Reexamining Rural Decline: How Changing Rural Classifications Affect Perceived Growth

This article illustrates the commonly overlooked sample selection probleminherent in using rural classification methods that change over time due to populationchanges. Since fast growing rural areas grow out of their rural status, using recent ruraldefinitions excludes the most successful places from the analysis. Average economicperformance of the areas remaining rural significantly understates true rural performance.We illustrate this problem using one rural classification system, rural-urban continuumcodes. Choice of code vintage alters conclusions regarding the relative speed of rural andurban growth and can mislead researchers regarding magnitudes and signs of factorsbelieved to influence growth.[...]