This Population Policy Series Brief focuses on rural survivors and how the characteristics of rural life have an effect on a survivor’s ability to be economically secure and access safety. While only 17% of Americans live in rural communities, the threats to economic security and safety are distinct from suburban and urban communities and require different responses from government, service providers and the criminal justice system.6 Definitions of “rural” differ based on a combination of population density and distance to urban centers. This brief will generally focus on non-metropolitan counties which have population clusters up to 49,999 people and Frontier and Remote (FAR) areas defined below. Rural communities in and of themselves are diverse, yet they share similar levels of geographic isolation, absent or deficient resources, and depressed economic opportunity when compared to more populous areas. These characteristics make the prospect of achieving economic security difficult for all rural residents. For survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, the combination of rural isolation and economic insecurity significantly diminishes their ability to escape or recover from abuse.