Characterizing Rugged Terrain in the United States

Mountains and other topographic features with variable elevation provide benefits to residents and visitors but may also impose barriers to travel and restrict development. The authors developed two national representations of relative topographic variability for census tracts: the Area Ruggedness Scale characterizes overall ruggedness and the Road Ruggedness Scale characterizes ruggedness along roads. To understand variation of characteristics by terrain ruggedness, the authors analyzed population, population density, and income across road ruggedness categories, rurality, and regions in the United States. The authors found that as land becomes more rugged, population density decreases, more people live in rural locations, and more rural residents live in low-income census tracts. Ruggedness is distinct from rurality, but in locations that are both highly rugged and rural, unique challenges may arise.