麦肯锡-小城镇，巨大机遇：释放美国农村的潜力（英）

August 2025Small towns, massive opportunity: Unlocking rural America’s potentialSix strategies could catalyze growth and improve the well-being and economic mobility of rural residents across the country.About the McKinsey Institute for Economic MobilityThe McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility (IEM) is a research institute and think tank dedicated to advancing inclusive economic growth in the United States—and globally. Its mission is to help private-, public-, and social-sector leaders take coordinated action to accelerate inclusive economic growth and improve economic mobility. IEM is anchored in an economic perspective, dedicated to rigorous and objective research, and focused on moving stakeholders toward long-term action that can lead to the economic development of communities across the globe.Rural Economic MobilityAs the US population has become increasingly concentrated in urban centers, rural communities have often been an afterthought. In all, rural areas in the United States account for one-seventh of total population, nearly 46 million Americans, 71 percent of the geographical United States, and approximately $2.7 trillion of US GDP (close to 10 percent). Yet, it has not benefited from the economic development of our nation equitably. Our focus on rural economic mobility aims to provide a data-driven, nonpartisan perspective on the opportunities for rural America to thrive. Please visit the McKinsey IEM Rural Economic Mobility website for more information.AcknowledgmentsThe research was led by JP Julien, a partner and leader of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility (IEM); Nora Gardner, a senior partner and leader of IEM Rural Economic Mobility; Sarah Tucker-Ray, a partner and leader of IEM Rural Economic Mobility; and Shelley Stewart III, a senior partner and chair of IEM and the global leader of Reputation & Engagement at McKinsey; along with consultants Charlie Crosby and Chase Mizzell, as well as Kelemwork Cook, an IEM fellow.Modeling and analytic work was led by Artem Pimkin and Michael Zhang and enabled by McKinsey’s CityX tool. Christiana Hollis and Marissa Ancona led the research team. Core team members who supported research, analytics, and solution development include Caty Buchaniec, Jasmine Marshall, Jihae Lee, Marisa Ancona, Ryan Chuang, Teni Akeju, and Tom Casazza.This project benefited immensely from the insights and perspectives of Rachel Riley. We extend our gratitude to Scott Leff and Caty Mick from LEFF. We also thank our colleagues Dennis Alexander and Denvol Haye, Jr., for their contributions and support.This work is independent, reflects our own views, and has not been commissioned by any business, government, or other institution.Introduction The term “rural America” often conjures a patchwork of shorthand phrases—“the heartland,” “small-town America,” “flyover country”—an attempt to encompass the vast expanse of communities outside the nation’s cities and suburbs. Yet these labels obscure more than t