As the debate about whether people prefer to live in the suburbs or the big city rages on, data from the U.S. Census reveals a clear preference on the part of economic trends in the wake of the Great Recession.
"Americans in small towns and rural communities are dramatically less likely to start new businesses than they have been in the past," reports Jim Tankersley, who also adds that such an unprecedented trend "jeopardizes the economic future of vast swaths of the country."
The data inspiring the article comes from a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Economic Innovation Group. The data reveals a complicated narrative for the economic recovery following the Great Recession. Namely: "[what] growth has occurred has been largely confined to a handful of large and innovative areas," like the Silicon Valley, New York City, and parts of Texas.
As for the causes of the consolidation of economic growth, the report identifies a few concurrent trends that have all harmed small businesses in rural America. "Those include the rise of big-box retailers such as Walmart, the loss of millions of manufacturing and construction jobs across the country and a pullback in business lending that appears to have stung small-town and rural borrowers particularly hard," according to Tankersley.
The article includes more details of the data found in the report, as well as data from additional sources on the issue of economic growth. The Washington Post also produced an "explainer" video to help make sense of the jobs report, which can be found below.
FULL STORY: A very bad sign for all but America’s biggest cities
Cities Dominating the Economic Recovery
The affordability crisis and congestion are just two of the signs of the dominance of cities in the economic recovery, according to an article in the Washington Post. In fact, outside of cities, it doesn't look much like a recovery at all.
Analysis of Downtown Recoveries Reveals Post-Pandemic Winners and Losers
The recovery of U.S. downtowns is happening at widely different paces depending on which city you consider.
Columnist: New York City Needs Economic Recovery Strategies Other Than Gentrification
It's a tale of two cities as New York starts to emerge from the pandemic.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service