Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Rural Areas: Progress and Stagnation, 1980-90.

Rural minorities lag behind rural Whites and urban minorities on many crucial economic and social measures. This collection of 10 papers examines rural Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian and Pacific Islander populations and their economic well-being in the 1980s, an economically difficult decade for rural areas. Results show minimal minority progress as measured by changes in occupation, income, and poverty rates. However, the type and speed of progress were quite different among minority groups and between men and women of the same minority group. Results show considerable diversity among groups in the characteristics associated with poor economic outcomes. These characteristics included unemployment, low English proficiency, concentration in agricultural employment, low educational attainment and skill levels, and geographic isolation. Following an introduction by Linda L. Swanson, the papers are: "Education and Rural Minority Job Opportunities" (David A. McGranahan, Kathleen Kassel); "The Ethnic Dimension of Persistent Poverty in Rural and Small-Town Areas" (Calvin L. Beale); "Rural Child Poverty and the Role of Family Structure" (Linda L. Swanson, Laarni T. Dacquel); "Age and Family Structure, by Race/Ethnicity and Place of Residence, 1980-90" (Carolyn C. Rogers); "Increasing Black-White Separation in the Plantation South, 1970-90" (John B. Cromartie, Calvin L. Beale); "Trends in Occupational Status among Rural Southern Blacks" (Robert M. Gibbs); "Education and the Economic Status of Blacks" (Margaret A. Butler); "Hispanics in Rural America: The Influence of Immigration and Language on Economic Well-Being" (Anne B.W. Effland, Kathleen Kassel); "American Indians: Economic Opportunities and Development" (Deborah M. Tootle); and "Asians and Pacific Islanders in Rural and Small-Town America" (Calvin L. Beale). Appendix contains figures and data tables of socioeconomic indicators. (Individual papers contain references.) (SV)