Booming college towns may face income disparity

Newsweek quoted Matthew Dimick in a story reporting that despite how attractive college towns look due to their plethora of opportunities, there is high income inequality. While some of the areas experiencing the highest population growth across the country are college towns, the influx to these communities could see income inequality worsen as the town's original residents face lower pay than their new higher-educated and higher-earning peers. Dimick notes most of the towns experiencing the highest rates of income inequality are located in small, rural areas. “Rural towns tend to be poor,” Dimick says. “On the other hand, university professors are typically better paid, probably above the average median salary. Put those things together, and you have a recipe for inequality: poor residents along with better-paid professors.”