The Benefits of Young Demographics for Rural Communities in America

What is true of older demographics in rural towns is the opposite for younger generations. Youth in rural towns have an ever increasing amount of choices at there finger tips. With it becoming more practical to own a car these days and to get out of town, many teens have the opportunity to mix and mingle with those outside of their own circle or living space. With that and the improvements seen in telecommunication technologies, everyone and not just younger folks have the ability to now see what is truly out there in this world.

It is because of this option of choice that there has been a growing trend of youthful resident loss in rural areas dating several decades back. It begins with the outlook of various higher-end jobs. Because of the sparse and limited populations that rural communities have, many companies or businesses will seek establishment elsewhere as these communities don't offer a large enough base for success. College or high school graduates will be forced to move to where the jobs leading to the start of the depletion of youth. This trend continues through the various levels of jobs as the community base continues to shrink due to the exodus. In the end, those attached to the land typically stay causing only minimal services and economic business models to survive.

Socially this is great for the family, the parents of the child get to see them grow up, make their own choices and improve upon their own situation. From an economic community standpoint, this is a horrible situation. With out-migration comes the lost tax dollars that went into educating children to be brought into the workforce. Health care and other services could also be seen as an overall loss for a rural region. On a national level, the tax payer investment is still recouped; however, on the regional side this is devastating.

The loss of younger adults also has future implications: mainly a town's regenerating ability. With a smaller and older population there are fewer and fewer families with child bearing capabilities and thus fewer kids are being born. The result is population takes a hit not only from the out-migrations but also it own lack of being able to replace itself. In essence, the wick is burning on both ends and it is becoming increasingly difficult for a lightly populated community to maintain an economically viable population base.