Watch the recording of CORI’s 2026 State of Rural America webinar—a clear-eyed, data-grounded conversation about what’s changing in rural economies, what pressures are sticking around, and where real momentum is building.

In this session, CORI Director of Research Dr. Amanda Weinstein unpacks the latest trends shaping rural communities: where rural GDP is rebounding, but job growth and wage growth still lag in many places, especially as traditional sectors see output rise without the jobs rising alongside it.

You’ll also hear from CORI leaders Diego Rubio (Entrepreneurship), Jay Bockhaus (Investments), and Shaniqua Corley-Moore (Tech Workforce) on what it takes to turn insight into action so rural communities aren’t planned for with outdated assumptions, but supported with strategies that match today’s reality.

The webinar explores:

  • Why rural growth can look strong on paper—while opportunity still feels uneven locally
  • The role entrepreneurship plays in rural resilience, and the structural barriers that slow new business creation
  • Why rural businesses still receive only ~1% of venture capital and why that gap limits scaling in the knowledge economy
  • How AI and remote work are reshaping what’s possible for rural founders and rural talent systems
  • What it really takes to “make talent, not find it” from employer partnerships to training pathways and retention

If you’re a community leader, educator, investor, or builder working on rural prosperity, this is a practical, forward-looking primer rooted in data and focused on what rural communities can do next.

Want to dig deeper? Explore CORI’s data tools and resources to see what these trends look like in your own community.

If you’d like to work with CORI in your community, contact us.