An Update: The Diverse Social and Economic Structure of Nonmetropolitan America

This report updates a 1979 classification system of nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties developed by the Economic Research Service that identified rural counties according to their economic and social structure. The update to 1986 provides a base for effectively planning rural development. The report reveals that between 1979 and 1986 the number of farming, manufacturing, and mining counties dropped steeply, while the number of specialized government counties and unclassified counties grew