Welcome to the

New England Rural Health Association
Rural Data Analysis Dashboard

A Comparative Analysis of Health Data for the New England Region

As the oldest recognized geographic region in the country, New England is unique. New England’s regional identity dates from some 400 years ago, more than 150 years before the United States won its freedom as a separate nation. From Block Island off Rhode Island’s coast to the crown of Maine, from the Outer Cape and Islands of Massachusetts to the Lake Champlain Islands in Vermont, from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut, New England’s rural communities lie as scattered gems throughout the region. Although each is unique, they share many common qualities: tough, durable people, close-knit communities, bountiful scenery, and a  rugged work ethic. They also share a number of health disparities when compared to their urban neighbors. While our rural towns are often not far geographically from metro areas, they can be as distant as the moon when it comes to disease burden and access to care.

This Rural Analysis Dashboard was specifically developed to illustrate the health disparities between rural and urban areas in New England. We hope this will serve as a resource for decision-makers, researchers, students, advocates, stakeholders, and anyone with an interest in how the people in our rural communities are affected by the very fact of living rurally. Please use the data-driven, dynamic mapping capability of this tool to investigate how New England’s rural communities from every point of the compass fare in many measures of health and wellness compared to our population centers.

This project would not have been possible without the financial support, vision, and active assistance of our partners from the six New England State Offices of Rural Health. Thank you also to our good friends and partners at John Snow, Inc., who developed the Rural Data Analysis Dashboard. Finally, thank you to our Federal partners at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, and to the CDC Office of Rural Health for their technical assistance. 

Connecticut Office of Rural Health, Massachusetts State Office of Rural Health, Maine State Office of Rural Health & Primary Care, New Hampshire State Office of Rural Health, Rhode Island State Office of Rural Health & Primary Care, Vermont State Office of Rural Health & Primary Care

Please forward questions and comments about the Rural Data Analysis Dashboard to admin@newenglandrha.org.