Holy crap. This is an AMAZING web tool. It's a map of wages everywhere in the nation. You can specify occupation and age, AND adjust for cost of living and taxes!!
hamiltonproject.org/charts/where_w…
hamiltonproject.org/charts/where_w…
For example, adjusting for cost of living and taxes, a 25-34 year old retail sales clerk makes about the same wage anywhere. 
Playing around with this tool, I'm finding very little local variation in after-tax cost-of-living-adjusted wages for any occupation.
Meaning that local productivity differences are being almost entirely captured by business owners and (I suspect mostly) landlords.
Meaning that local productivity differences are being almost entirely captured by business owners and (I suspect mostly) landlords.
A lack of variation in after-tax cost-of-living-adjusted wages could also pretty neatly explain why geographic mobility is so low in the U.S.
If moving to a higher-wage place is just going to make you landlord richer, why move?
If moving to a higher-wage place is just going to make you landlord richer, why move?
Anyway, this tool could definitely be improved (and it keeps crashing for me), but this is an amazing thing that could change the way Americans decide where to live.
In fact, some engineer should turn it into a slick mobile app...
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In fact, some engineer should turn it into a slick mobile app...
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