The Outlook for Real Estate in Rural America

Rural America’s real estate market has remained strong during the recession. While there is no comprehensive statistic to summarize the overall market for rural real estate, a variety of indicators indicate healthy demand. Farmland values rose throughout the year. Rural housing activity remained robust in the face of an economic downturn. Suburban growth and the increasing use of rural areas as retirement and recreation destinations have also boosted demand for rural real estate. Together, these forces point to continued strength in rural real estate markets in the future. In addition to discussing rural real estate markets, this issue also marks a new addition to the Main Street Economist — the Summary of Economic Conditions. Selected data on rural nonfarm employment and construction activity will be published along with the information on the farm economy contained in the Survey of Agricultural Credit CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF RURAL AMERICA Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City