Abstract
The rise in gross incomes and the decline in poverty in rural areas are considered evidence of economic restructuring and technological development efforts in last three decades in the United States. However, these positive effects of transformations in rural areas still do not match the rate of economic growth enjoyed by urban areas. This paper examined income convergence in 875 counties of the 10-state southeastern region using Census data for 1980 and 2000. Logarithmic difference of average per capita income between those years was regressed on socioeconomic variables using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) model. The study found important roles of human capital development and employment growth in income convergence and variations in income growth in places that differ in demographic attributes, job opportunities, geography, and resource concentrations. The study provided important insights to rural policy makers to formulate place-based economic development strategies which are practical and realistic to address economic development in the most impoverished rural places in the southeastern United States. Key words: Agglomeration, census, clusters, convergence, industries, employment, income, southeastern.
Highlights
This study examines income convergence at the county level in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.1 The objectives of this study are to: (1) examine income convergence in these ten states from 1980 to 2000, and (2) identify predictors of income growth over the period 1980 to 2000
Income convergence showed a steady increase during this study period
This observation showed that poorer counties are growing faster than relatively rich counties economically based on the positive convergence rate in both study periods
Summary
This study examines income convergence at the county level in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The objectives of this study are to: (1) examine income convergence in these ten states from 1980 to 2000, and (2) identify predictors of income growth over the period 1980 to 2000. This study examines income convergence at the county level in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.. The historical events in the southern United States have produced differing impacts and regional variations in demographic, industrial, and overall economic growth across the region. Majority of the studies on U.S income convergence are based on states or multi-state aggregate data, with few examinations in metropolitan areas and counties (Gyawali et al, 2008; Hammond, 2006; Lynch, 2003; Ngarambe, 1998; Rey and Janikas, 2005). This study is aimed at eliciting the role of these variations in income growth using the data available at the county level, which is the first known effort in the Southeastern United States
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