Recent USDA Data Show How Creative Class Economies Are (or Are Not) Recovering in Rural Counties
Combining data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) Creative Class County Codes and the Census Bureau's 2007-11 American Community Survey, Tim Wojan of the USDA ERS reports comparative data on the economic resilience of creative class workers in metro vs. non-metro counties.
From Wojan:
Creative class counties were more likely to be classified as resilient than their non-creative class peers. That is, a higher share of creative class counties gained employment in recovery after losing employment in recession. However, the percentage of metro counties classified as resilient was higher than the percentage of nonmetro counties, irrespective of creative class status.
About 30 percent of nonmetro creative class counties had not seen employment growth in recovery, while less than 15 percent of metro creative class counties lost employment during the economic recovery. The one bright spot for nonmetro performance relative to metro areas is the higher percentage of counties that experience growth in both recession and recovery, driven mainly by the energy boom.
A brief analysis of Wojan's report, by Richard Florida of City Lab, can be found here.