A study from economist David Autor finds that the higher wages once offered workers without college degrees or special skills are mostly gone. Workers in cities often earn what they would in rural areas.
City boosters have long touted dense urban cities as places of opportunity. A new study finds that for low-skilled workers that may no longer be the case. An analysis of wages through time shows that, for less educated workers, the gap between pay in rural and urban areas has shrunk dramatically. "Because of this, cities no longer offer low-skilled workers the economic advantages they once did, according to new analysis by the M.I.T. economist David Autor," Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui report for the New York Times.
Many policy makers and economists have mused that if Americans moved more they would be able to improve their incomes and have access to more opportunities. This study suggests that for many, that’s not the case, in part because of the decrease in manufacturing, the urban wage advantage is now only available for the professional class of Americans.
"Now, the urban jobs available to people with no college education — as servers, cleaners, security guards, home health aides — are basically the same kind as those available in smaller towns and rural communities," Badger and Bui write. Meanwhile, the cost of living in these denser communities are often much more expensive.
FULL STORY: What if Cities Are No Longer the Land of Opportunity for Low-Skilled Workers?
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.
Do Immigrants Help or Hurt America's Urban Economies?
As Congress debates immigration reform, Richard Florida explains why more liberal policies could be a boon for America's cities by examining the connection between foreign-born populations and economic outcomes.
Wisconsin's declining population reduces housing needs by almost 50%
The state's working age population declined by over 25,000 people between 2020 and 2024.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association