funding will support the clean energy and climate work already underway in Wisconsin, including for rural and tribal communities. The laws provide various funding streams over the next 10 years. In the second webinar of the Clean Energy Funding Series, we focus on funding available to help local governments, tribes, schools, and nonprofits. The webinar covers federal funding opportunities and how to prepare for them, including current grants, payments, and financing opportunities. 

Retaining and expanding local businesses is central to the economic success of rural communities. This work is often referred to as “business retention and expansion,” or BRE. As an important part of community economic development, BRE requires building strong relationships with business owners and supporting them at critical junctures in the business lifecycle.

This webinar will describe work from the University of Minnesota-Extension to support BRE efforts in rural areas. With over 20 years of experience working with rural communities, MN-Extension has developed several resources that support economic development leaders to create a supportive ecosystem for rural business retention and expansion. Join us for a free virtual webinar as we discuss the importance of business retention and expansion in rural communities with guest presenter, Michael Darger.

Using the latest research and data specific to Wisconsin’s rural communities and regions, we will focus on the Wisconsin rural economy. The Wisconsin Rural Economic Summit is a virtual event and includes presentations of the latest economic and demographic trends across rural communities, an examination of entrepreneurship, and a discussion of what rural communities can do to foster economic growth and development. The summit will include presentations on:

This event is virtual and free to the public. 

Downtowns and business districts are important for economic development, generating revenue and employment while improving the overall quality of life. Downtowns are diverse and require tailored development goals to maximize their unique attributes. In this free virtual webinar, Dr. Andrew Van Leuven will discuss recent quantitative studies that estimate the impact of downtown revitalization efforts on economic outcomes, highlighting the importance of evaluating these efforts and the challenges involved.

(St. Louis Public Radio - 3/1/2023)

(Wisconsin Public Radio - 2/8/2023)

(The Badger Herald - 2/8/2023)

(The Badger Herald - 2/7/2023)

(Fortune - 1/27/2023)