Senior Capstone Experience by Lauren Frick ’20
Submitted to the Department of Economics
Advised by Dr. Lisa Daniels
Abstract: “This study describes how economic trends in Appalachia from 2007 to 2019 differed from the nation during an unprecedented period of economic expansion. We used summary statistics to compare trends in unemployment, per capita market income, and poverty in the Appalachian region with the United States as a whole. We found that Appalachia performed worse than the rest of the nation in all indicators. We also used spatial statistics to examine the spatial distribution of values for economic indicators within Appalachia and found that central Appalachia performed consistently worse than the northeast. Job gains in the south have not led to increases in income for that region. Additional research into causes for these economic disparities is needed.”
Keywords: Appalachia, 2008 Recession, Economic Recovery, Transportation Infrastructure, Regional Economic Development
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