Report: Rural renters also struggling during the pandemic Associated Press 2 hrs ago BOSTON (AP) — It’s not just urban dwellers who have faced difficulties paying the rent during the past year as the pandemic upended the economy. Renters in rural New England have faced many of the same affordability challenges, according to a report released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s New England Public Policy Center. While the pandemic may not be having as large a health impact on New England’s rural areas as it's had on its cities, it's having a similar economic impact due to businesses closures and restrictions on economic activity aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.