The Center for Rural Pennsylvania

05/12/2026

📊 Join the Pennsylvania State Data Center for the 2026 Data User Conference on Thursday, June 4, at Penn State Harrisburg.

This one‑day, summit‑style conference brings together researchers, planners, and data practitioners from across the Commonwealth to share practical, real‑world examples of how data supports analysis, planning, and decision‑making.

📲 Register today to secure your spot!
👉 https://pasdcconference.org/

05/11/2026

📣 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s 2026 Research Grant Program Special Request for Proposals (RFP) is now available!

🚔 This Special RFP focuses on the regionalization and contracting of police services in rural Pennsylvania.

📅 Proposal submissions are due June 22, 2026.

Learn more here. 👉 http://bit.ly/4woP8PG

05/11/2026

🏥🚑🩺 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲

📢 Last week, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania convened a public hearing focused on rural health access, care delivery, and system transformation across the Commonwealth.

👥 State officials, health care leaders, researchers, EMS and behavioral health experts, and community-based care providers shared testimony on Pennsylvania’s Rural Health Transformation Program, the role of EMS and behavioral health as access points for care, and models that can expand services in rural communities.

🎤 Thank you to all of the testifiers for offering valuable insight into how funding, care coordination, emergency response, behavioral health, and community-based care models can support rural health systems.

🎥 Missed it or want to watch again? Learn more and view the full recording here.
👉 https://www.rural.pa.gov/news-events/public-hearing/rural-health-transformation

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

💍 Wedding season is here! In 2024, Pennsylvania recorded 71,799 marriages statewide.

📊 Take a look at the map below for a county-by-county breakdown of marriages across the Commonwealth.


🔗 https://www.rural.pa.gov/datagram/726/Number-of-Marriages-by-Pennsylvania-County-2024

04/30/2026

📣 Join the Westmoreland Redevelopment Authority & Land Bank on Friday, May 1, for the 5th Annual Blight and Revitalization Summit.

🎤 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s Assistant Director, Dr. Laura Dimino, will deliver the keynote address, setting the tone for the day on how municipalities can revitalize their main streets.

🏘️ This year’s theme, “Main Street Revitalization,” brings together municipal, administrative, business, and community leaders to explore strategies to address blight and strengthen communities.

🕗 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
📍 Westmoreland County Community College, 145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, PA 15697
🎟️ Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/2026blight-summit.

04/29/2026

📢 Thank you to Morning Ag Clips for covering the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s recent report, "Analysis of Pennsylvania Crime Trends: An Updated Rural/Urban Comparison."

🚔 The report examines crime trends across Pennsylvania’s rural and urban counties from 2013 through 2023.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.morningagclips.com/center-for-rural-pa-releases-research-on-crime-trends-in-rural-and-urban-counties/.
🔗 Read the report here: https://bit.ly/4mwJsyx.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Center for Rural Pennsylvania has recently released, Analysis of Pennsylvania Crime Trends: An Updated Rural/Urban Comparison, a new research report examining...

04/24/2026

🏥🚑🩺 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲

🎤 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors and staff are convening a public hearing to examine key issues affecting rural health care delivery and system transformation across the Commonwealth. Testimony will focus on Pennsylvania’s Rural Health Transformation Plan, the role of EMS and behavioral health as access points for care, and community-based models that expand access to services in rural communities.

🗓️ Wednesday, May 6
🕙 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
📍 Room 8EB, East Wing, Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120
💻 www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or Senator Gene Yaw

🔗 Learn more on the Center's website. 👉 https://www.rural.pa.gov/news-events/public-hearing/rural-health-transformation

04/24/2026

🚗📊 How long is your commute?

As of 2024, the average travel time to work across Pennsylvania is 26.3 minutes, but it varies widely by county.

🔎 Explore this week’s and see how your county compares.
👉 https://www.rural.pa.gov/datagram/725/Average-Travel-Time-to-Work-(In-Minutes)-by-Pennsylvania-County-2024

04/23/2026

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗜 — 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

📢 Thank you to everyone who joined the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s recent public hearing on data centers at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts in Wellsboro, Tioga County.

🌐 This first hearing in a multi-part series brought together state, local, industry, and environmental perspectives to examine the growing role of data centers in Pennsylvania.

👥 A special thank you to all of the testifiers for sharing their expertise and insightful testimony to help inform policymakers on this important and evolving issue.

🎥 Missed it or want to watch again? Learn more and view the full recording here. 👉 https://www.rural.pa.gov/news-events/public-hearing/data-centers-part-i

04/21/2026

🎥 Thank you to WETM 18 News for the coverage!

WELLSBORO, Pa (WETM) — Data centers are coming to New York and Pennsylvania. And there was a public hearing hosted by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and elected officials about implementing data…