News Analysis The Hard Truths of Trying to ‘Save’ the Rural Economy Can rural America be saved? During the economic recovery of 1992 to 1996, 135,000 new businesses were started in small counties, a third of the nation’s total. Even after a robust eight-year growth spell, there are fewer than 13 million workers in manufacturing across the entire economy. Is there really no option but to do nothing and, as some have suggested, return depopulated parts of rural America to the bison? Powerful economic forces are arrayed against rural America and, so far, efforts to turn it around have failed.

Source: New York Times December 14, 2018 15:45 UTC