摘要：It is no secret that much of rural America is struggling
economically. Despite similar employment
growth rates, nonmetropolitan areas tend to have relatively
higher unemployment and underemployment
rates and slower population growth rates than their
metropolitan counterparts.1 Additionally, over the
past 15 years, evidence from several states suggests
that nonmetropolitan job losses have been in relatively
high paying sectors, whereas growing sectors in the
rural economy tend to pay relatively low-wages
(Shields and Vivanco 2003).
