A Lack of Geographic Mobility Holds Down Growth

Rutland, Vermont, is actively recruiting refugees from the Middle East to come live there, the New York Times reported earlier this week. The motivations aren’t purely humanitarian. Like many towns and cities in rural areas, Rutland has seen its population age and decline. Unlike many of them, though, Rutland enjoys a pretty robust employment scene. Vermont’s unemployment rate is 3.6 percent. As Rutland mayor Christopher Louras put it, “We need people.”