Small Cities Struggle Through Recession

This article looks at a variety of indicators that show troubled times ahead for America's small cities. The trends are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

"A review of newly released census data shows, for example, that smaller cities of between 20,000 and 50,000 residents have lagged behind their larger counterparts in attracting higher-educated residents in this decade. The smaller locales include remote towns, inner suburbs, the distant suburbs known as "exurbs" and other distinct areas.

In 2000, the smaller cities ranked at the top in the share of people with college diplomas. They slipped to No. 2 last year with 30 percent holding degrees - in between medium-sized cities, which had 31 percent, and big cities, at 29.8 percent."