RURAL AMERICA

- Six percent of the country lives in deep rural counties

- One percent of the population consist of farmers and ranchers.

- Farmland is disappearing at the rate of two million acres a year.

- There are four states where a majority of the population lives in
rural places: Maine, Mississippi, Vermont andWest Virginia.

- The latino population is growing faster in rural areas and is
responsible for 25% of all rural population growth.

- Rural household income is about 25% less than that of metropolitan
households.

- Consumer demand for organic food is growing about 25% a year and now
accounts for 2% of the market.

- More than 3100 farmer' markets operate in the US, a 79% increase since
1994.

- There are more than 1,000 community supported agricultural programs
with the largest number in California, Wisconsin and New York.

- Less than 10% of rural employment is farm related.

- There are 2.1 million farmers, down from 6,8 million in 1935.

- One third of all farms are located in metropolitan areas.

- 90% of farm household income comes from off-farm sources.

- More than two thirds of England's famers rely on tourist income of
some kind to maintain their way of life. Ten percent take in overnight
guests.

- One third of farms in Vermont are engaged in agri-tourism.

- 244 of the nation's 250 poorest counties are rural.

[National Trust for Historic Preservation: Rural Development Trends &
Opportunities for Historic Preservation]