A new 2025 report maps a “severe” shortage of local journalists in the U.S.

This research, conducted by the nonprofit Rebuild Local News and the media data platform Muck Rack, introduces the Local Journalist Index, which for the first time quantifies how many journalists are covering communities across all U.S. counties. The findings highlight a deepening crisis in local journalism:

• 1,000+ counties - one out of every three — lack the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist
• More than 2,000 counties have fewer local journalists than the national average, which is just 8.2 Local Journalist Equivalents
• Vermont leads with 27.5 journalists per 100,000 residents — the highest in the country
• Large counties like Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix, and San Bernardino are also severely undercovered
• Smaller areas, such as Jerauld County, SD, show high ratios due to dedicated hyperlocal efforts
• The Bronx in NYC has fewer local journalists per capita than rural Falls County, TX

The report also reveals that the erosion of local journalism is no longer just a rural issue — fast-growing suburban areas are also struggling with coverage due to declining revenue models that no longer scale with population growth.

The Local Journalist Index uses advanced filtering and proprietary datasets from Muck Rack, analyzing digital news content to estimate active local coverage per county. The goal is to establish a consistent national standard for tracking the state of local journalism year over year.

The full report is available at Rebuild Local News and Nieman Lab.

Previous research available at US News Deserts 2018.