Our reporters traveled all across rural America in 2025, from Maine to Oregon and many, many places in between. We found people and communities working every day to make rural places more prosperous, facing some of the toughest challenges of our modern world. Daily Yonder stories — always free to republish — ran in hundreds of local outlets, and in larger publications like the Associated Press and the Boston Globe. As we reflect on our our work, we’re ever more grateful of readers like you.
Enjoy some of our favorite stories from 2025.
Real Rural Opinions
Some of our most-read articles this year came from our commentary section. Andrew Tait, a father, farmer, and factory worker in Virginia, appeared on PBS, NPR, and elsewhere after his piece, titled “Living in the Shadow of the American Dream,” published in the Daily Yonder.
Trump’s Second Term
Trump’s second term has raised new questions and challenges in rural America, from the future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to the wide-ranging effects of cuts to public media. Across the country, rural people protested, and local officials planned for the years ahead.
Audio Storytelling
Our multimedia team produced some of the Yonder’s richest stories of the year. We met with rural immigrant communities in the Routes to Roots series; explored Appalachian folklife and culture through Living Traditions; heard about Indigenous cultural revitalization in Kentucky; and so much more. We’ve got big things coming in 2026, too.
Diverse Communities
Immigration and the government’s response to it has always been a defining part of American life. That was especially true this year. Local rural officials and organized citizens led many of the protests against the Trump administration’s policies. Amidst it all, rural immigrant communities continue to celebrate their culture.
Rural Health Care
Like many of our policy beats, health care continues to represent one of rural America’s biggest challenges. Daily Yonder coverage has shown how communities are facing threats of workforce shortages, projected premium hikes, and Medicaid cuts.
Rural Conservation
Stories about climate change, disaster recovery, and conservation help us see the resilience of rural people: how they adapt, work together when times are hard, and protect the land on which they build their communities. Stories like these will continue to be some of the most important we tell.
Arts, Culture, and Folklife
As important as policy and government stories are, we wouldn’t be covering rural America honestly without telling stories about culture, the arts, and how rural people express themselves. These are the stories that make rural America what it is: a diversity of thought, self-expression, and place.
It was tough to pick out just a few stories in this category. We’ve covered everything from the history of Jewish farming communities to seed swaps in Appalachia. This section has some of our staff favorites.
Rural Faith Communities
Faith represents one of the great diversities in rural places, and provides a place of community and understanding for many. Next year we’ll continue to report on all aspects of faith across rural America. If you’re interested in learning more, take a look at the Rural Faith Initiative, a project of our publisher, the Center for Rural Strategies.
Some of our best stories about faith came from the Living Traditions audio series. Check them out here or on the Rural Remix podcast feed, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Data and Analysis
Data Editor Sarah Melotte is telling some of the most interesting stories about rural America through interactive graphics, maps, and data analysis. If you like these kinds of stories as much as we do, subscribe to her newsletter The Rural Index.
The post The Year in Review — Best of 2025 appeared first on The Daily Yonder.
