The creative economy concept has recently become increasingly popular. Although the concept is popular and research is being conducted on it, there has been a lack of research on the creative economy in rural communities. This thesis attempts to determine the characteristics that define the creative economy in rural communities. Previous research found that creative workers prefer communities with certain characteristics which include technology, talent, tolerance, lifestyle, and authenticity/identity (Florida 2002). The results of this study indicate that rural creative communities in the Midwest tend to have higher percentages of residents with at least a bachelor's degree, more gay and lesbian households, higher percentages of high technology occupations, more patents issues from 1990 to 1999, and more art, entertainment and design occupations and establishments.