The United States was largely rural in both population and landmass. The share of Americans living in rural places continues a long decline. Today, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population resides in rural or small-town communities. This one-fifth of the nation’s population, located across more than 90 percent of the U.S. landmass, constitutes a unique spatial dynamic of sparse populations from many different communities, distinct regions, economies, and geographies.