We use population data from the U.S. Census to track regional patterns of growth from 1790 through 1990. At the county level, we find that an initial general tendency towards population convergence lasting roughly through the 1800s becomes dramatically reversed: particularly in the post-WWII...

A description and examination of the expanding service economy, with the contention that its growth reflects a natural and inevitable response to rising wealth.

This study focuses on the relative importance of amenity and productivity differences in determining wage differentials across urban areas. The approach developed takes advantage of the connection between land and labor market clearing conditions required for locational equilibrium of households...

A demonstration that regional differences in the returns to human capital do not necessarily imply structural differences in regional labor markets, but could be reflecting compensation for regional differences in amenities.

An examination of the role of productivity differences in explaining the decline of manufacturing activity in large metropolitan areas relative to the rest of the country, with special attention given to the decline of the large metropolitan areas of the Manufacturing Belt.

A methodology is developed for constructing quality-of-life comparisons for metropolitan areas in which the full bundle of an area's attributes is valued, rather than the typical method of focusing on individual characteristics.