The interest on the determinants of economic growth raises the interest of economists for some time. The interest on the determinants of economic grow that tracts the attention of economists for some time. There are a series of theoretical and empirical studies that attempt to explain the differences in economic growth between countries, regions or cities. Thus the work seeks to investigate the reasons for the economic growth of the northeastern towns of less than 50.000 in habitants in the period 2000-2010, taking into account the new theories of economic growth and the new economic geography. / O interesse sobre os determinantes do crescimento econômico desperto o interesse dos economistas há algum tempo. Há uma série de estudos teóricos e empíricos que buscam explicar as diferenças de crescimento econômico entre países, regiões ou cidades. Dessa maneira o trabalho busca investigar as razões do crescimento econômico das cidades nordestinas com menos de 50 mil habitantes no período de 2000 a 2010, levando em conta as novas teorias do crescimento econômico e a nova geografia econômica.