States' emphasis on moving welfare recipients into jobs quickly might prove more difficult in rural settings for several reasons. First, there is some evidence that rural areas offer fewer economic opportunities. Second, individuals living in rural areas have lower education levels, on average, increasing the challenges for finding employment. Finally, job search, as well as educational, childcare, and transportation services, may be less available in rural areas to help welfare recipients find employment, obtain skills required for employment, and accept employment. This chapter discusses these obstacles in more detail.
Economic opportunities can mean the availability of jobs.
There is substantial evidence that metropolitan areas offer higher wages and salaries than nonmetropolitan areas. In each of the nine census regions, metropolitan areas paid higher wages. In addition, the gap between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages may be growing. However, the median income of households outside metropolitan areas remained statistically unchanged. In rural areas, manufacturing jobs have traditionally paid higher salaries than other industries.