Counties adjacent to a metro area were significantly and positively related to better economic health index scores. Conversely residence within the central region had a negative relationship with economic health. This analysis yields the following findings. Compared with more prosperous counties in the region, distressed counties have a higher dependent population consisting of single female-headed households with dependent children under the age of 17 and the population over 65. We know from national studies that single mothers have a higher incidence of very low incomes and poverty, and in order to work effectively in the wage-earning economy often require access to support programs such as child care services and health care.
Distressed counties lack manufacturing jobs.
The association between poor economic health and the share of small establishments with ten or fewer employees also signifies two trends. First, the absence of larger employers may signal that small establishments represent high levels of self-employment. Second and related, given the major role branch plant employment has played in the development of the ARC over the last 30 years, by implication distressed counties have not shared equally in this source of employment growth. Finally, low levels of women in the labor force signify there are impediments to female labor force participation. Such limitations include a lack of employment opportunities, social and cultural restrictions, and incompatibilities between the primary and secondary wage earner's work schedules.