[2] In 2024, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University released a report that found that 1,561 counties in the United States had only one local news organization (e.g. print newspaper, news website, public broadcaster, or ethnic media outlet) while 206 counties had none, that 55 million Americans lived in news desert counties, and that news desert counties had lower median household incomes, lower rates of educational attainment, a higher median population age, and higher poverty rates.
This initial context contrasts with the term's use in the 21st century, which primarily applies it as a frame for deficits or reductions in news coverage.
[8] A study in 2018 by the UNC School of Media and Journalism found more than 1,300 news deserts in the United States.
People who live in news deserts tend to be poorer, older and less educated than the average American, according to the study.
As of 2018, more than 90 counties without a newspaper were in the Southern United States, making it by far the largest news desert in the country.