Drawing on data from a survey of family households in nonmetropolitan Pennsylvania, this paper examines how rural families combine participation in the formal labor market, government assistance programs, and informal economic activities (for cash, barter, and savings) to make ends meet. Overall, the results show that participation in a varied livelihood strategy is widespread. The results show greater formal labor force participation among higher income families, and greater participation in assistance programs among lower income families. Engagement in the informal economy, however, is shown to differ little by household income. Implications for future research and efforts aimed at poverty alleviation and community development are then discussed.