The New Geography of Jobs

Economist Enrico Moretti argues that the United States has split into three economies. At one end are brain hubs such as Austin, Boston, Durham and San Francisco, with educated workforces, strong innovation sectors and some of the most productive and best-paid workers. At the other are cities built on traditional manufacturing, now losing jobs and residents, while a middle group could go either way. These places have been pulling apart for thirty years at an accelerating pace, and the gap now extends to health, longevity, family stability and political engagement. Moretti finds that hub growth also lifts local service workers such as carpenters, taxi drivers, teachers and nurses, whose jobs multiply there at a ratio of five to one.

Barack Obama added it to the best of 2018 list he shared on Facebook.