What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to understand how fracking activity affects neighborhood population changes in American communities.

June 1, 2026Journal of Urban Economics1 citationsOpen Access

Fracking ghost towns: How neighborhood exposure drives population decline

AKArman KhachiyanUniversity of San Francisco

Key Points

The research aims to understand how fracking activity affects neighborhood population changes in American communities.
Utilized granular data on fracking exposure and population outcomes
Analyzed spatial and temporal patterns of population decline associated with fracking
Examined mechanisms driving the effect on local populations
Fracking activity reduces neighborhood population by 5%
The decline is supported by data showing spatial and temporal patterns
Findings challenge the notion that fracking leads to economic boom towns

Abstract

The fracking revolution has exposed more than 15 million American residents to drilling within 3 miles, a tripling from conventional extraction methods. While the economic benefits are distributed across nearby counties, the environmental and neighborhood costs are concentrated within miles of a well. Using granular data on exposure and outcomes, I show that nearby fracking activity shrinks neighborhood population by 5%. The spatial decay, temporal pattern, and mechanisms of this treatment effect operate to debunk the stylized argument that fracking creates local boom towns.

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