The New Geography of Jobs
Enrico Moretti's 2012 book argues that where you live increasingly shapes your economic prospects more than what you do. Drawing on labor economics, he shows how cities anchored by innovation industries, places like San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle, attract skilled workers, high wages, and a wide range of supporting service jobs, while regions tied to traditional manufacturing struggle. Central to his case is the multiplier effect, the idea that each high-skill innovation job supports several additional local jobs in everything from restaurants to construction. Moretti explains why these advantages compound, deepening the divide between thriving metros and declining towns, and he weighs policy responses, from education and immigration to relocation incentives. Written for a general reader, the book translates dense economic research into a clear story about geography, talent, and opportunity.
What you might want to know about The New Geography of Jobs
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
An economist explains why a handful of innovation hubs are pulling ahead while other American cities fall behind, and what that means for jobs and inequality.
Moretti argues that economic success is increasingly tied to location, with innovation hubs pulling ahead and creating far more local jobs than other industries through a multiplier effect.
It is written for general readers. Moretti explains the underlying economic research in plain language without requiring any background in economics.
The New Geography of Jobs was written by Enrico Moretti, published in 2012 by Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The New Geography of Jobs is 294 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The New Geography of Jobs takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
The New Geography of Jobs is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
