Defining Rurality

There is no single representation of life in a rural community. Some families can drive to services in nearby cities within a day, while others live in remote, geographically bound communities difficult to reach by car.

This brief seeks to inform state Infant-Toddler Court Programs and local partners as they collect data and evaluate program performance with rural populations. It shares six federal definitions of rurality—and the nuanced differences between them—before discussing child welfare datasets that can measure rurality.

The authors also present potential activities to address topics of interest. To measure substance use disorder in rural areas, for example, they suggest exploring (1) rates of substance use in case plans and access to care and (2) whether rurality affected the completion of mandated treatment.