The Midwest, Plains, and Delta are among the regions hit hardest by the current farm crisis. The vulnerability of an area to the financial crisis in farming depends on the financial conditions of its farmers, its dependence on farming--especially on export-sensitive crops--and the strength of its nonfarm economy. (JHZ)

The Nation's 678 rural manufacturing-dependent counties, hit much harder than other rural counties, have since been recovering more. Total employment growth in rural manufacturing counties exceeded growth in nonmanufacturing counties by about 1 percentage point during 1982-84 and by almost 3 percentage points during 1984-86. (Author)

Diversification of rural economies and changes in financial markets and world trade have broken down many barriers that insulated rural areas in the past. United States rural areas--the rural South and Northeast in particular--now appear to be affected slightly more than urban areas by national monetary and fiscal policies. (JHZ)

Emphasizes agriculture's economic importance and lists the top 10 states according to 4 possible criteria for determining economic dependence on agriculture: number of food and fiber system jobs, number of farmworkers, proportion of food and fiber system jobs, and proportion of farmworkers to total food and fiber system jobs. (JHZ)

Reviews employment growth in rural and small town communities, focusing on two periods, 1940-70 and 1970-80. For the rest of the 1980s, predicts a slower growth in nonmetro areas--that is, slower than in metro areas and slower than in the 1970s--yet not as slow as in the 1960s. (JHZ)

Farm policy alone is no longer a sufficient development policy for today's rural America. Rural economies have changed over the last 30-40 years from reliance on farming to greater reliance on manufacturing and service industries. Rural economic development policies need to reflect today's changed rural economy. (Author)

Examines increasing rural to urban migration as caused by farming crises, employment cutbacks, slow rural population growth in 1980s, and slow rural recovery from recession. The migration was especially heavy during 1983-1986. Cites indicators showing possible future reversal. Includes charts, graphs, and maps. (Author/TES)

Population distribution and community size make rural areas better suited to production than managerial jobs. Production jobs, however, are threatened by business cycles, foreign competition and technological displacement, more so than by education levels of rural workers. Links outmigration in rural areas to low wages. (Author/TES)