The Rural-Urban Divide, As Told Through Consumers’ Favorite Brands
Key Takeaways
The news media ecosystem’s orientation toward urban consumers is apparent in readership and viewership rates: A greater share of urban dwellers are users of all networks and newspapers surveyed. CBS, the most popular network for both, also sees the smallest usage gap between urban and rural viewers (56% and 53%, respectively).
Cooking and shopping also show strong distinctions between urban and rural consumers. For example, food brands that cater to home cooking are much more strongly favored by rural consumers, while urban consumers have outsized favorability for convenience-driven options.
Despite the widespread access to the same brands and content, persistent lifestyle and cultural differences between urban and rural consumers drive meaningful differences in brand preferences.
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Any fans of MTV’s 2003 show Rich Girls know that the divide between rural and urban Americans is best exemplified by socialite Jaime Gleicher’s assertion that “People buy cargo pants in the midwest not to say, ‘Oh, I could wear these with stilettos and a sexy top.’ They buy them because they have a lot of pockets because they work in the fields and they need them.”
This is, of course, not exactly accurate, but a broad assumption made by a teenager who grew up in a wealthy family in New York City about the lifestyles and fashion choices of people who do not live in cities. But her peers in the rural midwest were watching her show in their living rooms. She just assumed that no one in rural America could conceive of such style choices, as though we don’t have access to the same media ecosystem.
Jaime was onto something though. While rural and urban Americans can conceivably watch the same shows (or TikToks), order the same clothes online and have access to the same culture that is diffused through the internet, we don’t. Morning Consult Audience data reveals that, for example, some sports and entertainment brands are just not nearly as popular in rural communities as they are in urban ones, as measured by brand favorability. Even some charitable organizations have stronger favorability in different communities: the Veterans of Foreign Wars has stronger favorability among rural denizens, the Anti-Defamation League has stronger favorability among urban dwellers.
Per the 2020 Census, 80% of Americans live in urban areas, and 20% are rural (the Census does not delineate suburban communities). Where we live influences everything, from what types of careers are available (and no, not all rural Americans work in fields), to our politics, to where and how people socialize, and to how cultures evolve.
The media environment has a distinct urban bias
Media, sports and entertainment brands tend to be more popular with urban dwellers than those in rural communities. Brands from the New York Times to the New York Knicks (really, anything with New York in the name) see higher favorability from urban dwellers. Popular media is, after all, often centered on cities. Sitcoms typically feature families or groups of friends living in major metros, written by people also living in major metros. The consolidation of local news also pushes more journalistic content to urban centers.
Americans’ major news sources see higher usage from urban dwellers
That urban audience bent of course informs the stories and coverage news outlets feature. Gaps in this information ecosystem contribute to the feeling that town mice and country mice are very different from one another.
Food brands favored by rural Americans emphasize home cooking
There are distinct dietary differences between urban and rural dwellers. The largest favorability gaps between food brands reveal that rural consumers favor classic home cooking brands like Betty Crocker and Bisquick. This is not to say that urbanites don’t like these brands — favorability among both groups is strong; it’s just much higher for ruralites.
Rural consumers favor home cooking food brands, while urban dwellers choose convenience
Urban dwellers have outsized favorability for convenient quick service restaurants (Starbucks, Shake Shack) and delivery services (Uber Eats, Grubhub). These options are of course more available in cities than in rural areas. Alcohol brands also tend to see higher favorability among urban consumers in general.
Urban dwellers show higher favorability for fashion apparel brands, while outdoorsy brands are favored by rural dwellers
Some brands really are universal: Both urban and rural consumers have similarly high favorability ratings for Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s and eBay. These widely beloved retailers are able to cater to the needs of pretty much anyone. More divergence appears between classically outdoorsy brands like Tractor Supply, Carhartt, Bass Pro Shops, and Cabela’s, all of which have much stronger favorability among rural consumers.
Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s and eBay enjoy nearly identical favorability between urban and rural consumers
On the other hand, urban consumers favor apparel retailers that are more appropriate for a city lifestyle, like Nike, Nordstrom, H&M and Zara. These favorability gaps play into the stereotypes rural and urban dwellers have of one another — country life is more about functionality, and city life has more concern for fashion. Despite the fact that all of these brands will ship anywhere in the country, the distinction between urban and rural cultures and lifestyles is marked enough to result in large gaps between American’s favorite brands.
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