Will small towns ever see a major job comeback? (employees, average, profit)
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I am from a small town and have driven a lot throughout the Midwest and South, and it's been apparent to me the last ten years or so that most small towns are really struggling economically. There are often few jobs available, and what jobs are available are often very low end, and even professional jobs often pay way less than you'd expect, even adjusting for COL.
In the past, there was a lot of labor needed in the countryside, whether that was for agriculture, other types of resource extraction, or manufacturing that you didn't want in the city. In today's economy, jobs seem to clustering more and more into major metros, and often huge metros (Boston, SF, NYC, DC, etc) are taking most of the spoils. Even though the COL in some of these areas has risen tremendously, people keep flocking to these places. I don't see this abating.
Do you think small towns will ever stage a comeback? Why or why not?
I don't ever remember rural farm towns ever driving employment... those are seasonal and hard work, both things the average American doesn't want to do.
A specialized industry or company may locate in a small town if it fits their needs criteria. But if they need a large skilled labor force they tend to focus on large cities. This goes back to the industrial revolution.
I don't ever remember rural farm towns ever driving employment... those are seasonal and hard work, both things the average American doesn't want to do.
For the first point, nobody would prefer to only have a seasonal income.
For the second point, you have no evidence of that, but if I recall, you were also the one posting about how workers should be fired if they don't all magically become managers, so... yeah...
As for the OP's question: unlikely.
The only reason a small town would come back was if there was a good reason to set up shop there. Maybe it's an exurb that could become a suburb. Maybe there's a lot of open land that could be used for something, such as a spaceport, vehicle testing facility, etc. Maybe there's something else unique about the area.
That being said, I am surprised at how many companies who only produce products that require massive server farms choose to stay in absurdly high cost of living areas, such as California. I'm not saying they should all move to Nowhereville, but still... there are plenty of places that could use the job growth that are also MUCH cheaper for the company and the employees. Yeah, yeah - you miss out on the positive parts of California, but you also get to skip the brushfires, endless drought, earthquakes, insanely long commutes, high taxes, and absurd housing prices. It's a tradeoff.
Boston big? It's not in the top ten most populated places in the country. Sure as a metro it can be large but that metro definition is pretty much half the state and parts of NH, RI and CT.
For server farms that's pretty much on point. I've seen electric drop by half. Having reliable power and telecommunications can be better then simply being in a larger metro.
I am from a small town and have driven a lot throughout the Midwest and South, and it's been apparent to me the last ten years or so that most small towns are really struggling economically. There are often few jobs available, and what jobs are available are often very low end, and even professional jobs often pay way less than you'd expect, even adjusting for COL.
In the past, there was a lot of labor needed in the countryside, whether that was for agriculture, other types of resource extraction, or manufacturing that you didn't want in the city. In today's economy, jobs seem to clustering more and more into major metros, and often huge metros (Boston, SF, NYC, DC, etc) are taking most of the spoils. Even though the COL in some of these areas has risen tremendously, people keep flocking to these places. I don't see this abating.
Do you think small towns will ever stage a comeback? Why or why not?
That's quite the blanket statement to suggest all small towns are struggling or dying. There's a sizable number of Americans who value what small towns have to offer (even while not living there), and the there is a significant number of destination small towns with active downtown/Main Street programs that will continue to thrive. Reinvestment is the key to many small towns attracting outside interest so if the downtown commercial district is rundown and featuring many vacancies, it clearly presents a sign to outsiders that they've basically given up. Furthermore it's foreseeable for technology (start-ups especially) and manufacturing companies to follow the lead of others to set-up in small towns where virtually every cost to operate is significantly lower than traditional big cities. In addition the cost to design, produce and ship goods back to the US from China is becoming too expensive to maintain profit margins in many instances and would look to small towns across the South and Midwest to begin to capitalize on their cost to operate benefits, if progressive enough to recognize the potential and offer incentive packages to potential companies. It's a grassroots effort however and isn't going to happen organically.
Those towns that are not economically viable will die out over time as people leave or become elderly and pass away.
True. It's about resources and desirability. If the town has neither, it's probably not going to sustain itself long term, or at least grow any bigger. Towns/cities that grow have desirability and resources. Good weather, close to water, close to mountains, proximity to other large metros with jobs and amenities, etc., are usually factors that drive growth. If your town doesn't have at least 3 of the 4 factors above, I would find it hard to believe that it is destined for strong growth in the near future.
That's quite the blanket statement to suggest all small towns are struggling or dying. There's a sizable number of Americans who value what small towns have to offer (even while not living there), and the there is a significant number of destination small towns with active downtown/Main Street programs that will continue to thrive. Reinvestment is the key to many small towns attracting outside interest so if the downtown commercial district is rundown and featuring many vacancies, it clearly presents a sign to outsiders that they've basically given up. Furthermore it's foreseeable for technology (start-ups especially) and manufacturing companies to follow the lead of others to set-up in small towns where virtually every cost to operate is significantly lower than traditional big cities. In addition the cost to design, produce and ship goods back to the US from China is becoming too expensive to maintain profit margins in many instances and would look to small towns across the South and Midwest to begin to capitalize on their cost to operate benefits, if progressive enough to recognize the potential and offer incentive packages to potential companies. It's a grassroots effort however and isn't going to happen organically.
There are some that are doing well, particularly those dependent on tourism or have some sort of abundant resource (think oil).
Retail is struggling across the country. It's going to be hard for new retailers to pop up and compete with Amazon and Walmart. They would have to be specialty retailers, ideally of things that the big box places don't serve, locally made items, or things difficult to ship.
I'm back in my small hometown. This thread is over two years old. While this town has a Fortune 500 HQ, hospital system HQ, and will have an employment base as long as those are around, many of the smaller towns in outlying counties and rural areas wither by the year. I don't see this turning around anytime soon.
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