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作者

Klaus Desmet;Romain Wacziarg

来源

来源 JOURNAL OF URBAN ECONOMICS,Vol.127,P.

语言

英文

关键字

COVID-19;Spatial variation;US counties;Determinants;Geography

作者单位

Department of Economics and Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University, 3300 Dyer, Dallas, TX 75205, USA;NBER, USA;UCLA Anderson School of Management, 110 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles CA 90095, USA;CEPR, UK;Department of Economics and Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University, 3300 Dyer, Dallas, TX 75205, USA;NBER, USA;UCLA Anderson School of Management, 110 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles CA 90095, USA;CEPR, UK

摘要

What factors explain spatial variation in the severity of COVID-19 across the United States? To answer this question, we analyze the correlates of COVID-19 cases and deaths across US counties. We document four sets of facts. First, effective density is an important and persistent determinant of COVID-19 severity. Second, counties with more nursing home residents, lower income, higher poverty rates, and a greater presence of African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately impacted, and these effects show no sign of disappearing over time. Third, the effect of certain characteristics, such as the distance to major international airports and the share of elderly individuals, dies out over time. Fourth, Trump-leaning counties are less severely affected early on, but later suffer from a large severity penalty.