Determinants of Income Growth in U.S. Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Labor Markets

This research analyzes determinants of growth across U.S. labor market regions,using a production function approach based on four inputs: labor, manufacturing investment, human capital investment, and public capital investment. We find significant differences in the relative influence of growth determinants between metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions during the 1969-1999 period. We find little role for public capital investment in either metropolitan or non-metropolitan regions, but that manufacturing investment tended to spur growth in non-metropolitan regions, in contrast to results for metropolitan regions. We find that human capital matters for both metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions, but that increased human capital investment in metropolitan regions may have a larger impact on growth than in non-metropolitan regions. Further, the presence of more colleges and universities, more household amenities, and lower tax rates were all found to encourage human capital accumulation in U.S. labor market areas.