This study specifies problems of community organization as a reason for expecting a positive effect of rurality on the suicide rate. A multiple regession analysis of county data for Alabama shows that rurality has substantial positive effect &, is in fact, the best predictor of the suicide rate among several variables selected from the previous literature. Additional research is needed to test the interpretation that rurality contributes to an incomplete, fragmented form of community organization which influences the suicide rate by disrupting primary relationships. (40 refs.)