Milwaukee bucks national trend of ‘job sprawl’

Only large metro area to gain jobs, others see job migration to suburbs

The Milwaukee metro area was the only large metro area to see an increase, rather than a migration, of jobs within its urban center, according to a Brookings Institute Study released yesterday: Job Sprawl Revisited – The Changing Geography of Metropolitan Employment.

The public policy institute reviewed job migration in 98 major metro areas, noting a drop in the share of jobs located within 3 miles and 10 miles of metro downtowns, during an 8-year period between1998-2006.

Detroit, Chicago and Dallas saw the greatest shift of jobs away from the city center (10 miles or more.) More than half of the major metro areas experienced rapid job sprawl. Detroit saw 77% of its jobs migrate out of the city, Chicago 68% and Dallas 66%.

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis had a .03% gain of jobs within its 3 mile-ring of downtown between 1998-2006; one of only three metro areas to do so and the only metro area in the ‘large’ category.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett credited the accessibility and affordability of doing business in the metro area, along with opportunities to grow existing businesses in such places as the Menomonee Valley.

The study noted that financial, insurance and utility industries locate almost one-third of their jobs in the inner 3-mile ring of metro centers, three industries that are strong in the Milwaukee area. Information Technology and health care industries also are concentrated in the metro area and according to the study, one fourth of the jobs in this sector are usually located in the urban center.

The Brookings Institute study concluded that the distribution of jobs geographically should be taken into consideration in policy and economic recovery issues, especially as metro areas work towards sustainable growth.

Read the study:  www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/~/media/Files/rc/reports/
2009/0406_job_sprawl_kneebone/20090406_jobsprawl_kneebone.pdf