Data can be downloaded; can select definition of "rural" based on county size

Done every five years; most recently for 2012.

Note that statistics can be limited by state (lower left)

Fulltext; "historical publications, U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research, and more." Includes some "scholarly and peer reviewed research."

Includes: Alternative Farming Systems Information Center; Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC); Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC); Food Safety Information Center (FSIC); National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC); Rural Information Center (RIC); and the Water Quality Information Center (WQIC).

Note the publications tab - many FAO publications are available fulltext online

Lots of other data available from the World Bank, including this.! See also their ag and rural dev news site here

Includes a special section on China; book is fulltext readable online.
"This Monitoring and Evaluation report of agricultural policies covers OECD member countries and a range of emerging economies which are key players on agro-food markets."

"This report provides a framework to understand the changing relationships between urban and rural areas. Specifically, it documents the characteristics of these partnerships and the factors that can hinder as well as enable rural-urban co-operation." free to read online.