One of our favorite sources of information on small businesses in small towns and rural America, Small Biz Survival, released their 2022 Top 5 Rural and small town trends list recently.
Despite around 60 million Americans living in rural areas (that's about 1 in 5 Americans), there's limited coverage and information on the trends and shifts impacting rural areas of the U.S.
This is why information sources like Small Biz Survival are so important and valuable.
Two of the five trends really jumped out at us because they're related and the pandemic has accelerated them:
1. New Residents are Arriving: Small Biz Survival points out, "this isn’t an explosive exodus from major tech and population centers, but the more subtle diffusion of opportunities to a broader swath of places." The shift started years ago as remote work became possible. But Covid has resulted in what's being called "Zoom towns" as remote workers seek more space, lower costs and access to the many amenities of small town life.
5. Economic Barriers are Falling: The expansion of rural broadband and remote work, coupled with the Internet making it easier and cheaper to start and operate a small business, has made rural and small town businesses more viable and competitive.
The combination of these two trends means small towns and rural areas are much more attractive places to start a business than they were even a few years ago.
This creates a positive cycle of greater economic vibrancy in small towns and rural America, leading to more people wanting to move and start businesses in small towns.
Thanks to these trends, the next decade is looking to be very positive for rural America.
See the article for the other trends and more details on the ones covered above.
Below is an overview of the trends by the authors. Register here (it's free) to see a more detailed presentation of the trends and related materials.
2022 Rural Trends from SaveYour.Town
