Place-Based Income Inequality Clusters in the Rural North Central Region, 1979–2009

This analysis identifies and describes clusters of persistently low and high income inequality for N = 7,353 non-metropolitan block-groups in the western part of the North Central Region. Analysis finds more low inequality than high inequality places in the region, but there are also large numbers of rising inequality places. Lower inequality places are found to have poorer demographic and economic outcomes than higher inequality places, contrary to what is found in the literature. Lower inequality places are also found to be more specialized in traditional agricultural and industrial sectors, while higher inequality places are more specialized in higher skilled services industries. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.