Citation needed. There are so many of these small towns that are hurting surely, you can find a single example or anecdote that backs up the claim that this is a plausible much less obvious solution.
The numbers indicate that levels of poverty are higher in those small towns per-capita in the US [1]. And these studies have yet to include the impact of COVID-19. Anecdotally, every small town I know of saw wages go down and housing prices increase in the pandemic.
Also wages in urban areas are growing faster than rural areas [2]. So your lifetime earning potential is dramatically impacted by being in a smaller town. That may be a good choice for many people but if the argument is that you will be better off financially the numbers don’t support that.
[1] https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/rural-economy-population/rur... [2] https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/Research/Interactive...