This study examines the economic security of rural areas in the context of contemporary challenges. The authors highlight the crucial role of economic security in rural areas for the long-term sustainability of the country, particularly in light of the imperative to guarantee food security. The study focuses on the Orenburg region, which encompasses a considerable proportion of rural territory. The authors conducted an extensive analysis of a multitude of data sets, identifying pivotal threats to the economic security of rural areas, particularly in relation to socio-demographic processes and economic relations. In the article, the authors undertake a comparative analysis in the Orenburg region's population, the dynamics of the rural population, and the dynamics of rural migration, which represent the most significant components of the economic security of rural areas. The structure of the state programme, entitled "Integrated Development of Rural Areas of the Orenburg Region", is presented. The implementation of the state programme "Integrated Rural Development" in the Orenburg region reveals that the principal threats to the economic security of rural areas in the region are demographic in nature and the threat of a shortage of highly qualified personnel. These factors can be considered constraints on the sustainable development of rural areas in the Orenburg region. The potential threats to the economic security of rural areas in the Orenburg region were identified, and strategies for their neutralisation were proposed.