|
The county typology identifies 11 types of nonmetropolitan (nonmetro)
counties according to either the primary economic activity of different
county economies or other themes of special policy significance.
This classification scheme reduces the wide range of economic and
social diversity to a few important themes relevant to rural policy
making.
Counties designated as nonmetro in 1993 are classified into one of six nonoverlapping
economic types. These types, along with highlights of their distinctive profiles,
are as follows:
- Farming-dependent counties (556 counties)
were remotely located, predominantly rural, and sparsely populated.
These counties are geographically concentrated in the Midwest.
Population declined 11 percent through outmigration during the
1980's. Because of high outmigration of younger adults, the ratio
of dependent populations to working age adults was extremely
high. The economic base in these counties declined throughout
the 1980's. As a group, they lost 111,000 farming jobs during
1979-89.
- Mining-dependent counties (146) accounted
for nearly half of all nonmetro mining jobs in 1989. As a group,
they included counties with distinct specializations in different
types of mining activities, including coal, gas and oil, and
metals. Most counties are in the South or West. Like farming
counties, mining counties lost population through outmigration
and experienced economic decline during the 1980's. The number
of mining jobs maintained a downward spiral during the decade,
reaching a 1989 low of 72 percent of the 1979 figure.
- Manufacturing-dependent counties (506)
represented 31 percent of nonmetro population and 55 percent
of nonmetro manufacturing jobs. Compared with the other county
types, manufacturing counties exhibited a more urban orientation,
were more often located contiguous to a metro area, and were
more densely populated. Three-fifths of the manufacturing counties
are in the Southeast. The economies of manufacturing counties
grew slightly during the 1980's, mainly because of gains in the
latter years of the decade. Manufacturing jobs increased most
in remote counties with no urban population.
- Government-dependent counties (244)
specialized in Federal, State, and local government activities.
About 75 percent of earnings from government jobs came from State
and local jobs and about 25 percent from Federal jobs. These
counties are scattered across the Nation. Government counties'
population in all regions grew during the 1980's. Their economies
grew also with an overall gain of 433,000 new jobs. However,
compared with all-nonmetro counties, the levels of economic well-being
were lower.
- Services-dependent counties (323)
reflect a dominant national trend of growth in service sector
jobs, which now permeates most rural economies. These counties,
like government counties, are fairly evenly distributed across
the Nation with a slightly higher representation in the West.
Depending on their degree of urbanization and proximity to a
metro area, services counties are likely to perform different
economic functions such as centers for trade and services, consumer
service centers for residential areas, and centers of specialized
services like recreation. Services counties' economies grew during
the 1980's with a 24-percent growth in earnings from services
activities.
- Nonspecialized counties (484) include
counties with economies that did not qualify for one of the economic
specialization types discussed above, although a few of these
counties may actually be specialized in economic activities such
as construction, agricultural services, or forestry and fisheries.
These counties dot the national landscape in 44 of the 50 States.
The large majority are located in the South. Two-thirds experienced
job growth during the 1980's. Nonspecialized county economies
likely reflect two general kinds of economic performance in the
1980's: counties with strong economies from their function as
service centers for spillover residential sites from adjoining
metro counties, and counties with weak economies caused by undergoing
shifts away from specializations in farming or manufacturing
or by having small economic bases and/or high concentrations
of poverty.
Counties are also classified into five overlapping policy types:
- Retirement-destination counties (190)
had a 15-percent or greater increase in population aged 60 and
above from inmovement of people between 1980 and 1990. Over 80
percent of these counties are in the South or West, most often
in traditional retirement areas of Florida, the Southwest, or
in other lake, reservoir, coastal, or scenic upland areas. Many
counties also serve as recreational or resort sites. As a result,
they attract younger populations as well as retirees, with population
growth in all age categories during the 1980's. Along with population
growth, retirement counties had unusually high growth in earnings
and jobs—the highest of any of the county types. Sixty percent
of these counties had job growth faster than the national average.
- Federal lands counties (270) had
land areas dominated by Federal ownership. Seventy-six percent
of these counties are in western States. Counties in this type
had larger land areas and were more sparsely populated than all-nonmetro
counties. On average, population in these counties grew faster
during the 1980's than in all-nonmetro counties. Nearly 70 percent
of jobs in the average Federal lands county were in the services
or government sectors, reflecting the recreational use and land
management functions of the group. Strong growth in service sector
jobs during the 1980's probably contributed to higher family
income (over $1,900 higher) than in all-nonmetro counties.
- Commuting counties (381) had economies
shaped, in part, by workers commuting to jobs in other counties—at
least 40 percent of workers in 1990. Over 6 million nonmetro
people live in the commuting counties. About 65 percent of commuting
counties are in the South, and 28 percent in the Midwest. Because
of the southern geographic orientation, counties have much smaller
land areas and are more apt to adjoin a metro area than all-nonmetro
counties. Population in the counties includes somewhat higher
shares of economically at-risk people. Because of the outflow
of workers to other counties, the level of economic activity
within the local economies was less than that in all-nonmetro
counties. However, the economic picture for commuting counties
changes when the jobs and earnings for commuting workers are
taken into account.
- Persistent poverty counties (535)
had poverty rates of 20 percent or higher in 1960, 1970, 1980,
and 1990. These counties accounted for 19 percent of nonmetro
people and 32 percent of nonmetro poor in 1990. Nearly 83 percent
of poverty counties are in the South. They are smaller and have
less urban population than most other county types. A main distinguishing
feature of the poverty counties is a disproportionate number
of economically at-risk people including minorities, female-headed
households, high school dropouts, and disabled persons. Incomes
that were considerably lower and unemployment that was considerably
higher than in all-nonmetro counties suggest that the economy
plays a part in providing insufficient job opportunities.
- Transfers-dependent counties (381)
had economies heavily based on unearned income from government
transfer payments, including social security, unemployment insurance,
medicare, medicaid, food stamps, government pensions, and welfare
benefits. Regionally concentrated in parts of the South and Midwest,
the large majority of transfers-dependent counties are in southern
States. They are more apt to be remote from metro areas and to
be sparsely populated. Three-fifths of transfers-dependent counties
are also in the persistent poverty category. Because of the overlap,
transfers-dependent counties exhibit many of the same demographic
and economic traits attributed to the persistent poverty counties.
However, transfers-dependent counties include a larger share
of elderly. The industrial mix of jobs in transfers-dependent
counties generally resembles the mix for all-nonmetro counties;
but, the pace of overall job growth was slower than the all-nonmetro
pace during the 1980's.
|
