Data and Code for Boomtowns: Local Shocks and Inequality in 1920s California

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Sarah Quincy, Vanderbilt University; Rowena Gray, UC Merced

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
replication			02/03/2022 09:47:AM
README_boomtowns.pdf	application/pdf	180.9 KB	02/03/2022 04:47:AM

Project Citation:

Quincy, Sarah, and Gray, Rowena. Data and Code for Boomtowns: Local Shocks and Inequality in 1920s California. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2024. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-06-18. https://doi.org/10.3886/E161342V1

Project Description

Summary: This paper provides the first stylized facts on the growth of real estate values and inequality within and across cities during the Roaring Twenties. We link the high variation in the average increase in property values across California cities during the 1920s to labor market exposure to 4 booms: automobiles, oil, stocks, and electricity. Electricity had the largest positive effect on property values and in reducing inequality, because it increased manufacturing wages. The stock-market boom benefited mostly those working in that sector, while the gains from oil were realized more generally across sectors within that local area.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: Wealth inequality; Roaring Twenties; Real estate values; Local economic booms

JEL Classification:
      N12 Economic History: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
      N32 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
      N92 Regional and Urban History: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
      R31 Housing Supply and Markets

Geographic Coverage: California

Time Period(s): 1920 – 1930

Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2024-06-18]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as it arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.