• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Survey of Rural Challenges 2021 results, analysis of themes from 2015 through today

By Becky McCray

Survey of Rural Challenges 2021

Rural communities were not immune to the chaos of 2020, but remained more concerned with ongoing challenges. To find out what rural people felt were their biggest challenges, SaveYour.Town and SmallBizSurvival.com surveyed over 280 rural people in the fourth quarter of 2020. The results make up this fourth edition of the Survey of Rural Challenges. Challenges […]

June 7, 2021 Filed Under: announcement, community, economic development, entrepreneurship, rural, trends Tagged With: economic development, research, rural trends, small towns, survey, Survey of Rural Challenges

How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here

By Becky McCray

Survey Crew Ahead. Photo by RustyClark on Flickr

Seems like there have been a lot of coronavirus-related surveys this year. This survey is different: we’ve been asking for and listening to your rural challenges since 2015. Of course rural challenges are different this year with COVID-19. That doesn’t mean all your other challenges disappeared, but it might mean your priorities have changed. We’d like your […]

October 20, 2020 Filed Under: announcement, community, entrepreneurship, rural Tagged With: ABCD, assets, coronavirus, covid-19, COVID19, survey, Survey of Rural Challenges

Survey of Rural Challenges 2019 results

By Becky McCray

What small town people see as their biggest challenges And what topics rural people most want help with Wouldn’t it be great if the people who say they want to help rural people would actually listen to rural people’s own challenges?! That’s why we created this survey! We use the results to create practical steps […]

December 5, 2019 Filed Under: announcement, community, economic development, rural, trends Tagged With: community, diversity, rural, small business, survey, Survey of Rural Challenges, surveys

What are your challenges? Add your voice here

By Becky McCray

Start the survey

  Every small town has its own set of assets, issues and opportunities, but many of us share common challenges. We created the Survey of Rural Challenges so you could share your own view of rural, and we could better help you. A total of 479 people answered our previous surveys, and we’d like your […]

June 17, 2019 Filed Under: announcement, community, economic development, entrepreneurship, rural Tagged With: survey, Survey of Rural Challenges

Next Page »

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local"Move Your Money, bank local, invest localMulticolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2025 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in