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| Best of NAMA 2026 |
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AVERAGE USDA, RURAL DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT GREW IN EVERY RURAL COUNTY TYPE BETWEEN 2000 AND 2024
Jul. 22, 2026
Source: USDA news release
Average investments through programs administered by USDA, Rural Development (RD) across rural counties were substantially higher in 2012-2024 relative to 2000-2011. The rise in investment is evident even after adjusting prior year data for inflation.
However, these increases in investment or obligations--formal financial commitments toward a project at the time of its approval--varied by the economic structure of each rural county type. USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) researchers used a version of the 2015 County Typology Codes to classify counties into one of six exclusive industry dependency types--farming, mining, manufacturing,
Federal and State Government, recreation, or nonspecialized--based on county industry dominance as measured by earnings and jobs. The highest per capita RD investments in both the early years (2000-2011) and later years (2012-2024) were in farming-dependent counties.
Average funding per capita in these counties increased from $3,741 per person during 2000-2011 to $4,693 per person during 2012-2024. However, manufacturing‑dependent counties experienced the largest increase in per capita RD investments between the two periods. Mining‑dependent counties also saw notable per capita investment growth.
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