From Axios: The rural American death spiral

Now that is a very bracing headline.  I'm not sure whether to see this as simply depressing, or a necessary tonic to inform those not in the know on rural challenges, those who would dismiss rural concerns.  Here are some highlights--or should I say lowlights--from the piece by Stef W. Kight and Juliet Bartz, and I have put in bold the big takeaway about the 46 million people "being left behind in the middle of America," apparently simply because they live in "the middle of America"

Many of the nation's current pathologies are taking a heavy toll on the majority-white population living in rural America, which was severely impacted by the opioid crisis and has dealt with falling populations, job losses and rising suicide rates. 

Why it matters: The malaise and discontent that President Trump has tapped into goes beyond the racism we've seen over the past few weeks and includes anger at a changing world and frustration at dwindling opportunities close to home. These trends are further entrenching the rural-urban schism that came to light in the 2016 election.

The big picture: Political and economic power is shifting to the cities, and 20% of the population — 46 million people — is being left behind in the middle of America. These communities face increasingly difficult barriers to education, wealth and health.  (emphasis added)

And if you're African American or Hispanic, your chances of success and survival at every turn are even worse.

Many of the facts listed in this piece were not new to me, facts about relative health of rural people compared to their urban counterparts, as well as the relatively poor educational and job opportunities. But here's one of the facts I had not yet heard:

If you keep working in your hometown, your job is more likely to be taken over by AI, according to a study by the Brookings Institution — especially if you live in Indiana, Kentucky, South Dakota, Arkansas or Iowa.

Depressing as this is, the piece does a nice job of linking to lots of sources that will be of interest to folks interested in rural people and places.