Thriverr Live: Putting 20 Years of Resident Recruitment Surveys to Work

Attracting and retaining new residents is vital to creating thriving rural communities. Helping them find reasons to stay matters just as much.

In this Thriverr Live session, we will hear from three groups of experts on resident recruitment.

• Ben Winchester from University of Minnesota Extension will share highlights from 20 years of research on who moves to rural places and why they stay.

• Kara Harders from South Dakota State University Extension will follow with specific findings from the 2025 Newcomers Survey Report in South Dakota.

• Economic development organization leaders who recently finished a Dakota Resources' resident recruitment cohort will close the session by sharing how they're putting this to work at home.

Join us and bring what's happening in your community — whether you're just starting to think about resident recruitment or already have something running. This session will help provide you with data and understanding about the people who are choosing to move to rural communities.