The New Geography of Jobs

In this important and persuasive book, Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti reveals a "new geography of jobs" that's benefiting centers of innovation like San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and Durham. But the winners and losers aren’t necessarily who you’d expect. Moretti’s groundbreaking research shows that you don't have to be a scientist or an engineer to thrive in one of these brain hubs. The main beneficiaries are the workers who support the "idea-creators"—the carpenters, hair stylists, personal trainers, lawyers, doctors, and teachers. In fact, Moretti has shown that for every new innovation job in a city, five additional non-innovation jobs are created, and those workers earn higher salaries than their counterparts in other urban areas. Live in one of these places and you will almost certainly be healthier and wealthier, even if you don't own a start-up.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. As the global economy shifted from agriculture to manufacturing to innovation, geography was supposed to matter less. But the pundits were wrong. A new map is being drawn and it's not about red vs. blue or rich vs. poor. The rise of the hubs is causing huge geographic disparities in education, wealth, life expectancy, and political engagement. Dealing with this split—encouraging growth in the hubs while arresting the decline elsewhere—will be the challenge of the century, and The New Geography of Jobs lights the way.