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Abstract
Over a third of nonmetropolitan counties lost more than 10 percent of their population over the past 20 years through net outmigration. Poverty and low education account for the high net outmigration in some of
these counties, but most are relatively prosperous. Their outmigration is related
to low population density, geographic isolation, and a lack of scenic amenities. Programs that reduce the disadvantages of geographic isolation and that enhance residents' access to scenic amenities could help slow or reverse net outmigration in many nonmetro counties.