Long Distance Commuting: Impacts on Population, Employment, and Income Change in Nonmetropolitan Areas

摘要

The research examines the effect of long distance commuting on population, employment, and income change in the nonmetropolitan parts of Georgia and New York. These commuting systems increased in complexity from 1960 to 1980. However, the geographical expansion of metropolitan labor participation appears to have ended. Except for New York City and Atlanta, the maximum extent of metropolitan influence, as measured by commuting, is about 50 to 60 miles. Georgia's nonmetropolitan labor sheds are expanding while New York's show no such dynamism. However, metropolitan labor participation has had a more geographically extensive impact in New York than in Georgia where both income and occupational effects are very confined. In both states, places having significant labor participation with both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan centers have rapid growth. In sum, rural labor participation in distant metropolitan and nonmetropolitan centers results in rapid population growth, stimulating more diversified local economies and subsequent growth in white collar employment. Georgia appears to be in the incipient population growth state while New York is in the mature income growth-occupational mix era.