Farming dependent counties are those where 25% or more of the county’s average annual labor and proprietors’ earning were derived from farming, or 16% or more of jobs were in farming, as measured by 2010-12 Bureau of Economic Analysis, Local Area Personal Income and Employment data.
Persistent Child Poverty Counties
Persistent child poverty counties are those where 20% or more of county related children under 18 were poor, measured in the 1980, 1990, 2000 censuses, and the 2007-11 American Community Survey.
Mining Dependent Counties
Mining dependent counties are those where 13% or more of the county’s average annual labor and proprietors’ earning were derived from mining, or 8% or more of jobs were in mining, as measured by 2010-12 Bureau of Economic Analysis, Local Area Personal Income and Employment data.
Manufacturing Dependent Counties
Manufacturing dependent counties are those where 23% or more of the county’s average annual labor and proprietors’ earning were derived from manufacturing, or 16% or more of jobs were in manufacturing, as measured by 2010-12 Bureau of Economic Analysis, Local Area Personal Income and Employment data.
Government Dependent Counties
Government dependent counties are those where 14% or more of the county’s average annual labor and proprietors’ earning were derived from federal or state government, or 9% or more of jobs were in federal or state government, as measured by 2010-12 Bureau of Economic Analysis, Local Area Personal Income and Employment data.
Recreation Dependent Counties
Recreation dependent counties are determined by a weighted index of three measures: 1. Jobs; 2. Earnings in the following: entertainment, recreation, accommodations, eating/drinking places, and real estate; and 3. the share of vacant housing units intended for seasonal/occasional use. Recreation counties are those with a score of more than one deviation above the mean. Sourse: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. Census Bureau
Non-Specialized Counties
Non-specialized counties are those that did not meet the economic dependence threshold for any other type, as measured by 2010-12 Bureau of Economic Analysis, Local Area Personal Income and Employment data.
Low Education Counties
Low education counties are those where 20% or more of county residents age 25-64 did not have a high school diploma or equivalent, determined by the American Community Survey 5 Year average data for 2008-12.
Low Employment Counties
Low employment counties are those where less than 65% of county residents age 25-64 were not employed, determined by the American Community Survey 5 Year average data for 2008-12.
Population Loss Counties
Population loss counties are those where the number of county residents declined between the 1990 and 2000 censuses and also between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.