Target Demographic
Nearly 480,000 children live in rural counties in Oregon and Washington, and 45% of these children live in low-income households.
This report tells the story of the Northwest Rural Communities Project, which gathered resident feedback and relevant statistics to paint a picture of what life is like for families in rural Oregon and Washington.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation funded this project — and several other multi-state projects — as part of a larger effort to explore child well-being in rural communities. The resulting publications are designed to connect policymakers with useful data and spur smart investments aimed at strengthening rural America.
This report found that, first and foremost, parents in the rural Northwest need reliable jobs that pay family-supporting wages. They also expressed a need for: quality child care and health care at reasonable costs, great schools, activities for middle and high-school youth, job training for adults and better transportation options.