Has Trump caused a rural rebound?

Rural America's economy is on the mend. Does the president deserve the credit?

A Trump campaign sign.
(Image credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)

President Trump has staked much of his political appeal on his promise of an economic turnaround for rural America. And he just might be delivering.

Over the last few decades, small towns and rural areas across America have suffered a slow economic death. Their population growth has been declining for years, and went negative after 2010 — driven by the flight of younger Americans. These communities had the slowest rates of recovery after the Great Recession, when the rate of business creation actually went negative.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.