New Mexico, 'where the Great Plains meet the mountains' - rural populations have declined for three years running.
US Department of Agriculture data indicate a net loss of 28,000 from rural and non-metropolitan counties between July 2012 and July 2013, following a decline of 48,500 a year earlier. The total net loss since 2010 has been around 100,000, despite growth in the general population.
"This period [of decline] may simply be an interruption . . . or it could turn out to be the end of a major demographic regime that has transformed small towns and rural areas throughout the country for decades," the USDA said.
In particular, losses occurred in 14 eastern states between 2004 and 2007 and between 2010 and 2013. In other states, although growth continued in non-metropolitan areas, the pace moderated significantly. Migration to rural areas, particularly those with scenic and recreational features, peaked in 2006.
The slowdown has meant that too few new people are moving in to replace those who move from countryside to city to find work. Moreover, many of those moving in are retirees, too old to add to the population through births.
Although the aggregate numbers seem small, the loss is disproportionate. Only 15 per cent of Americans live in rural and non-metropolitan areas, even though this land accounts for roughly 72 per cent of the total area.
More than 1,200 non-metropolitan areas have lost a total of 400,000 people since 2010, a fall partially offset by gains of around 300,000 in 700 other counties.
The biggest areas of decline are along the border between North Carolina and Virginia, in southern Ohio, and across New England.
Adding to the net loss is the slowing of population growth amid western mountain states, the USDA said. This includes counties in western Colorado and Wyoming, central Oregon and northern Idaho.
Offsetting these losses are population gains in states benefiting from the boom in energy, including parts of the northern Great Plains, eastern Texas and parts of Pennsylvania.
IMO, the biggest component is the lower birthrate that has halved the school populations, and it isn't just in the 'rural' areas, as most cities are 'down-sizing' as well, and it isn't just in the USofA.