DATA WERE COLLECTED ON OVER 3,300 NONTRAFFIC CASES PROCESSED IN JUVENILE COURT. OF THIS TOTAL, 2,962 CASES WERE SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS. AGE, SEX, AND COMMUNITY SIZE WERE VARIABLES CONSIDERED IN CHARACTERIZING RURAL YOUTH AND THE NATURE OF DELINQUENCY. OFFENSES WERE CATEGORIZED AS PERSONAL VIOLENT ACTS (MURDER, MANSLAUGHTER, FORCIBLE RAPE, AND ASSAULT), THEFT (BURGLARY, AUTO THEFT, AND LARCENY EXCEPT FOR SHOPLIFTING), SHOPLIFTING, SEX OFFENSES, DRUG OFFENSES, AND DRUNK AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT. FOR AGE AND OFFENSE, DATA INDICATED THAT YOUNGER JUVENILES HAD A GREATER PROBABILITY OF BEING REFERRED TO COURT FOR A CRIMINAL OFFENSE CATEGORY THAN OLDER JUVENILES. FAR MORE BOYS THAN GIRLS WERE PROCESSED IN COURT, ALTHOUGH A SIMILAR PROPORTION OF BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 13 TO 14 YEARS WERE REFERRED TO COURT AND THE OFFICIAL INVOLVEMENT OF GIRLS IN CRIMINAL OFFENSES INCREASED AT A FASTER RATE THAN THAT OF BOYS. YOUTH FROM SMALL TOWNS (LESS THAN 2,000 RESIDENTS) CONSTITUTED A MINORITY OF COURT REFERRALS FROM 1965 TO 1969. FROM 1970 TO 1974, HOWEVER, YOUTH FROM THESE TOWNS TOOK AN INCREASING SHARE OF THE COURT CASELOAD, PARTICULARLY FOR STATUS OFFENSES. POSSIBLE CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ARE EXPLORED, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE OFFERED. SUPPORTING DATA, FOOTNOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.