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Population

Hispanic Migration and its Labor Force Impacts in Rural America in the 2010s Richelle Winkler*, Richelle Winkler, Katherine Curtis, Ken Johnson,

The number of people at prime working ages (25-54) has recently begun to decline in rural areas of the United States as rural populations age at faster rates than in other places. This decline poses critical challenges for economic and community development and for providing necessary services to meet the needs of rural community members. Previous research has demonstrated that the migration of Hispanic (LatinX) populations has provided a “demographic lifeline” for some rural communities that are losing population because deaths exceed births. This study relies on new estimates of net migration by five-year age groups for the Hispanic population for all U.S. counties to estimate the extent to which Hispanic migration has impacted the prime working age population in rural counties. In addition, we identify precisely where (geographically) and in which types of communities (based on major industry) the impacts of Hispanic migration have been greatest during the 2010s. Results promise to generate new knowledge about the role Hispanic migration plays in rural population dynamics.