As older rural population grew, ratio of rural U.S. eldercare establishments fell

From 2010 to 2023, the ratio of rural eldercare establishments to the number of individuals 65 and older decreased even as the total number of establishments rose. The ratio (the number of establishments per 1,000 individuals aged 65 and over) in rural areas fell from 1.68 in 2010 to 1.46 in 2023, but the total number of eldercare establishments in rural areas rose by more than 1,600 (a 13-percent increase). At the same time, the rural population age 65 and older outpaced the increase in total eldercare establishments by growing 31 percent. The older rural population increase is due in part to retiree migration to rural destinations as well as the aging of the existing rural population. For urban areas, the ratio increased slightly, from 1.54 eldercare establishments per 1,000 individuals aged 65 and older in 2010 to 1.61 in 2023. The increase is due to growth in urban establishments (a 57-percent increase of 29,000) exceeding the increase in the population age 65 and over (50 percent). This chart updates information in the USDA, Economic Research Service report Rural America at a Glance: 2024 Edition, published in November 2024.