- Sector Scan
Arts Flourish in America's Top Rural Counties: A Data-Driven Exploration
- Posted Jun 27, 2024
3-minute read
As part of our ongoing series on data-driven insights into arts vibrancy, we are highlighting the top arts-vibrant rural counties across the country. These counties all score within the top 5 percent nationally, according to our Arts Vibrancy Index, and are classified as rural according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More information on how we calculate arts vibrancy is available on our methodology page.
The Top 30 Most Arts-Vibrant Rural Counties
The counties are presented in order with the highest-ranked counties at the top. These counties are all located outside of an urban area, as defined by the U.S Census Bureau. To find out if you live in a rural area you can use this tool from the rural health information hub.
| Ranking | County | State | Arts Dollars Percentile | Arts Providers Percentile | Public Support Percentile |
| 1 | Nantucket | MA | 100 | 100 | 99 |
| 2 | San Miguel | CO | 99 | 100 | 100 |
| 3 | Tyrrell | NC | 100 | 80 | 98 |
| 4 | Windham | VT | 98 | 98 | 99 |
| 5 | Park | WY | 99 | 96 | 92 |
| 6 | Fall River | SD | 99 | 95 | 72 |
| 7 | Knox | ME | 98 | 98 | 97 |
| 8 | Haines Borough | AK | 96 | 100 | 64 |
| 9 | Shackelford | TX | 99 | 71 | 100 |
| 10 | Woods | OK | 100 | 79 | 4 |
| 11 | San Juan | WA | 99 | 93 | 74 |
| 12 | Jefferson | WA | 99 | 88 | 95 |
| 13 | Winneshiek | IA | 99 | 93 | 92 |
| 14 | Park | MT | 90 | 99 | 77 |
| 15 | Presidio | TX | 98 | 92 | 97 |
| 16 | Howard | AR | 100 | 34 | 61 |
| 17 | Door | WI | 99 | 90 | 90 |
| 18 | Hemphill | TX | 98 | 93 | 92 |
| 19 | Gunnison | CO | 98 | 93 | 94 |
| 20 | Hinsdale | CO | 97 | 93 | 98 |
| 21 | Kiowa | KS | 99 | 90 | 58 |
| 22 | Clark | KS | 99 | 82 | 56 |
| 23 | Addison | VT | 96 | 94 | 98 |
| 24 | Polk | NC | 94 | 95 | 93 |
| 25 | Lamoille | VT | 96 | 91 | 98 |
| 26 | Kent | MD | 91 | 94 | 100 |
| 27 | Lake | CO | 98 | 84 | 68 |
| 28 | San Juan | CO | 84 | 98 | 95 |
| 29 | Bath | VA | 97 | 89 | 95 |
| 30 | Mineral | CO | 80 | 95 | 100 |
Characteristics of Arts-Vibrant Rural Areas
Our research team identified several characteristics among these top-ranked rural counties that seem to set them apart. While some characteristics reflect broader geographic or socioeconomic factors beyond the control of arts leaders, others are directly tied to the arts infrastructure that communities create and support.
Tourist Destinations – Many of the counties are popular travel destinations due to their natural beauty or significant landmarks. The influx of visitors supports a higher-than-average number of arts organizations and artists relative to the local population. Examples include Nantucket County in Massachusetts, Park County in Montana, Door County in Wisconsin, and San Juan County in Colorado.
Wealthy Community Members – Some counties boast higher-than-average household incomes and other indicators of community wealth. In rural areas, this local affluence can support an outsize number of arts institutions. Examples include Hinsdale County, Colorado.
Major Foundations – a few counties are home to major foundations. While these foundations may or may not contribute significantly to local arts, their presence may support a higher-than-average amount of arts activities. Examples include Clark County, Kansas.
Plethora of Small and Mid-Sized Organizations – These areas benefit from a large amount of small and medium-sized arts organizations relative to the local population. Examples include Windham County, VT (with more than a dozen arts and cultural organizations with budgets below $50,000), Addison County, VT, and Polk County, NC.
Anchor Institutions – Some areas have one particularly large institution that may attract visitors and participants from beyond the county limits. This might include arts centers or social service organizations that integrate arts into their programming. Examples include Howard County, Arkansas and Tyrell County, North Carolina.
What sets the arts apart in your county? Let us know in the comments below.
Arts Vibrancy in Rural Communities is Achieved through Collective Action
To further explore how rural communities foster arts vibrancy, we partnered with Geoffrey Kershner from Small Town Big Arts. Geoffrey spoke to arts leaders in some of the counties on the list and shared his discoveries in an article.
Arts Vibrancy Scores for Every County in the U.S.
What factors make up a community's arts vibrancy, and which cities possess them? We provide scores for every county across the nation on measures of Arts Dollars, Arts Providers, Government Support, Socio-economic and Other Leisure characteristics.
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