Self‐employed individuals faced numerous challenges amid the global health and economic crisis that was the COVID‐19 pandemic. Similarly, rural and urban workers faced different challenges during the pandemic. This rural–urban disparity further complicates the impacts of self‐employment and exacerbates inequalities resulting from gender, race, ethnicity, or immigration status. This study examines the economic consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic across these categories in the United States using Current Population Survey data from May 2020 to May 2022. Comparing the wage and self‐employment sectors across rural and urban areas, I examine the effects of individual, business, and geographic characteristics on the probability of work stoppages due to the health crisis. The analysis reveals that recovery from the pandemic was delayed among the self‐employed, while additional education and full‐time employment status can reduce work interruptions for these workers, as does working in select industries. Findings suggest that rural and urban minorities are more likely to face pandemic‐related work disruptions, with key differences between formal and informal self‐employment sectors. Specifically, self‐employed Asians/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans were more adversely affected in rural areas. The study concludes with several policy and program recommendations to assist vulnerable workers, especially in the rural self‐employment sector.

中文翻译：

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美国的自营职业、COVID-19 疫情和城乡差距☆

在 COVID-19 大流行这一全球健康和经济危机中，自营职业者面临着众多挑战。同样，农村和城市工人在疫情期间面临着不同的挑战。这种城乡差异进一步加剧了自营职业的影响，并加剧了性别、种族、民族或移民身份造成的不平等。本研究使用 2020 年 5 月至 2022 年 5 月的当前人口调查数据，探讨了 COVID-19 大流行对美国这些类别的经济影响。通过比较农村和城市地区的工资和自营职业部门，我研究了个人、企业和地理特征对因健康危机而停工的可能性的影响。分析显示，自营职业者从大流行中的恢复被推迟，而额外的教育和全职就业状态可以减少这些工人的工作中断，就像在某些行业工作一样。调查结果表明，农村和城市少数群体更有可能面临与流行病相关的工作中断，正规和非正规自营职业部门之间存在重大差异。具体而言，农村地区的自营职业的亚洲人/太平洋岛民和美洲原住民受到的不利影响更大。该研究最后提出了一些政策和计划建议，以帮助弱势工人，特别是在农村自营职业部门。