Research Alert: January 30, 2023

Community Sociodemographics and Rural Hospital Survival Analysis

This study examines which community sociodemographic characteristics were associated with increased risk of rural hospital closure between 2010-2019.

Key Findings:

• Among rural hospitals at risk of financial distress, closures disproportionately took place in communities with specific sociodemographic characteristics: lower incomes, lower percentage of college graduates, larger populations, lower percentages of White population, higher percentages of Black population, higher child poverty, higher unemployment rates, higher uninsurance rates for those younger than 65, higher percentage of adults reporting fair or poor health, higher obesity levels, and higher rates of smoking.
• However, a statistical approach known as survival analysis shows that most of the sociodemographic characteristics listed above were not associated with increased risk of closure.
• Survival analysis results show that rural hospitals at risk of financial distress were more likely to experience closure if their communities had: higher unemployment rates and higher uninsurance rates for those younger than 65.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guides: Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare, Hospitals, Social Determinants of Health