A comparison of the Mid-Atlantic region (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) with the nation from 1974 to 1984 revealed that this region trailed New England and the nation in rate of employment growth between 1974-79 and 1979-84. The region had an above-average share of employment in the national fast-growth sectors (services, finance, insurance, and real estate), and employment growth rates in those sectors were near the national average. The region lost manufacturing employment at about the same rate as the rest of the nation going into the 1975 and 1982 recessions, but failed to match the nation's recoveries. The region's decline in manufacturing employment from 1974-84 occurred in nearly all the major manufacturing industries and in most of the states for each industry. A comparison of metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas within the Mid-Atlantic region from 1974 to 1984 revealed that although non-metropolitan areas led metropolitan areas in employment growth rates between 1974-79, employment declined in non-metropolitan areas from 1979-84 while employment in metropolitan areas continued to grow. Non-metropolitan areas dependent on mining and manufacturing and metropolitan areas in the region's interior fared worse than metropolitan areas in the New York City--Philadelphia corridor oriented toward fast-growth industries. (YLB)