The economic effects of Government spending at public installations in rural areas was investigated. Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, was chosen because of its location in a low-income rural area with relatively high outmigration, a declining agricultural industry base, and few employment opportunities. All of the data relating to Government spending at the Fort were obtained through various personnel at Fort Wood, with the Comptroller's office furnishing the majority of the data. A mail questionnaire was used to determine commuting patterns of civilian employees. From a total of 362 persons chosen at random from mailing lists of employees supplied by the data processing office at Fort Wood, 190 completed questionnaires were returned. Specific topics discussed were the economy of the area; the population migration in Laclede, Miller, Phelps, Pulaski, and Texas counties; the military payroll, the civilian payroll, impacted area funds, and the retail sales taxes at Fort Wood; and the employment multiplier. Specific conclusions were discussed under each topic heading. (HBC)