Rural residents who are 65 or older are increasing in both number and proportion.

By Evan Galloway

Apr 12, 2018

  • The increasing population of residents who are 65 or older in rural counties will drive ongoing demand for healthcare services in rural areas.
  • The types of services that health professionals provide in rural areas will also continue to shift, reflecting the needs of an aging population.
    Chart comparing the percentage of the population in rural areas that is under 18 to the percentage who are 65 and over, 2000 - 2036, North Carolina.
Funding & Acknowledgements
The HPDS is maintained by the Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in collaboration with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program (AHEC), and the state’s independent health professional licensing boards. Ongoing financial support is provided by the NC AHEC Program Office. Although the NC HPDS maintains the data system, the data remain the property of their respective licensing board. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by NC AHEC. To learn more about NC AHEC please visit: https://www.ncahec.net.

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