Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-rural-urban-divide Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Story While the Great Recession took a toll on everyone, there was a distinct difference between rural and urban America. The percentage of older Americans employed full- or part-time actually declined in the most urban, densely populated counties. In smaller rural counties, however, the number of older Americans in the workforce rose sharply.