Rural population reaches 46.2 million in 2024

As of July 2024, the rural population of the United States increased to 46.2 million people, representing 13.6 percent of the total U.S. population. From July 2023 to June 2024, the rural population grew by 0.29 percent, while urban areas saw a 1.08-percent increase. Rural growth happened mainly because of more people moving in than moving out, also called positive net migration. This movement in rural areas offset population losses from natural change, in which deaths exceed births. Although rural deaths still exceed births, the gap between deaths and births decreased in 2024. Since 2021, rural populations have grown steadily after a decade of little to no growth, primarily because of stable positive net migration and a reduction in natural losses. The growth rate in rural areas more than doubled in 2023 compared to 2022, from 0.14 percent to 0.37 percent because of these factors. Historically, urban areas have experienced larger population growth than rural areas because of both positive net migration and natural increase. This chart is drawn from the USDA, Economic Research Service report Rural America at a Glance, published in January 2026.