DATA WERE DERIVED FROM SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES OBTAINED FROM 660 URBAN AND 514 RURAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AN AREA IDENTIFIED ONLY AS A PROSPEROUS NORTH-CENTRAL STATE. MULTIVARIATE STATISTICS WERE USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA. THE DATA WERE TABULATED ACCORDING TO A NUMBER OF DESCRIPTIVE VARIABLES FOR EACH HYPOTHESIZED THEORY (E.G., FAMILY SITUATION FOR THE CONTROL FACTOR, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS FOR THE BLOCKED OPPORTUNITY, AND INVOLVEMENT WITH DELINQUENT PEERS AND PERCEPTION OF PEER APPROVAL FOR THE PEER SUBCULTURE THEORY). THE INVESTIGATION BEGAN WITH THE TRADITIONAL BELIEF THAT RURAL DELINQUENCY IS LESS FREQUENT AND LESS SERIOUS THAN URBAN CRIME, ESPECIALLY FOR JUVENILES, WHO ARE ASSUMED TO ENGAGE PRIMARILY IN ACTS OF OCCASIONAL VANDALISM. THE STUDY FOUND THAT MOST RURAL AND URBAN ADOLESCENTS ARE NOT INVOLVED IN DELINQUENCY, EXCEPT FOR PETTY LARCENY, DISTRUBING THE PEACE, AND STATUS OFFENSES. THE INCIDENCE OF DELINQUENCY WAS MUCH HIGHER FOR MALES THAN FEMALES, BOTH AMONG RURAL AND URBAN JUVENILES. NO SIGNIFICANT URBAN-RURAL DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN PETTY LARCENY, DISTURBING THE PEACE, CAR THEFT, OR ROBBERY-BUGLARY OFFENSES. URBAN YOUTHS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INVOLVED IN SEXUAL OFFENSES, ASSAULT, AND DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES. URBAN MALES WERE FOUND TO BE THE MOST DELINQUENT AND RURAL FEMALES THE LEAST DELINQUENT. CONTROL, BLOCKED OPPORTUNITY, AND PEER SUBCULTURE FACTORS WERE ALL FOUND TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN EXPLAINING THE DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR OF RURAL AND URBAN JUVENILES. AMONG SEVEN INDEPENDENT VARIABLES, DRAWN FROM THE THREE THEORIES, CONFORMITY TO PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS, PEER APPROVAL FOR DELINQUENCY, AND INVOLVEMENT WITH DELINQUENT PEERS EXPLAINED THE MAJORITY OF DELINQUENCY DIFFERENTIATION. STATISTICAL TABLES ARE INCLUDED IN THE TEXT. QUESTIONS USED TO MEASURE THE VARIABLES IN THE STUDY AND AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE APPENDED. (LGR)