ABSTRACT
Human capital consists of the assets each person possesses: health, formal education, skills, knowledge, leadership, and potential. The quantity of human capital provides the basic potential from which other capitals can be enhanced. Human capital attributes of the labor force include both the skills and training acquired and the level of schooling completed by people in a community. One of the most significant changes in rural labor forces is the increasing participation of women. Most rural counties experienced out-migration between 2010 and 2013, except for counties with new petroleum and natural gas and explorations. The plantation economy of the South left many social, economic, and ecological structures in place after the end of slavery. The "filling in" of the Great Plains and the West after the Civil War involved removing Native Americans. Health is a critical part of human capital, and major rural-urban differences exist.
