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A Long-Run Perspective on the Spatial Concentration of Manufacturing Industries in the United States

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  • Nicholas Crafts
  • Alexander Klein

Abstract

We construct spatially-weighted indices of the geographic concentration of U.S. manufacturing industries during the period 1880 to 1997 using data from the Census of Manufactures and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Several important new results emerge from this exercise. First, we find that average spatial concentration was much lower in the late 20th - than in the late 19th - century and that this was the outcome of a continuing reduction over time. Second, the persistent tendency to greater spatial dispersion was characteristic of most manufacturing industries. Third, even so, economically and statistically significant spatial concentration was pervasive throughout this period.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Crafts & Alexander Klein, 2017. "A Long-Run Perspective on the Spatial Concentration of Manufacturing Industries in the United States," Studies in Economics 1715, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    • Handle: RePEc:ukc:ukcedp:1715
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    Cited by:

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    2. Yazgan, Sekip & Marangoz, Cumali & Bulut, Emre, 2022. "The turning point of regional deindustrialization in the U.S.: Evidence from panel and time-series data," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 294-304.
    3. Eriksson, Katherine & Russ, Katheryn N. & Shambaugh, Jay C. & Xu, Minfei, 2021. "Trade shocks and the shifting landscape of U.S. manufacturing," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    4. Eriksson, Katherine & Russ, Katheryn N. & Shambaugh, Jay C. & Xu, Minfei, 2021. "Reprint: Trade shocks and the shifting landscape of U.S. manufacturing," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    manufacturing belt; spatial concentration; transport costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N62 - Economic History - - Manufacturing and Construction - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N92 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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