Most central cities of the Midwest experienced revival in the 1990s in comparison with the previous two decades, according to such broad measures as population, employment, unemployment, and income. This article evaluates gains in light of the overall turnaround of the Midwest economy and finds...

If today's tight labor market in the Midwest can be sustained, as now seems likely, the region's policymakers and businesses will face problems associated with labor-constrained growth rather than the underemployment of the recent past. An era of tight labor markets can be expected to add...

Has the Midwest been good or lucky in its recent recovery? In this article, the authors assess the internal and external factors that have contributed to the revival of midwestern economic fortunes over the last decade.