Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
United States I
United States II
SD
SD
ND
ND
low
Neb
Mic
Iow
Ida
Mic
Ida
Mis
Ark
AI
Neb
Ka
Wis
Ind
Kan
III
Mis
Ind
NM
O
kl
Uta
Ok
Wis
Oh
Al
Mon
Oh
Mon
Mes
Ar
A
r
Ken
Mi
Vir
Was
Min
Na
NM
Ken
Te n
Lou
Ore
Misse
NY
Uta
Pen
Cal
Del
Con
NY
Misso
Tex
Col
Wyo
Cal
Ore
Del
Ve
Wyo
Flo
Lou
WV
Geo
Flo
Col
NJ
Con
Nev
WV
Col
Ne
Geo
NC
NewH
NewH
Mar
Mar
Mas
Mas
Mai
Mai
NC
Rl
RI
Vir
SC
SC
Vir
200
400
600 800
Income per capita 1929
1000
1200
10
20
30
40
50
60
Provincial Revenues per capita 1930
Canada I
Canada II
PEI
SKT
SKT
PEI
AL
AL
MA
MA
NB
NB
NS
ON
QB
QN
NS
QB
BC
BC
10
15
20
25
30
35
100
200
300
400
Provincial Revenues per capita 1930
Income per capita 1929
FIGURE 5.3. The Geography of the Depression in the United States and Canada
(1929); the drop in personal income per capita between then and the Depres-
sion's peak (1934-35); and subnational governments' level of financial capac-
ity, as captured by state/provincial revenues per capita in 1930.
Amidst a context of economic decay (after all, the “lucky” provinces/states
saw drops of 30-40% in their levels of income per capita), it seems unde-
niable that the depression hit some regions much harder than others. Those
states/provinces whose economies were of an agrarian basis were especially
damaged by the fall in consumption and attendant drop in agricultural prices.
6
In Canada these were the western prairieprovinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan
most prominently.
As
Figure 5.3
displays these two provinces not only were among the poorest
in terms of income per capita in 1929 but also took the worst hit, together with
Prince Edward Island, losing between 60% and 70% of their income five years
into the Depression. In the United States, the upper left quadrant (i.e., those with
income levels below average and income losses above average) is populated by
the American Midwest and southern states, where a lot of planters were unable
to keep their labor force. In addition to the fact that these states had very
6
Guest (
1997
: 83-135) reports, for instance, a fall in the price of wheat from $1.60 in 1929 to
38 cents in 1931.
