Share of population living in rural areas in United States of America
United States of America: Share of population living in rural areas was 26.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in United States of America, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in United States of America stood at 26.0%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in United States of America peaked at 41.7% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 2020.
United States of America ranks 119th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.7% | — |
| 1955 | 40.2% | -3.5% |
| 1960 | 38.6% | -4.0% |
| 1965 | 37.0% | -4.3% |
| 1970 | 35.9% | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 34.9% | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 34.2% | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 33.3% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 32.3% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 31.1% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 29.8% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 28.9% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 28.0% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 26.9% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | -3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 41.0% | 40.2% | 41.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 37.8% | 37.0% | 38.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 35.4% | 34.9% | 35.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 33.7% | 33.3% | 34.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 31.7% | 31.1% | 32.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.3% | 28.9% | 29.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 27.5% | 26.9% | 28.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 26.0% | 26.0% | 26.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More population data for United States of America
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 19.91 million people (2100)
- Population density 46.05 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in United States of America?
- Share of population living in rural areas in United States of America was 26.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 41.7% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 2020.
- How does United States of America rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- United States of America ranks 119th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.