Local spatial autocorrelation as a tool for revealing hidden spatial patterns of socio-economic stratification: a case study of Slovakia

This paper examines the spatial structure of socio-economic stratification in Slovakia using detailed census data on occupations (ISCO-08). To assess patterns that conventional territorial units may obscure, we compare location quotients across two functional regionalisations and apply Anselin Local Moran's I and Getis–Ord Gi* at municipal and sub-municipal scales. Higher socio-economic categories concentrate in large urban centres, whereas lower categories show more complex distributions extending beyond traditionally defined peripheral regions. The comparison reveals distinct effects of the modifiable areal unit problem: regional delineation changes territorial classifications, while spatial scale affects cluster extent and detectability. Local spatial autocorrelation and multiscale mapping identify clusters, spatial outliers and substantial within-municipality heterogeneity, including localities that differ sharply from their surroundings. The resulting maps depict socio-economic structures that conventional regional analyses may overlook.