Fracking ghost towns: How neighborhood exposure drives population decline
Abstract
The fracking revolution has exposed more than 15 million American residents to drilling within 3 miles, a tripling from conventional extraction methods. While the economic benefits are distributed across nearby counties, the environmental and neighborhood costs are concentrated within miles of a well. Using granular data on exposure and outcomes, I show that nearby fracking activity shrinks neighborhood population by 5%. The spatial decay, temporal pattern, and mechanisms of this treatment effect operate to debunk the stylized argument that fracking creates local boom towns.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
Risk Perception and Management
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Urban Economics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 154
- Pages
- 103870–103870
- Publication date
- 29 May 2026
- Language
- EN