U.S. Rural Population 1960-2024
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.
- U.S. rural population for 2023 was 55,937,486, a 0.78% decline from 2022.
- U.S. rural population for 2022 was 56,376,192, a 0.87% decline from 2021.
- U.S. rural population for 2021 was 56,870,028, a 1.05% decline from 2020.
- U.S. rural population for 2020 was 57,473,509, a 0.21% decline from 2019.
| Similar Country Ranking |
| Country Name |
Rural Population |
| United States |
55,937,486 |
| Germany |
18,784,632 |
| Italy |
16,468,986 |
| Poland |
14,594,364 |
| France |
12,422,661 |
| United Kingdom |
10,497,193 |
| Japan |
9,907,790 |
| South Korea |
9,589,588 |
| Spain |
8,923,913 |
| Canada |
7,272,932 |
| Saudi Arabia |
5,560,527 |
| Austria |
3,695,875 |
| Australia |
3,565,036 |
| Argentina |
3,516,356 |
| Portugal |
3,378,005 |
| Czech Republic |
2,767,136 |
| Hungary |
2,602,308 |
| Slovak Republic |
2,494,835 |
| Chile |
2,353,195 |
| Switzerland |
2,283,085 |
| Greece |
2,002,527 |
| Ireland |
1,869,935 |
| Croatia |
1,596,188 |
| Panama |
1,362,230 |
| Netherlands |
1,219,560 |
| Sweden |
1,186,635 |
| UAE |
1,163,057 |
| Slovenia |
931,346 |
| Lithuania |
899,076 |
| Norway |
883,411 |
| Finland |
794,473 |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
714,682 |
| Israel |
697,214 |
| Denmark |
684,197 |
| New Zealand |
679,786 |
| Latvia |
589,533 |
| Oman |
538,749 |
| Cyprus |
416,009 |
| Estonia |
412,452 |
| Belgium |
214,107 |
| Puerto Rico |
204,074 |
| Barbados |
193,378 |
| Bahrain |
150,497 |
| Uruguay |
144,763 |
| Channel Islands |
120,710 |
| French Polynesia |
116,482 |
| Brunei |
94,356 |
| New Caledonia |
73,097 |
| Antigua and Barbuda |
71,353 |
| Bahamas |
67,567 |
| Aruba |
59,245 |
| Luxembourg |
52,967 |
| Seychelles |
49,323 |
| Isle of Man |
39,405 |
| Liechtenstein |
33,798 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis |
32,905 |
| Faroe Islands |
30,371 |
| Malta |
27,987 |
| Iceland |
23,451 |
| Qatar |
17,548 |
| Curacao |
16,231 |
| British Virgin Islands |
15,848 |
| Andorra |
9,792 |
| Guam |
8,360 |
| Greenland |
6,858 |
| Virgin Islands (U.S.) |
3,959 |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
3,946 |
| Palau |
3,177 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands |
2,650 |
| San Marino |
728 |
| U.S. Rural Population - Historical Data |
| Year |
Population |
% of Total |
Change |
| 2023 |
55,937,486 |
16.70 |
-0.78% |
| 2022 |
56,376,192 |
16.92 |
-0.87% |
| 2021 |
56,870,028 |
17.13 |
-1.06% |
| 2020 |
57,473,509 |
17.34 |
-0.21% |
| 2019 |
57,592,357 |
17.54 |
-0.70% |
| 2018 |
57,994,170 |
17.74 |
-0.58% |
| 2017 |
58,333,412 |
17.94 |
-0.45% |
| 2016 |
58,598,755 |
18.14 |
-0.32% |
| 2015 |
58,788,250 |
18.33 |
-0.28% |
| 2014 |
58,955,597 |
18.52 |
-0.26% |
| 2013 |
59,106,371 |
18.70 |
-0.27% |
| 2012 |
59,263,241 |
18.88 |
-0.19% |
| 2011 |
59,375,348 |
19.06 |
-0.17% |
| 2010 |
59,477,423 |
19.23 |
-0.03% |
| 2009 |
59,495,270 |
19.39 |
0.01% |
| 2008 |
59,486,862 |
19.56 |
0.09% |
| 2007 |
59,435,929 |
19.73 |
0.09% |
| 2006 |
59,380,586 |
19.90 |
0.11% |
| 2005 |
59,316,092 |
20.07 |
0.07% |
| 2004 |
59,272,576 |
20.24 |
0.07% |
| 2003 |
59,231,337 |
20.42 |
0.01% |
| 2002 |
59,224,903 |
20.59 |
0.08% |
| 2001 |
59,176,653 |
20.77 |
0.14% |
| 2000 |
59,093,274 |
20.94 |
-0.38% |
| 1999 |
59,318,323 |
21.26 |
-0.55% |
| 1998 |
59,647,910 |
21.62 |
-0.53% |
| 1997 |
59,962,727 |
21.99 |
-0.47% |
| 1996 |
60,247,274 |
22.36 |
-0.52% |
| 1995 |
60,559,606 |
22.74 |
-0.47% |
| 1994 |
60,847,887 |
23.13 |
-0.43% |
| 1993 |
61,112,155 |
23.51 |
-0.33% |
| 1992 |
61,314,541 |
23.90 |
-0.26% |
| 1991 |
61,471,853 |
24.30 |
-0.30% |
| 1990 |
61,656,881 |
24.70 |
0.28% |
| 1989 |
61,485,081 |
24.91 |
0.36% |
| 1988 |
61,266,559 |
25.06 |
0.32% |
| 1987 |
61,073,788 |
25.21 |
0.30% |
| 1986 |
60,888,123 |
25.36 |
0.33% |
| 1985 |
60,684,895 |
25.51 |
0.30% |
| 1984 |
60,503,262 |
25.66 |
0.28% |
| 1983 |
60,332,364 |
25.81 |
0.33% |
| 1982 |
60,135,341 |
25.96 |
0.37% |
| 1981 |
59,913,573 |
26.11 |
0.40% |
| 1980 |
59,673,829 |
26.26 |
0.78% |
| 1979 |
59,207,469 |
26.31 |
1.07% |
| 1978 |
58,579,920 |
26.32 |
1.03% |
| 1977 |
57,982,322 |
26.33 |
0.97% |
| 1976 |
57,423,878 |
26.34 |
0.91% |
| 1975 |
56,902,406 |
26.35 |
0.95% |
| 1974 |
56,365,499 |
26.36 |
0.88% |
| 1973 |
55,874,046 |
26.37 |
0.92% |
| 1972 |
55,364,268 |
26.38 |
1.03% |
| 1971 |
54,795,508 |
26.39 |
1.22% |
| 1970 |
54,129,627 |
26.40 |
0.15% |
| 1969 |
54,047,876 |
26.67 |
-0.36% |
| 1968 |
54,242,804 |
27.03 |
-0.33% |
| 1967 |
54,423,243 |
27.39 |
-0.24% |
| 1966 |
54,551,297 |
27.75 |
-0.16% |
| 1965 |
54,639,947 |
28.12 |
-0.06% |
| 1964 |
54,673,014 |
28.49 |
0.08% |
| 1963 |
54,626,596 |
28.87 |
0.14% |
| 1962 |
54,549,307 |
29.24 |
0.25% |
| 1961 |
54,414,785 |
29.62 |
0.38% |
| 1960 |
54,208,527 |
30.00 |
% |
