An Ohio State study on rural Ohio migration offers fresh perspective on region’s diversity

More people are moving to rural Ohio than cities and suburbs across the state, according to an Ohio State University study published in the Journal of Land Use Science in December. By studying Ohio's census tracts, housing and urban development patterns and data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2008-2016, the co-authors determined that there are five distinct types of rural communities in Ohio. The first three communities are near cities and include: urbanizing rural, suburban middle-income destinations and rural low-income destinations. The remaining are farther from metropolitan hubs: stable rural areas and stagnating rural areas. "People working and living there are stewards of the land," Munroe said. "We need to think about providing opportunities for rural people not along transportation corridors who live in communities less likely to attract higher-income (people)."