Rural Voters Sour on Economy Despite Continued Trump Support, Poll Finds

About half of rural voters in the United States believe the economy has deteriorated since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 rural registered voters. The findings point to deepening economic frustration within a voting bloc that has historically leaned Republican and proved instrumental to Trump's electoral success.

Grocery, gasoline and healthcare costs emerged as the most pressing concerns for respondents, who were more likely than voters overall to worry about affording food and fuel. Roughly three-quarters described the cost of living in their communities as either "only fair" or "poor."

Approval of Trump's economic stewardship stood at about four in ten, with roughly six in ten disapproving. He drew similar marks on his handling of the war with Iran, which the survey linked to higher oil and gas prices. Rural voters ranked pocketbook issues and fraud in government programs above perennial topics such as gun policy and abortion among the subjects they want politicians to address.

The results suggest many rural voters have not abandoned Trump but largely doubt he has fulfilled his economic promises. While large-scale defection to Democrats appears unlikely, the erosion could complicate Republican prospects in November.

Tim Slack, a sociology professor at Louisiana State University and co-author of "Rural and Small-Town America," attributed the discontent to policy choices including the Iran war, tariffs and trade disputes. "None of those things are going to bring down prices at the pump or the local Walmart," he said. Rural Americans, who earn consistently less than suburban and metropolitan residents, have faced economic strain for decades, he noted.

About half of rural voters approve of Trump's overall job performance — a higher share than among U.S. adults nationally in separate polling. Rural Republicans hold a rosier economic view than their Democratic and independent counterparts, with roughly six in ten saying Trump has improved the national economy, compared with about two in ten independents and fewer than one in ten Democrats. Yet only 45% of rural Republicans say he has bettered their local economies, and about one in four report fewer good-paying jobs than five years ago.

On healthcare, rural voters perceive little benefit from the administration's policies despite Republican leaders' emphasis on lowering drug costs and a $50 billion rural health initiative. Just 17% said those policies had a positive impact on their healthcare costs, while 41% reported no impact and 41% a negative one. More than eight in ten said they had heard little or nothing about the Rural Health Transformation Program a year after its passage, with about six in ten hearing nothing at all.

When asked which party they trusted on healthcare and living costs, voters generally favored their own. About eight in ten Democrats trusted their party on healthcare costs, compared with close to six in ten Republicans. The pattern suggests Democratic candidates may gain more from rural Republicans staying home than from them crossing party lines.

Trump's approval among rural voters, while above his national figure, has slipped slightly from 56% in a comparable 2017 survey. Many respondents also question whether major parties and the president respect people like them: 48% said the Republican Party does, 45% said the same of Trump, and 37% said so of the Democratic Party.

Competitive Senate races in Ohio, Michigan and Maine — all with sizable rural populations — could offer Democrats an opening, said Nicholas Jacobs, a political scientist at Colby College and co-author of "The Rural Voter." He described it as an opportunity that Democrats have repeatedly failed to seize.

The poll of 2,241 rural registered voters was conducted Aug. 12–24, 2026, using a probability-based panel, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.