Rural America—home to one in five Americans and the source of much of our food, drinking water, and energy production—faces unique challenges that require specialized research approaches and deep community understanding.
NORC’s commitment to rural communities spans over 70 years, beginning with our first rural study in 1952. Through the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis and cross-departmental expertise, we have developed methodological and subject matter capabilities tailored to support policies and programs that strengthen rural communities.
How We Support Rural Communities
Our work spans the domains that shape rural well-being, enabling our partners to address complex health, education, and economic challenges with evidence-based solutions.
- Rural Health: Access to care, workforce development, emergency preparedness, substance use disorder treatment, maternal health, and behavioral health services
- Rural Education: Educational access, teacher recruitment and retention, post-secondary attainment, and civics engagement in rural schools
- Economic Development: Rural prosperity measurement, workforce development, transportation systems, and broadband access analysis
- Tribal Health and Services: Public health capacity assessment, cultural responsiveness, and sovereign nation partnerships
- Community Resilience: Emergency preparedness, disaster response, social networks, and community assets mapping
- Data Infrastructure: Rural-specific sampling frames, address validation, and community-centered data collection protocols
Our Experts
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Alana D. Knudson
Director -
Michael Meit
Senior Fellow -
Britta Anderson
Principal Research Scientist -
Alycia Bayne
Associate Director -
Kate Fromknecht
Senior Research Director -
Brett Harris
Senior Research Scientist -
Megan Heffernan
Senior Research Scientist -
Craig Holden
Senior Research Scientist -
Amy Horn Groenendaal
Senior Research Director -
Shena Popat
Senior Research Scientist -
Jenny Seelig
Senior Research Scientist -
Alexa Siegfried
Senior Research Scientist
Our Clients, Funders & Partners
NORC partners with tribal governments, state health and education departments, rural community organizations, and a wide range of other clients and funders committed to rural prosperity, including:
- Health Resources and Services Administration Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- ECMC Foundation
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Appalachian Regional Commission