New USDA Economic Research Service “Briefing Room” — Rural Labor and Education
Briefing Room: Rural Labor and Education
The Rural Labor and Education Briefing Room provides information about the employment and earnings characteristics of rural, or nonmetro, workers and places, as well as education in nonmetro areas. The chapter on farm labor contains information on the demographic and economic characteristics of hired farmworkers, many of whom work on farms in urban, or metro, areas.
Unemployment rates in nonmetro areas are similar on average to rates in metro areas, though with wide geographic variation. Average earnings, however, are substantially lower among nonmetro workers, as are education levels. The lower nonmetro earnings levels reflect lower shares of highly skilled jobs and lower returns to college degrees in nonmetro labor markets.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service