A nationwide study of local news reporting capacity has ranked Rappahannock County first in Virginia and 12th highest among all counties in the United States.
The Local Journalist Index study (localjournalistindex.com) mapped the number of journalists, both full time and part time, to gauge what it calls “Local Journalist Equivalents” in all 3,144 counties or equivalent jurisdictions throughout the country.
Where the number of journalists is higher relative to the local population, the study said, news outlets are able to keep their communities better informed. But, it said, “most Americans live in communities that are, by any reasonable measure, severely under covered.”
The study also reviewed 4.2 million articles published during the first three months of this year to further evaluate which counties are — or aren’t — receiving adequate coverage of local news.
The study is a collaboration between Muck Rack, an AI communications platform used by journalists, marketers and public relations professionals, and Rebuild Local News, a nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition advocating for public policies to strengthen local news.
For Virginia, the study evaluated the state’s 95 counties and about 40 more independent cities that function as county-equivalents. Behind Rappahannock, Highland County placed second in local news reporting capacity and Roanoke County was third. Nationally, Highland placed 15th and Roanoke ranked 22nd.
In counties adjoining Rappahannock:
– Fauquier: 996th nationally and 46th in Virginia
– Page: 1209th nationally, 51st in Virginia
– Culpeper: 1577th nationally, 65th in Virginia
– Madison: 2210th nationally, 89th in Virginia
– Warren: 2507th nationally, 98th in Virginia
Among the nation’s 50 states, the study ranked Virginia 19th,. Vermont ranked highest and Nevada lowest.
For the 3,144 counties or equivalent jurisdictions in the Local Journalist Index study, the highest ranking went to rural Campbell County in South Dakota, with a population of about 1,400.
Foothills Forum reporter Bob Hurley on assignment at Chancellor Farms in Flint Hill, Va. (Photo/Luke Christopher)
Rappahannock County’s high ranking is due to the partnership between the Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum, a community-supported nonprofit news organization, said Foothills board chair Andy Alexander.
Foothills Forum hires journalists, including freelancers, who produce stories, photos, videos and graphics that appear mainly in the understaffed Rappahannock News, dramatically expanding its news coverage.
“These rankings show that our unique partnership is working to keep our community reliably informed,” said Alexander.
“This recognition belongs to our readers as much as our newsroom,” said Rappahannock News editor Julia Shanahan. “In a small rural county, people trust us with their stories every day, and our responsibility is to report them fairly, accurately and with depth. We’re proud that commitment is being recognized.”
In Virginia Press Association awards several months ago, the Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum combined for 24 first-place honors for journalistic excellence and the Rappahannock News was named the state’s best weekly newspaper of its size for the sixth consecutive year.
The Piedmont Journal Recorder, an online news site, also covers Rappahannock, in addition to Madison, Greene and Orange counties.
The recently-released Local Journalist Index study found that nationally there has been an 81% decline since 2002 in the number of Local Journalism Equivalents per 100,000 residents (adjusted for communities with a smaller population). The study found that news coverage of education and health, in particular, has declined sharply as the number of local journalists has shrunk.
Studies have shown that where local journalism is stronger, civic participation is higher. But in communities where local news outlets have withered or disappeared, the result is lower voter participation, more government corruption and inefficiency, increased polarization and rampant misinformation.
Nationally, roughly 3,500 newspapers have disappeared over the past quarter century, with many falling victim to competition from major social media platforms. On average throughout the country, about 2.5 newspapers are shuttering each week.
The Local Journalist Index research follows a similar Muck Rack-Rebuild Local News study last year that was the first to comprehensively track the nationwide shortage of local journalists. In the 2025 study, Rappahannock County ranked 19th nationally and was second among all Virginia counties (or equivalent jurisdictions).
Rebuild Local News said the most recent Local Journalist Index study also found a financial cost for communities with inadequate local news coverage.
“States with fewer local journalists face estimated municipal borrowing costs roughly 17% higher than average,” it said, with estimates of “at least $1.1 billion in annual financial harm to communities nationwide.
“Without journalists monitoring local officials, the risk of wasteful spending and corruption increases. Lenders respond by charging higher interest rates, and those added costs ultimately fall to local residents through higher taxes or reduced services.”
