IN 1970 UNDER ONE-THIRD OF THE UNITED STATES POPULATION RESIDED IN RURAL AREAS AND SMALL CITIES. DATA DRAWN FROM THE CENSUS AND OTHER RESEARCH STUDIES INDICATES THAT RURAL YOUTH FACE GREATER PROBLEMS IN OBTAINING EMPLOYMENT AND HIGHER EDUCATION THAN URBAN YOUNG PEOPLE. DELINQUENCY RATES ARE LOWER IN NONMETROPOLITAN REGIONS, AND RURAL YOUTH ARE USUALLY INVOLVED IN LESS SERIOUS OR SOPHISTICATED OFFENSES THAN THEIR URBAN COUNTERPARTS. A STUDY COMPARING JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN PHILADELPHIA AND AN OREGON COUNTY FOUND THAT BOTH GROUPS HAD SIMILAR HISTORIES OF OFFICIAL CONTACTS WITH THE LAW. TRENDS IN FEMALE CRIME AND DELINQUENCY HAVE ALSO BEEN SIMILAR FOR URBAN AND RURAL AREAS. RURAL DELINQUENCY IS LESS LIKELY TO BE RELATED TO SOCIAL CLASS, BUT IS RELATED MORE TO POOR SCHOLASTIC PERFORMANCE AND SCHOOL BEHAVIOR. WHEN ADOLESCENTS CANNOT COMPETE SUCCESSFULLY IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEY REBEL AGAINST ADULTS AND BECOME INVOLVED IN AN ANTISCHOOL PEER CULTURE WHICH ENCOURAGES DELINQUENCY. RESEARCH HAS ALSO DISCOVERED A STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOW LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN URBAN SCHOOLS AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. SINCE A LIMITED EDUCATION DENIES YOUTH EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR DECENT EMPLOYMENT, PREVENTION STRATEGIES SHOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESS BOTH ISSUES. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN DEVELOPING A POSITIVE IDENTITY AND CONFORMING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR ARE COMPETENCE, POTENCY, BELONGINGNESS, AND USEFULNESS. WHILE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ARE IMPORTANT, A PERSON'S WORK IS THE MOST BASIC FACTOR IN ACHIEVING THIS IDENTITY. BECAUSE OF LOW RATES OF GROWTH FOR RURAL EMPLOYMENT, DEVELOPING LEGITIMATE IDENTITIES WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR RURAL YOUTHS AND NEW JOBS SHOULD BE CREATED. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.