An exodus of young people to the towns is one of the biggest threats to the viability of villages and hamlets in England, a report suggests.

The number of people aged between 15 and 29 living in rural areas has fallen by 400,000 in 20 years, according to the report, State of the Countryside.

The loss of so many young people is of particular concern because the trend is set against a rising rural population overall and against evidence that suggests that those who live in rural areas are often better off and more healthy.

The mean income of people in rural areas is £34,175, compared with £32,623 in towns. But about 928,000 households, 32 per cent of all rural inhabitants, have incomes of less than £16,500, or £317 a week. Rural people are generally in better physical health but depression and mental health problems are apparent in seaside resorts that have high numbers of pensioners.

The impact of migrant workers on rural communities is also highlighted in the report. The numbers have risen by 200 per cent in three years and rural councils admit that they are experiencing problems in providing extra school places, housing, training and support services.

Stuart Burgess, chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities and the Government’s Rural Advocate, said: “The sheer scale and speed of immigration has put a big strain on rural local authorities, both in their ability to provide services and ensure that migrants are successfully integrated into their host communities.”

Dr Burgess is demanding more opportunities for young people to stay in rural areas and more incentives to help them to return. He gave warning of a “demographic divide” between rural and urban areas that will put a severe strain on the provision of rural services. The need for cheaper affordable housing, particularly in the social rented sector, is seen as one of the main solutions to attract younger people to the countryside.

This drift of young people to towns for jobs, training or to go to university and college means that rural communities are getting older and ageing faster than those in urban areas.

Large numbers of young families aged 35 to 45 are leaving urban areas in search of a more peaceful life in the countryside. The prospect of better education is among the attractions for parents. More 11 and 13-year-olds at rural schools scored level 4 and above in Key Stage tests in English, mathematics and science than those in urban schools. At GCSE almost 66 per cent of pupils in bigger villages achieved five or more grades A to C, compared with 53 per cent in urban areas.

In the sticks

— 9.5 million people, 19 per cent of the population, live in rural areas

— The average rural house price last year was £240,222 – 22.1 per cent higher than the £196,700 cost of an urban house

— The average rural company employs 6 people, compared with 16 in towns

— 68 per cent of trips to the countryside involve a round trip of fewer than 20 miles

— More than one third of people aged over 15 enjoy outdoor pursuits, with hiking most popular

— Extreme sports are enticing people out of town. Surfing has grown 400 per cent in five years

— There are now 400 vineyards

Source: State of the Countryside Report 2007

Explore Property

• Buying & Selling

• New Homes

• Overseas

• Interiors

• Investment

• Gardens

• Cool In Your Code

• Specials

• First-time buyer

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers