In 38 of Iowa’s 99 counties, the largest town has fewer than 5,000 people
Rural Iowa counties lost close to 25 percent of their population from 1910 to 2010
Urban counties in Iowa gained 141.7 percent population between 1910 and 2010
In 2018, rural businesses and communities in Iowa with fewer than 5,000 people received about $24.9 million in direct financial assistance from the state and federal government.
In the same year, Iowa cities with a population more than 50,000 received $61.3 million in direct financial assistance through state and federal grants and loans.
Between 2010 and 2020, rural areas lost 226,000 residents in the U.S.
During the same period, cities and suburbs grew by 21 million people
Only Hawaii and Montana saw more rural growth than urban
Not all shrinking towns are withering, some towns have found ways to thrive while still losing population. These are called Shrink-Smart towns. Some characteristics that define Shrink-Smart towns are:
