THE CORPORATE ROLE OF LARGE METROPOLITAN AREAS IN THE UNITED STATES

In: Growth and change: a journal of urban and regional policy, Band 19, Heft 2, S. 75-86

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study has three purposes. The first is to determine, for the 30 largest U.S. metropolitan areas in 1980. the relationship among population size, the number of major corporations headquartered in these centers, and the number of subsidiaries located there. The expectation is that there will be positive relationships in all cases. Second, this study, based on variations in the relationships examined above, sets forth a corporate classification of the 30 metropolitan areas and identifies common characteristics and locations among six categories of centers. Finally, using the six‐fold classification of centers, metropolitan employment growth between 1980 and 1986 is analyzed, especially job growth in services and in finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE). The six‐fold classification proves useful in understanding employment growth in these 30 centers during the 1980s and, with modifications, perhaps beyond.