The U.S. economy affects everyone, for better or for worse. While some residents feel prosperous and comfortable, others see themselves at risk and distressed.
Axios recently put together a map that shows how various communities in the country are being affected by the economy.
“U.S. geographical economic inequality is growing, meaning your economic opportunity is more tied to your location than ever before. A large portion of the country is being left behind by today's economy,” according to Axios.
The fastest-growing cities in the West include Gilbert, Arizona, and Plano, Texas. Tech hubs, like Seattle, San Francisco and Austin, are also dominating the list of cities seeing prosperity.
In Axios’ map, Utah’s northern half is shaded a prosperous sea green and blue. The bottom half bounces around “mid-tier,” “at risk” and “distressed.”
Meanwhile, much of the South and parts of the West are living in the most distressed areas.
About half of adults in those areas are searching for jobs with less than a high school degree, which is why they don't have many economic opportunities, Axios reported.
"Today's jobs are going almost exclusively to people with education beyond high school, and those jobs are going to thriving communities," said John Lettieri, co-founder of EIG, according to Axios. "It's a self-reinforcing cycle."
Read more over at Axios.