Does an inappropriate industry mix and structure condemn rural areas to a competitive disadvantage with respect to urban areas? This study of employment changes from 1980-85 in North Carolina counties suggests not.

During the past 200 years, most countries have entered a period of modern economic growth-consistent increases in output, input, and productivity per worker that were rare in previous centuries. Even so, a few regions of the world have experienced stagnant or falling living standards in recent...