College Graduates, Local Retailers, and Community Belonging in the United States
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2014
Abstract
How do communities retain their highly educated residents? Do local retailers play a role? This study addresses these questions using confidential U.S. census data on locally-oriented retail employment and county-level public-use files. Hierarchical linear modeling is employed to test hypotheses derived from prior research on civic community and migration. The results confirm that state-level local retail employment buffers the extent to which county-level college graduation is associated with county nonmigration. This finding is consistent with civic community theory, suggesting that locally-oriented retailers are a valuable resource for promoting residential stability. © 2014 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Sociological Spectrum
First Page
143
Last Page
162
Recommended Citation
Stroope, S., Franzen, A., Tolbert, C., & Mencken, F. (2014). College Graduates, Local Retailers, and Community Belonging in the United States. Sociological Spectrum, 34 (2), 143-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/02732173.2014.878612