The 2008-09 recession has impacted the United States in many profound ways, but perhaps most dramatically through increased unemployment. Job loss for many means loss of employer-sponsored health insurance or ability to purchase individual insurance. Some individuals can obtain coverage through Medicaid or private health insurance, but many remain uninsured. This brief presents the results of state and county analysis of unemployment rates nationally in urban and rural (non-metropolitan) areas over the period 2007-February 2009 and discusses the impact of rising unemployment on uninsurance in rural areas.