Pennsylvania, like the United States, experienced a remarkable economic expansion through the late 1990s. The significant growth and change of this decade, however, did not equally touch all regions and all industries. Traditional sectors continued to decline, while growth in what has been dubbed the "new economy," considered to be the…

Sierra Leone is currently emerging from a brutal civil war that lasted most of the 1990s, and now has the dubious distinction of being ranked among the world's poorest countries. As thousands of displaced people move back to their villages, a large proportion of the predominantly farm-based rural population are growing food crops for the first…

A survey of 505 low-income nonmetropolitan families found that participation in informal work activities was widespread; was not related to poverty status; contributed little to family income on average but helped families weather difficult times; was motivated both economically and noneconomically; and, net of other sociodemographic variables,…

North-Central New Mexico has many of the problems common to other rural areas. Unemployment and underemployment rates tend to be high and per capita income relatively low. This study evaluated regional economic performance over a 19-year period (1949-1968) as compared to other regions and the nation. Shift analysis (a means of examining regional…

Compares influence of employment growth/diversity, commuting, retirement migration, income, unemployment, age structure, and adjacency with influence of nonfarm self-employment and percentage of labor force that is female on recent declines in nonmetropolitan growth rates. Suggests last two variables are more important determinants of…

Employment and earnings increased in nonmetro areas during the 1990s, but less than in urban areas. The metro-nonmetro earnings gap reached a historical high in 1998 as businesses that used advanced technologies avoided rural locations where professional and skilled workers were in short supply. Metro and nonmetro employment and income data by…

Intended for rural development practitioners and extension educators, this publication examines trends and issues in the revitalization of rural America. Chapter 1 defines community economic vitality as the capacity to ensure a flow of jobs and income over time; focuses attention on the realities of competition between communities and the…

The Midwest, Plains, and Delta are among the regions hit hardest by the current farm crisis. The vulnerability of an area to the financial crisis in farming depends on the financial conditions of its farmers, its dependence on farming--especially on export-sensitive crops--and the strength of its nonfarm economy. (JHZ)

The structure of nonmetro employment has become increasingly diverse and decreasingly agricultural. The precise policy implications of these shifts are not self-evident, but the increasingly nonagricultural character of the rural economy is at the heart of the population turnaround. (Author/KR)

Analyzes models of gender differences in labor market experiences using data from 17 labor market areas in and around Kentucky. Demonstrates the diversity that exists within rural labor markets, but concludes that disparities in earnings and work stability for women persist, with other variables controlled. Contains 48 references. (Author/DHP)

Relative to metro growth, nonmetropolitan employment growth was 0.7-1.0 percent lower in the 1970s and 1980s than expected based on eight labor force and labor market variables. Discrepancies between actual and expected growth increased in more rural counties, suggesting the importance of the spatial dimension of rurality. (SV)

The objective of this study was to explore a new method of analyzing the performance of substate economies. Conventional analyses of economic diversity and growth are limited by their reliance on static measures of economic structure. Such measures do not capture the patterns of growth dynamics or structural change a region may be experiencing.…

Farm and ranch operators in North Dakota (n=933) and Texas (n=1,020) were randomly surveyed in 1985 to determine the relationship of financial conditions to levels of off-farm employment by farm operators and spouses. The overall response rate was 75%. Off-farm employment was measured by number of days the farmer or spouse was employed off of the…

The Annual Rural Manpower Report is a summary of events and programs affecting rural communities during 1975. Intended as a general overview of activities in rural Maine, it is not an indepth study of all manpower programs serving the state. Part I provides the annual summary and discusses planning, economic development, employment and…