Commuting Zones and Labor Market Areas

ICPSR Data Holdings 2026 Dataset Open access

Read full text
Authors: United States Department of Agriculture. Economic Research Service
DOI: 10.3886/e246788
Cited by: 0

Abstract

The USDA, Economic Research Service’s (ERS) Commuting Zones (CZs) are geographic units of analysis intended to identify rural labor markets. County boundaries are not always adequate confines for a local economy and often reflect political boundaries rather than meaningful boundaries for economic activity. Other labor market delineations—such as the Office of Management and Budget’s Core Based Statistical Areas—identify urban labor markets while excluding a significant number of rural U.S. counties.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Agglomeration and Urban Systems Regional Socio-Economic Development Trends Regional Economic Trends and Sectoral Structure

Publication details

Journal / source
ICPSR Data Holdings
Publication date
5 March 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Dataset