RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Moving to Economic Opportunity: The Migration Response to the Fracking Boom
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0817-8989R2
DO 10.3368/jhr.57.3.0817-8989R2
A1 Riley Wilson
YR 2020
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/04/03/jhr.57.3.0817-8989R2.abstract
AB Exploiting positive labor market shocks from localized “fracking” booms, I estimate that fracking increased migration to impacted areas, but there is significant heterogeneity across both demographics and regions. Migrants to fracking areas were more likely to be male, unmarried, young, and less educated than movers more generally. These local booms increased in-migration rates to North Dakota fracking counties by nearly twice as much as other fracking areas. Differences across geography in labor market impacts, commuting behavior, initial population characteristics, or non-linearities only partially explained this gap. There is evidence that heterogeneous information flows might be playing a role.