Loneliness in Rural Areas: Real Help Is One Call Away

If you’re in crisis right now — call or text 988 (the U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), available 24/7. And if you’re reading this because loneliness in rural areas is wearing on you or someone you love, our free phone line is open to anyone: 877-638-1122.

I’m Landon. I help run How To Beat Loneliness, and before that I spent years building and training teams across the country — a lot of them in small towns where the nearest city was an hour of two-lane highway away. So when researchers say loneliness in rural areas is its own kind of problem, I believe them. The distance is real, the quiet is real, and the help is too often far away. If you’d rather skip the article and just talk to a person, the line is free: 877-638-1122.

What the research says about loneliness in rural areas

Start with the big picture. The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory found that about half of American adults report measurable loneliness — and warned that its health toll rivals smoking. Loneliness isn’t a small-town problem or a big-city problem. It’s everywhere.

But the data on rural communities is sobering. In one needs assessment of older adults in rural Northeast Tennessee, 42% were socially isolated and 37% were lonely — and the people most at risk were the ones who’d moved in recently or faced barriers to aging in place. When you can’t drive, can’t find a ride, and the nearest senior center is half a county away, isolation isn’t a mood. It’s a logistics problem with an emotional cost.

Why distance makes it worse

City loneliness and rural loneliness aren’t the same animal. In a city, company is close even when it’s hard to reach — a neighbor through the wall, a coffee shop on the corner. In the country, the company itself is miles away. A flat tire, a winter storm, or a license you finally had to give up can quietly seal someone in.

Here’s the part that surprised me. You’d think screens would close the gap — and rural older adults actually use social media more than their urban peers. But a peer-reviewed study found rural older adults were less likely to have a phone or video call on any given day (21% versus 26%), even while scrolling more. Scrolling isn’t the same as being heard. A feed doesn’t ask how you slept.

Distance is part of the problem — and part of why a phone call matters so much.

What it does to the body and the mind

This isn’t just about feeling blue on a Sunday. The National Institute on Aging links chronic loneliness to a 31% higher risk of dementia, more emergency-room visits, and a greater chance of ending up in a nursing home. It nudges people toward worse sleep, more drinking, and less movement — each of which carries its own price.

The loneliness also feeds depression, and the two can be hard to tell apart from the outside. We are companions, not clinicians — so if you or someone you love has stopped eating well, stopped sleeping, or started talking about being a burden, please loop in a doctor. You can read more about the measurable physical effects of loneliness if you want the full picture.

What actually helps when you live far out

The good news is that the fix doesn’t require moving to town. The NIA’s own guidance on staying connected keeps coming back to one idea: regular, scheduled contact beats good intentions. A standing Tuesday-night phone call does more than a dozen “we should catch up soon” texts that never happen.

So pick one small, repeatable thing. A weekly call with a grandkid. A ride-share to the church potluck. The library bookmobile route. A volunteer who checks in. And when there’s nobody on the other end of the line that week — which happens, especially out where the houses are far apart — that’s exactly what our free phone line is for. A real, trained human picks up. No script, no sales pitch, no charge. For the harder hours, we also wrote a guide on how to cope with loneliness at night, when a quiet country house gets quietest.

Call 877-638-1122 — free

Important

We are companions, not clinicians. The phone line at How To Beat Loneliness is staffed by real humans who listen — we don’t diagnose, prescribe, or treat. If you’re working through grief, depression, or a mental-health condition, please pair our conversation with a licensed therapist or your doctor. And if you’re in immediate danger or thinking about hurting yourself, call or text 988 right away.

A note from Landon

If you live out where the road gets quiet, I want you to know the distance isn’t a verdict on how connected you get to be. It just means you have to be a little more deliberate about it — and you don’t have to start alone. Call us, and we’ll take it from there, one conversation at a time.

— Landon, How To Beat Loneliness

Frequently asked questions about loneliness in rural areas

Why is loneliness worse in rural areas?

Distance, thin services, and fewer chance encounters make connection harder. Rural studies show high isolation — around 42% in one Tennessee assessment — and rural elders are less likely than urban ones to have daily calls.

How can people in rural areas cope with loneliness?

Lean on phone and video connection, faith and community hubs, libraries, and your Area Agency on Aging. A regular call can bridge long distances when driving to a center is not realistic.

Are there free resources for rural loneliness?

Yes. The Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116), 211, and free phone lines reach people far from the nearest senior center.

Who can I call if I am lonely in a rural area?

How To Beat Loneliness is a free line answered by a real human, wherever you live: 877-638-1122.

About the author

Landon Myers is the Founder of HowToBeatLoneliness. He brings a professional background in sales, team development, and leadership, with years of experience building and managing teams across multiple industries and agencies. Throughout his career, he has focused on communication as a core principle — working as a trainer, manager, and team leader dedicated to helping others refine their skills, confidence, and understanding. Based in the United States, Landon brings to the project a practical and people-focused perspective shaped by both leadership and personal connection. Outside the project, he enjoys spending time with family and being outdoors — dirt biking, snowmobiling, hiking, and traveling whenever possible.

Loneliness in Rural Areas: What the Research Shows and What Helps