Common Trends and Common Cycles in Regional Per Capita Incomes

The authors apply the common-trend/common-cycle representation to per capita personal income for the eight BEA regions using quarterly data for the period 1948:1-93:4. Their analysis reveals considerable differences in the volatility of regional cycles. Controlling for differences in volatility, the authors find a great deal of comovement in the cyclical response of four regions (New England, Mideast, Great Lakes, and Southeast), which they call the core region, and the nation. The authors find some evidence of comovement of the Plains, Rocky Mountain, and Far West regions and the nation, but to a much lesser extent than the comovement among the core regions and the nation. Finally, the cyclical response of the Southwest region is strongly negatively correlated with that of all the other regions and the nation.