Broadband and Left-Behind Counties

An interesting article by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) documents an economic rebound in left-behind counties. Economists, researchers, and politicians have used the term left-behind counties to denote the parts of the country that have experienced economic stagnation or decline compared to the national average. Between 2020 and 2023, left-behind counties have seen a turnaround and collectively grew four times faster than the four previous years. Since 2020, the rate of new business start-ups in left-behind counties is almost the same as the rest of the country. Interestingly, the rural left-behind counties are growing faster than suburban and urban counties. The analysis doesn’t speculate on the reasons for the rebound in many left-behind counties. I have nothing but anecdotal evidence, but I think some of this rebound is related to broadband.This is pure speculation on my part, and it would be an interesting thing for economists to investigate. Left-behind counties, by definition, have fewer job opportunities than more affluent counties. But I think folks are no longer being held captive by a poor local economy and are finding ways to make a living online.