Among key findings from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center:
- Rural counties have a higher proportion of people with medical debt in collections than urban counties, and this difference is associated with lower average household incomes.
- The county-level median amount of medical debt in collections held by rural residents is higher compared to their urban counterparts, even after accounting for income differences.
- The proportion of people with and amount of medical debt in collections are both higher in rural and urban communities of color than in rural and urban communities overall.