This report pairs focus group feedback and interview answers with quantitative data to tell the story of family economic success in rural Northern New England. It offers recommendations — and a spark for ongoing discussions — aimed at helping families in these rural areas thrive.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation funded this project — and several other multi-state projects — as part of a larger effort to explore child-well being in rural America. The resulting reports aim to provide useful data to policymakers and encourage smart investments that will strengthen the well-being of rural families.
Life in rural Northern New England — here’s what the research says
The poverty rate in Northern New England is more than 40% higher in rural areas versus non-rural areas, and rural residents are more likely to lack health benefits and be underemployed, self-employed or unemployed compared to their non-rural peers.
Findings & Stats
Project Overview
To create this report, researchers conducted 15 focus groups with 104 parents from eight New England communities. They also interviewed key community figures and combed through relevant data, such as census reports and school district statistics.
The Good News
Families in rural Northern New England — Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont — enjoy healthy, strong and supportive social networks.
The Not-So-Good News
These families are continually challenged by a lack of jobs that pay for basic needs, insufficient resources for their children's education and barriers to affordable, accessible health care.
Statements & Quotations
The human costs of child poverty are high. Poor children are more likely to attend under-funded schools, live in families that are subject to greater stress, and have less access to adequate nutrition and health care.
When hard times threaten rural families in Northern New England, we all pay the price.
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