Nonmetropolitan populations grew in recreation counties and in those adjacent to metropolitan areas, especially in the South

The U.S. nonmetropolitan (rural) population grew almost 1 percent from mid-2020 through mid-2024, less than half the national rate (2.6 percent) during 2020–24. At the county level, however, there were regional and local variations in the population change across nonmetro areas. The population declined in more than half (51 percent) of all nonmetro counties. No longer concentrated in the Great Plains and Corn Belt as in previous years, nonmetro counties with a population loss during 2020–24 were found in most States, including the eastern half of the country. The population grew at rates at or above the national rate of 2.6 percent in about one-fifth of nonmetro counties, with several growing at or above twice the national rate. Many of these counties were in recreation or retirement destinations—such as in the Ozarks, the upper Great Lakes, and throughout the intermountain West (and especially in Idaho, Utah, western Montana, and Washington State). Other fast growing nonmetro counties were adjacent to large metro areas—such as Nashville, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth.