The U.S. has lost three quarters of its local journalists, and more than 1,000 counties have no one covering their local news. Rebuild Local News, a grantee, shared a Local Journalist Index estimating how many journalists are in each U.S. County, including a map that visualizes that number per 100,000 residents. It is a steep decline in less than 25 years: in 2002, the U.S. had an average of about 40 journalists per 100,000 residents, and today that average is 8.2.
This shortage applies to all types of counties—rural counties and large urban counties like the Bronx are similarly undercovered. But the report also highlights bright spots in communities that have bucked the trend: 111 counties have at least 40 local journalists per 100,000 residents, with local outlets giving communities news they value.
