An industry thrives in an area because it has access to resources important for the production of its goods and services. Thus, the type of industrial specialization in an area is related to the natural and human resources there. Over half of the Nation's rural LMA's (labor market areas) are specialized in a single industry (that is, 10 percent or more of total employment is concentrated in one industry). A third of the specialized LMA's are agricultural and over a fourth specialize in public education and administration. Other industrial specializations of rural LMA's include mining, wood products, textiles and apparel, and durable manufacturing.
