New research brief examines rural-suburban-urban differences among Northeast caregivers
June 24, 2025
The latest publication in NERCRD’s caregiving research brief series describes the caregiving experience for rural, suburban, and urban caregivers in the Northeast region of the U.S., as reported by households as part of the “NER-Stat: Caregiving Survey” — a regional household survey that the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) conducted in collaboration with Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), The Ohio State University and the National Farm Medicine Center.
The brief’s authors — Elena Pojman, a doctoral candidate in sociology and demography at Penn State, and Florence Becot, Nationwide Insurance Early Career Professor and program lead for the Agricultural Safety and Health Program at Penn State — found that urban caregivers were generally younger and more likely to take care of children and reported having the most financial struggles and the greatest desire for supports (i.e., financial, educational and other resources). However, rural and suburban caregivers also reported facing significant burdens and wanting more support. In particular, caregivers recommended greater support for childcare, policies to encourage workforce participation, and financial and in-kind assistance.
The full brief provides greater detail and is available here.
The survey was conducted in 2023 with 4,480 responses from the 13 states of the Northeast Region through a Qualtrics online panel. The open-access dataset that this brief draws upon is also available online here: https://purr.purdue.edu/publications/4491/1