The Center’s latest fact sheet, Access to Maternity Care in Pennsylvania: Labor and Delivery Services, provides an overview of current access to maternity care, specifically labor and delivery services, in rural Pennsylvania. The closure or consolidation of labor and delivery services has increased travel distances for expectant mothers, effectively creating barriers to maternity care in many rural communities. Timely access to labor and delivery services is a critical factor in supporting maternal and infant health outcomes.
In 2024, rural Pennsylvania saw a welcome decrease in the number of drug overdoses and related deaths. According to 2023 and 2024 data from the Pennsylvania State Police Overdose Information Network (ODIN), the number of reported rural overdoses decreased 40 percent, and the number of deaths decreased 52 percent. Urban areas had a similar decrease. While the drug crisis remains a serious issue, any reduction in overdoses is a positive step forward. Read the Center’s fact sheet, Reported Rural Drug Overdoses Decline 40 Percent in One Year, to learn more.
In March 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2024 population estimates for counties, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and Puerto Rican municipalities. The U.S. Census Bureau releases these estimates on an annual basis, and the 2024 estimates serve as an update to the previous estimates for 2020 through 2023. Check out the Center’s fact sheet, Rural Pennsylvania Shows Slight Population Decline but Attracts Out-of-State Residents, analyzing the U.S. Census Bureau’s updated county and municipal population estimates.