Growth and change in U.S. micropolitan areas

The U.S. Census Bureau has now recognized micropolitan places, which are sometimes called emerging metropolitan areas or mini-metros. After the 1990 census, a total of 581 different non-metropolitan counties, forming 496 consolidated micropolitan areas, were assigned to this new settlement category. The first half of the paper analyzes the evolving geographic distribution and the shifting employment attributes (emphasizing job specialization) of these places during 1980–2000. Changes in the U.S. micropolitan landscape, reflecting the impressive growth of these places during the late 20th century, mirror other well-known national demographic and economic trends. The second half of the paper analyzes simultaneous population and employment change in micropolitan counties, using a series of partial adjustment models that control for various demographic, economic, and geographic factors. Evidently (initial and adjusted) population levels have induced both employment and population change in these places, but employment levels have failed to have the same impact.