How many Americans live in frontier and remote areas of the country? That depends on what the words "frontier" and "remote" mean. According to the USDA's Economic Research Service, there's more than one meaning. The ERS defines four levels of frontier and remote based on travel time to "high order" goods and services (advanced medical procedures, major household appliances, regional airport hubs—all typically found in urban areas of 50,000 or more people) and travel time to "low order" goods and services (the grocery stores, gas stations, and basic health care found in smaller urban areas).
To be defined as living in a Level 1 Frontier and Remote Area (the least remote), residents must have to travel at least 60 minutes to reach an urban area of 50,000 or more people. Levels 2, 3, and 4 (each increasingly remote) must meet that criteria and be a certain travel time away from ever smaller urban areas...
Level 1: At least 60 minutes of travel to reach an urban area of 50,000-plus
Level 2: At least 45 minutes of travel to reach an urban area of 25,000 to 49,999
Level 3: At least 30 minutes of travel to reach an urban area of 10,000 to 24,999
Level 4: At least 15 minutes of travel to reach an urban area of 2,500 to 9,999
Overall, 12.2 million Americans live in Frontier and Remote Areas. Although 52 percent of the land area of the United States is in these areas, only 4 percent of Americans live there. In Wyoming and Montana, the majority of the population lives in remote areas. In five states and the District of Columbia, no one lives in a remote area. At the link below you can access maps and Frontier and Remote Area data by state and zip code.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Frontier and Remote (FAR) Codes Pinpoint Nation's Most Remote Regions
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