More and more, rural America is facing problems once seen mostly in inner cities, and the decline of geographic mobility may be part of the story. Incentives to stay in impoverished rural areas like Medicaid and welfare keep people in place. But that's just one of numerous reasons—both economic and cultural—people no longer believe they can pack up and leave town for a better life.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Read Full Article »A lawyer who leaves Alabama, Mississippi or South Carolina for a job in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut would spend just 21% of his income on housing after moving, Prof. Ganong has found. But a janitor making such a move would have his higher salary gobbled up by housing costs equal to 52% of income. …
It has also contributed to the nation's deepening political divide. Small-town residents fed a populist revolt that helped put Donald Trump in the White House last year, reinforcing the administration's plan to focus on issues such as curbing immigration and creating jobs through infrastructure spending.
