working-class-country

Community Snapshot

Working Class Country counties are heavily clustered in specific rural communities in the eastern half of the United States including Appalachia, the Ozarks and the upper-Midwest.

Home to about 10.8 million people, Working Class Country is blue-collar America with a rural overlay. These 280 counties generally don’t rely on agriculture but rather exist as small service economies with some small manufacturing. Their median household income of $51,300 sits about $18,000 below the national median, and the percentage of people with a college degree, 19%, is 15 points below the national average. Homeownership stands at 75%, which is 10 points above the national average. Working Class Country counties tend to be older than the nation at large: 20% of the population in the type are older than age 65. Nationally that figure is 17%. Broadband access sits at 78%, which is 9 points below the national average. Voter turnout also sits low at 61%.

Rural Population

78% Percent in rural areas

Vol. 3 2020-2021

Deaths of Despair Across America

The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

Learn More