Evidence of Increasing Regional Income Variation in the United States: 1969-2006

Abstract

This paper investigates the inter-county variation of per capita personal income within US states from 1969 to 2006. It is a test of the growth pole cycles theory of spatial-temporal economic development that combines the theory of growth poles with the theory of long wave cycles. Standard OLS regression analysis is performed using data from the Bureau of Economic. Results indicate that regional income variation increased for the majority of states with no indication of a decrease or convergence of regional incomes.