Among the key findings in this study from the Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health: among rural hospitals at risk of financial distress, closures disproportionately took place in communities with specific sociodemographic characteristics: lower incomes, a lower percentage of college graduates, larger populations, lower percentages of the White population, higher percentages of the Black population, higher child poverty, higher unemployment rates, higher uninsurance rates for those younger than 65, a higher percentage of adults reporting fair or poor health, higher obesity levels, and higher rates of smoking.
