Reverse Migration and Nonmetropolitan Employment in Four Great Plains States, 1970-1980

During the rural renaissance of the 1970s, the United States experienced a reverse migration pattern in which the flow of migration was predominantly urban to rural, unlike the traditional rural to urban flows. This migration phenomenon was equally experienced in the North Central Region, which includes the Great Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. This study investigated the impact of the reverse migration phenomenon on employment in eight industry categories in three categories of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Findings show that net migration had differential impacts on employment by industry category and by county category. While the services industry category was most affected by net migration, no significant relationship was found between net migration and employment in the agriculture industry, the mainstay of the economy of these states