The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

10/07/2026

One state, very different ways of keeping warm.

Pennsylvania’s most common home heating fuel shifts dramatically from one municipality to the next. Utility gas dominates in some areas, fuel oil or kerosene in others, while electricity, propane, wood, and coal round out a surprisingly varied map.

The result is a snapshot of just how different Pennsylvania’s local energy landscapes can be.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates (2024).

09/14/2026

Pennsylvania has 100 teacher preparation programs statewide, but many counties, particularly rural counties, have none. That matters because teachers often stay close to where they grew up or completed their preparation, making access to local programs an important part of the teacher pipeline.

Our research points to strategies such as expanding registered apprenticeship pathways and teacher residency programs to help communities build and retain a stronger local teacher workforce.

Read the full report or executive summary: https://bit.ly/4d1kgfR

09/09/2026

Our recent EMS map generated a lot of conversation — and some important questions about what the data show.

A few points of clarification:

The map shows median EMS transport time from the scene to the hospital by county in 2024 — not the time it takes an ambulance to initially arrive at the scene. The statewide median was 40.1 minutes.

The data come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s 2024 EMS Data Report, released in February 2026. The underlying EMS data originate from the Biospatial Data Repository and NEMSIS, the national system used to collect standardized EMS data.

A few questions raised in the comments are worth addressing:

Why use the median? The median represents the midpoint of reported transport times, so unusually long individual transports do not pull the number upward in the way they could with an average.

Does this include ground and air EMS? NEMSIS collects information on both ground and air EMS. However, the Department of Health’s published table does not specify the filters used to produce this particular measure, so we cannot determine from the report whether particular unit types were included or excluded.

Does this include interfacility transfers? The published table does not provide enough information for us to determine whether interfacility transfers were excluded.

What about the time it takes EMS to reach the scene? That is an important but different measure. This map begins with transport from the scene to the hospital, so it should not be interpreted as the total time from a 911 call to hospital arrival.

The comments also highlight another important part of the story: having a hospital nearby does not necessarily mean it is where a patient will be transported. Depending on a patient’s condition and the service lines available at nearby hospitals, EMS may need to travel farther to reach an appropriate facility. These transport-time data alone do not tell us why a particular destination was selected.

That is why understanding rural emergency care requires looking at the entire continuum — from the initial call for help and EMS response, to transport, to the availability of appropriate hospital services.

Two recent Center for Rural Pennsylvania studies provide additional context. Our research on rural emergency response examines connectivity and the systems supporting first responders, while our research on rural hospital consolidation examines persistent differences in staffing, services, and health outcomes.

Taken together, the research and these data help illustrate how emergency response, geography, and access to health care services intersect across rural Pennsylvania.

Read our research:

➡️ Broadband Connectivity Among Rural First Responders in Pennsylvania: https://bit.ly/4cnz1tg

➡️ Rural Hospital Consolidation: https://bit.ly/4y3ZJQa

We appreciate the questions, perspectives, and experiences being shared from communities across Pennsylvania. They are an important part of the conversation about the future of rural emergency and health care services.

Pennsylvania's statewide median EMS transport time from scene to hospital was 40.1 minutes in 2024. Across many rural counties, the journey was longer.

Two recent Center studies help tell the broader story. Our research on rural emergency response examines the systems and people responsible for answering calls and getting help to residents, while our rural health care research explores the workforce, services, and access challenges facing rural communities.

Together, they show why rural emergency care is about more than any one part of the system — it extends from the initial call for help through the patient's arrival at care.

Read both studies:
Ali research: https://bit.ly/4cnz1tg
Shi research: https://bit.ly/4y3ZJQa

09/08/2026

Pennsylvania's statewide median EMS transport time from scene to hospital was 40.1 minutes in 2024. Across many rural counties, the journey was longer.

Two recent Center studies help tell the broader story. Our research on rural emergency response examines the systems and people responsible for answering calls and getting help to residents, while our rural health care research explores the workforce, services, and access challenges facing rural communities.

Together, they show why rural emergency care is about more than any one part of the system — it extends from the initial call for help through the patient's arrival at care.

Read both studies:
Ali research: https://bit.ly/4cnz1tg
Shi research: https://bit.ly/4y3ZJQa

09/02/2026

Reliable communication is essential when an emergency happens.

Rural first responders reported dead zones, dropped calls, unreliable cellular and broadband connections, and difficulties communicating across different radio systems and agencies.

A new Center for Rural Pennsylvania study examines these challenges and identifies opportunities to strengthen connectivity and public safety across rural Pennsylvania.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4cnz1tg

09/01/2026

Tomorrow, Kaitlyn Goode will be giving testimony on a recent research request she fulfilled for the Policy Committee related to Lyme disease across the Commonwealth. Ahead of her full testimony, here is a preview of some of the data she will share. Tune in here to watch her full testimony at 10 AM! https://pagoppolicy.com/livestreams

08/28/2026

New research from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania finds that the supply of newly certified teachers is insufficient to meet demand in both rural and urban school districts.

The research also shows that teacher workforce challenges vary across the Commonwealth by geography, subject area, compensation, and local labor market conditions.

Read the full report and explore the findings: https://bit.ly/4d1kgfR

08/26/2026

New research from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania found that rural hospitals offered significantly fewer specialized services than urban hospitals across most measures examined.

One of the largest differences involved neonatal care: only about 1 in 5 rural hospitals provided Level II or higher neonatal intensive care, compared with approximately 1 in 2 urban hospitals.

The finding does not suggest that every rural hospital should provide every specialized service. In fact, the report recognizes that workforce shortages and limited patient volumes can make that unrealistic.

Instead, the research points to a policy question: Which services are most critical to preserve locally, and how can regional care networks ensure rural residents have access to specialized care when it cannot be provided locally?

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4y3ZJQa

08/19/2026

New research examines rural hospitals and healthcare market consolidation in Pennsylvania.

Rural hospitals provide essential health care to communities across the Commonwealth, but they continue to face significant challenges related to workforce, service availability, and access to care.

New research from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania finds that hospital ownership changes were not associated with consistent improvements across key measures. At the same time, rural hospital leaders identified both benefits and tradeoffs associated with joining larger health systems.

The study also found that only about 1 in 5 rural hospitals provided Level II or higher neonatal intensive care, compared with approximately 1 in 2 urban hospitals, and identified important differences in mortality and readmission rates between rural and urban hospitals.

The research points to the importance of preserving essential services, strengthening the rural healthcare workforce, and keeping rural communities at the center of decisions about how health care is organized and delivered.

Read the full report: https://www.rural.pa.gov/publications/research-reports

View the executive summary: https://bit.ly/4gluwAu

08/04/2026

Pennsylvania's population may appear relatively stable, but the latest Census data reveal a more nuanced picture across the Commonwealth.

Our newest fact sheet examines the U.S. Census Bureau's 2025 population estimates and compares them with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania's 2023 county population projections. The analysis explores how demographic change is unfolding across rural Pennsylvania—and why statewide averages often mask important local trends.

The publication also highlights Cameron, Greene, and Pike counties as examples of how different forces—including migration, natural population change, and age composition—can shape communities in very different ways. These local profiles provide important context for understanding why demographic trends matter for planning and policymaking.

📄 Read the full fact sheet here: https://bit.ly/4xoy6ks