The U.S. Demographic Transition
Posted: 26 Feb 2002
There are 2 versions of this paper
The U.S. Demographic Transition
FRB of Cleveland Working Paper No. 01-18
Number of pages: 17
Posted: 28 Jan 2002
Last Revised: 18 Nov 2007
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Abstract
Between 1800 and 1940 the U.S. went through a dramatic demographic transition. In 1800 the average woman had 7 children, and 94 percent of the population lived in rural areas. By 1940 the average woman birthed just 2 kids, and only 43 percent of populace lived in the country. The question is: What accounted for this shift in the demographic landscape? The answer given here is that technological progress in agriculture and manufacturing explains these facts.
Keywords: fertility, technological progress, agriculture, manufacturing
JEL Classification: E1, J1, O3
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Greenwood, Jeremy and Seshadri, Ananth, The U.S. Demographic Transition. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=299280
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