Overview

Dr. Johnson moves beyond the existing literature on rural-urban population shifts during the past forty years to examine the effects of those shifts on the business infrastructure that supplies goods and services to rural areas in the United States.

Historical Context and Analysis

First establishing a historical demographic context to serve as a backdrop, he provides a detailed longitudinal treatment on the linkage between population change and the rural commercial infrastructure, as well as timely information on the impact of the recent rural population turnaround on business.

Key Findings

Some of his findings, based on the latest data available, refute earlier expectations that a decrease in population necessarily leads to a decline in the local business community.