An interesting and informative article was posted recently by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). In the article, Danny Gavin explores the trend of people moving to rural areas, and how this trend will impact the equipment industry.
“There is an untapped entrepreneurial spirit associated with living in rural America,” says Mark Smither, CSO at Paulsen, a marketing agency based in Sioux Falls, S.D., that focuses on the agricultural, manufacturing, energy, education, and rural lifestyle industries. Paulsen shared his insights on the recent trend of rural migration at a recently held AEM member education webinar.
While the article explores many of the reasons why the migration is occurring, some notable results from a Paulsen survey were of interest to equipment dealers.
“Approximately 56 percent of those surveyed expect that they will own one to five acres when they move, 32 percent expect a large backyard or prop under an acre, and 12 percent plan to own more than five acres. Meanwhile, equipment needs are rising, and people say they expect to purchase more equipment if they move to a rural area. However, there is a gap between expected property size and equipment needs to maintain their property, as sometimes ideas change, and people don’t know exactly what they’ll need,” Gavin writes.
The survey additionally showed that one third of those surveyed had already moved to a rural area in either 2020 or 2021. This trend will continue, as many urbanists surveyed expressed a desire to move to the country, and many space seekers continue their search for open areas.
For the full report: https://www.aem.org/news/the-rural-migration-trend-what-to-make-of-it-why-its-happening-and-where-its-headed
