Unlocking Rural Potential

The Center on Rural Innovation empowers rural America by connecting communities to the tech economy.

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LATEST NEWS

Building Innovation in Rural Nebraska: A Look Back at the Tech Builders Challenge

February 06, 2025

WorkingNation CES 2025 Exclusive: Developing Access to Economic Growth in Rural Communities

January 31, 2025

Alabama’s Broadband Model for the Nation: A Story of Leadership, Legislative Initiative, and Strategic Investment

January 23, 2025

Creating opportunities that empower rural people to thrive in the tech economy.

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) believes in the potential of rural communities, and that rural people should have the same access to opportunities in the tech economy.

As a national nonprofit, CORI uses data-driven research, partnerships, programming, and investment to support and connect rural leaders as they build inclusive tech ecosystems in rural America.

Working alongside rural leaders to create durable change.

August 08, 2024

Three key takeaways for rural tech-based economic development

From our work in dozens of rural communities across the U.S. — from Wasilla, Alaska, to Nacogdoches, Texas — we’ve identified three takeaways for successful tech-based economic development.

Building Innovation in Rural Nebraska: A Look Back at the Tech Builders Challenge

February 06, 2025

How Red Wing, Minnesota, created a regional model for rural economic development

April 09, 2024

HOW WE WORK

Tech-based economic development

Building a Thriving Rural Tech Economy

Rural communities are ready and excited to shape their future, and CORI helps unlock their potential. Using data-driven economic development solutions, CORI works with rural communities to develop actionable strategies that build resilient tech economies.

Rural Startup Investment

Supporting Rural Tech Startups

Less than 2% of venture capital is invested in rural businesses. Through our investment funds, we identify, fund, and support innovative tech entrepreneurs across rural America, enhancing economic growth and tech job creation in small communities across the country.

Tech Workforce Development

Building Pathways to In-Demand Skills

We partner with rural communities, local and remote tech employers, training providers, and higher education institutions to provide rural Americans greater access to gain the skills needed to participate in today’s tech economy.

Research, Mapping, and Data

Visualizing Rural Opportunities

Data for rural places is notoriously hard to find and use but is critical for rural leaders as they develop their tech economy strategies. We build data-driven maps, tools, and other resources that highlight rural America’s opportunities and challenges.

A Nationwide Network

CORI’s Rural Innovation Network is an invitation-only community of practice comprised of 38 member communities across 23 states representing 2.9 million people.

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48 million of 340 million people live in Rural America.

That’s 14% of the United States population.

More than 10 million rural Americans are people of color. While the image of rural America is often portrayed as predominantly white, rural America is home to a range of racial and ethnic groups.

Rural Americans account for 11% of the nation’s workforce.

But just 5% of the nation’s tech workforce

Between 2017 and 2022, only 6% of all new tech jobs created were in rural areas, the remaining 94% were based in metropolitan areas.

Powered by research to drive transformative change.

CORI is shifting the narrative about what is possible in small towns with original research and storytelling that offers actionable insights, analysis, and recommendations on economic challenges and opportunities facing rural America.

Explore our research

Research, mapping, and data analytics