Summary: Generalizations about the needs and problems of the entire population of people age 65 and older may obscure measurable differences among populations at different localities. Based on a comparison of four samples of older people age 65 and older, many dissimilarities were exhibited not only between rural and urban but also between rural and rural, and urban and urban. The information was extracted from databases on older people living in: Cleveland, Ohio; Lane County, Oregon; and Gateway Health District, northeastern Kentucky. The comparison of rural and urban older people in the three locations showed: (1) people in rural northeastern Kentucky were generally in worse condition, with respect to health, security, loneliness, and outlook on life, than people in Cleveland or in rural and urban Lane County; (2) older people in rural and urban Lane County were less impaired than people in either Cleveland or rural northeastern Kentucky; (3) at all locations, a significant percentage of older people needed one or more kinds of help; (4) many people needing help were not receiving all the help needed; and (5) the predominant source of help in rural Lane County and northeastern Kentucky was family and friends. Help in urban Lane County and Cleveland was more likely to come from a combination of agency and family and friends.
