US city size distribution and space

González-Val, Rafael (2018): US city size distribution and space.

Abstract

This paper focuses on the spatial city size distribution in the United States. We propose a new distance-based approach to analyse the influence of distance on the city size distribution parameter, by considering the Pareto distribution and using data from different definitions of US cities in 2010. Considering all possible combinations of cities within a 300-mile radius, our results indicate that the Pareto distribution cannot be rejected in most cases regardless of city size. Placebo regressions validate our results, thereby confirming the significant effect of geography on the Pareto exponent.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: space, city size distribution, distance-based approach, Pareto distribution, Zipf’s law
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C1 - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General > C12 - Hypothesis Testing: General; C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C1 - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General > C14 - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R12 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity

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