AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Sprouting Cities: How Rural America Industrialized
AEA Papers and Proceedings
(pp. 87–92)
Abstract
We study the joint process of urbanization and industrialization in the US economy between 1880 and 1940. We show that only a small share of aggregate industrialization is accounted for by the relocation of workers from remote rural areas to industrial hubs like Chicago or New York City. Instead, most sectoral shifts occurred within rural counties, dramatically transforming their sectoral structure. Most within-county industrialization occurred through the emergence of new "factory" cities with notably higher manufacturing shares rather than the expansion of incumbent cities. In contrast, today's shift toward services seems to benefit large incumbent cities the most.Citation
Eckert, Fabian, John Juneau, and Michael Peters. 2023. "Sprouting Cities: How Rural America Industrialized." AEA Papers and Proceedings 113: 87–92. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20231075Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- L16 Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics: Industrial Structure and Structural Change; Industrial Price Indices
- N30 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: General, International, or Comparative
- N50 Economic History: Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries: General, International, or Comparative
- N60 Economic History: Manufacturing and Construction: General, International, or Comparative
- N90 Regional and Urban History: General
- R11 Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
- R23 Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population; Neighborhood Characteristics