A hierarchical change model of business and professional services in the United States

Using County Business Patterns from 1977 to 1996, this study found that the location change in business and professional services, measured in relativ e terms, is organized around the hierarchy of metropolitan areas. Sectors i n business and professional services showed different types of location cha nges during the study period because they are in different stages of a gene ral hierarchical process. This process is conceptualized in a three-stage d escriptive model. In the first stage, business and professional services ce ntralize up the hierarchy. In the second stage, business and professional s ervices begin to decentralize at the top while centralization is still goin g on at the bottom of the hierarchy. The last stage is a complete decentral ization down the metropolitan hierarchy with the bottom of the hierarchy ge tting more and more shares of business and professional services. This mode l is an effort to fill in the gap in conceptualizing the location of interm ediate services.