David McGranahan

Senior Economist
david.mcgranahan@usda.gov

Google Scholar profile

Briefly

David McGranahan is again a Senior Economist in the Rural Economy Branch, Resource and Rural Economics Division, after serving several years as Branch Chief. His long-term research has focused on rural population and business change, with projects on the roles of natural amenities, rural enterprise innovation, and the "creative class." 

Education

Ph.D., Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A., Rural Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; B.A. Economics, Harvard University

Professional Affiliations

Southern Regional Science Association (Past-president); Regional Science Association International; Rural Sociological Society; American Agricultural Economic Association (intermittent)

Selected Publications

Jilcott Pitts, S., M. Edwards, J. Moore, K. Shores, K. Drowatzky DuBose, and D. McGranahan. 2013. "Obesity Is Inversely Associated With Natural Amenities and Recreation Facilities Per Capita," Journal of Physical Activity and Health 10(7):1032-1038.

Jilcott, S., J. Moore, K. Shores, S. Imai, and D. McGranahan. 2011. "Associations Between Natural Amenities, Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index in 100 North Carolina Counties," American Journal of Health Promotion 26(1):52-55.

Sands, R., P. Westcott, et al. 2011. Impacts of Higher Energy Prices on Agriculture and Rural Economies, ERR-123, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, August.

McGranahan, D., T. Wojan, and D. Lambert. 2011. "The Rural Growth Trifecta: Outdoor Amenities, Creative Class and Entrepreneurial Context," Journal of Economic Geography 11(3):529-557.

McGranahan, D., J. Cromartie, and T. Wojan. 2010. "The Two Faces of Rural Population Loss Through Outmigration," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, December.

McGranahan, D., J. Cromartie, and T. Wojan. 2010. Nonmetropolitan Outmigration Counties: Some Are Poor, Many Are Prosperous, ERR-107, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, November.

McGranahan, D. 2009. "Forestland a Big Draw for Rural Living," An Illustrated Guide to Research Findings from USDA's Economic Research Service, EIB-48, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, April.

McGranahan, D. 2009. "Scenic Landscapes Enhance Rural Growth," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, June.

McGranahan, D., and K. Thomson. 2008. "Environment, Land Use and Amenities: The New Dimension of Rural Development," EuroChoices 7(1):30-37.

McGranahan, D. 2008. "Landscape Influence on Recent Rural Migration in the U.S.," Landscape and Urban Planning 85(3-4):228-240.

Wojan, T., D. Lambert, and D. McGranahan. 2007. "Emoting with Their Feet: Bohemian Attraction to Creative Milieu," Journal of Economic Geography 7(6):711-736. 

McGranahan, D., and T. Wojan. 2007. "The Creative Class: A Key to Rural Growth," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, April.

McGranahan, D., and T. Wojan. 2007. "Recasting the Creative Class to Examine Growth Processes in Rural and Urban Counties," Regional Studies 41(22):197-216. Reprinted in Environmental Amenities and Regional Economic Development, T. Cherry, and D. Rickman, eds., 2009, Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Wojan, T., and D. McGranahan. 2007. "Ambient Returns: Creative Capital's Contribution to Local Manufacturing Competitiveness," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 36(1):133-148.

Wojan, T., D. Lambert, and D. McGranahan. 2007. "The Emergence of Rural Artistic Havens: A First Look," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 36(1):53-70.

McGranahan, D. 2007. "The Importance of Natural Amenities," Annex 6 in Handbook on Rural Households' Livelihood and Well-Being: Statistics on Rural Development and Agriculture Household Income. New York, NY: United Nations Publications.

McGranahan, D., R. Bollman, and J. Karlsson. 2007. "Data Sources," Chapter 6 in Handbook on Rural Households' Livelihood and Well-Being: Statistics on Rural Development and Agriculture Household Income. New York, NY: United Nations Publications.

Shoemaker, R., D. McGranahan, and W. McBride. 2006. "Agriculture and Rural Communities Are Resilient to High Energy Costs," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, April.

McGranahan, D., and P. Sullivan. 2005. "Farm Programs, Natural Amenities, and Rural Development," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, February.

McGranahan, D. 2004. "The Persistence of County High School Dropout Rates in the Rural South, 1970-2000," Review of Regional Studies 34(3):288-302, Winter.

Sullivan, P., D. Hellerstein, D. McGranahan, and S. Vogel. 2004. "Farmland Retirement's Impact on Rural Growth," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Reprinted July 2006.

Sullivan, P., et al. 2004. Conservation Reserve Program: Economic Implications for Rural America, AER-834, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, September.

McGranahan, D. 2003. "How People Make a Living in Rural America," in Challenges for Rural America in the 21st Century, D. Brown, and L. Swanson, eds. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press.

McGranahan, D., and C. Beale. 2003. "The Roots of Rural Population Loss," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, February.

Whitener, L., and D. McGranahan. 2003. "Rural America: Opportunities and Challenges," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, February.

McGranahan, D. 2002. "Local Context and Advanced Technology Use by Small, Independent Manufacturers in Rural Areas," American Journal of Agricultural Economics 84(5):1237-1245.

McGranahan, D., and C. Beale. 2002. "Understanding Rural Population Loss," Rural America 17(4):2-11, Winter.

McGranahan, D. 2001. "New Economy Manufacturing Meets Old Economy Education Policies in the Rural South," Rural America 15(4):19-27, Winter.

McGranahan, D. 2001. "The Importance of Manufacturing in the Rural South," The Rural South: Preparing for the Challenges of the 21st Century, No. 22, Mississippi State, Southern Rural Development Center, September.

McGranahan, D. 2000. "Patterns in Skills and Manufacturing in Rural and Urban America," in Learning Now: Skills for the Information Economy, S. Rosenfeld, ed. Washington, DC: Community College Press, pp. 53-68.

Gale, H., D. McGranahan, et al. 1999. Rural Competitiveness: Results of the 1996 Rural Manufacturing Survey, AER-776, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

McGranahan, D. 1999. "The Geography of New Manufacturing Technology: Implications for the Nonmetropolitan South," Southern Rural Sociology 15:84-103.

McGranahan, D. 1999. Natural Amenities Drive Rural Population Change, AER-781, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Earlier research appeared in the reports Growth and Change, Rural Sociology, Regional Science Review, and American Sociological Review, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.