Wages are Higher in Urban Areas, But Growing Faster in Rural Counties

The story of the success of American cities is more complicated when we look at the details.

1 minute read

October 31, 2018, 5:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Southern Colorado

Tim Roberts Photography / Shutterstock

On a county-by-county level, the highest wages tend to be in urban counties, but that's not the whole story. On average, counties that are part of large metro areas have the highest wages, while rural counties have to lowest salaries, but rural counties have the edge in wage growth. "Rural communities have seen significantly faster growth in wages and salaries than their urban counterparts," Richard Florida writes in CityLab. When it comes to the fastest wage growth, "Nearly 275 rural counties are in this top 10 percent (including more than 100 small rural counties that are not adjacent to metro areas), compared to just 41 urban counties," Florida reports.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018 in CityLab

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