Search Results
Journal Article
COVID-19 Stuns U.S. and Tenth District Economies, but Both Show Signs of Stabilization
COVID-19 and attempts to slow its spread have led to a decline in economic activity unprecedented in both severity and speed. Although every part of the United States experienced dramatic decreases in activity, states in the Tenth Federal Reserve District, with lower COVID-19 cases as a percentage of the population, have fared slightly better. More recently, national and regional measures of business and consumer activity have improved but remain well below pre-pandemic levels.
Journal Article
Deconstructing mountain state unemployment rates
This issue of the Rocky Mountain Economist discusses how the unemployment rate is calculated and explores recent trends in the Mountain States? unemployment rates.
Journal Article
What is behind the inflation numbers?
This issue of the Rocky Mountain Economist describes common measures of inflation and explores how recent trends compare to the policy objectives of the Federal Reserve.
Journal Article
Update on the Kansas and Missouri economies : Kansas City Fed’s survey of agricultural credit conditions
The Kansas and Missouri economies improved somewhat during the summer, but the pace of activity was fairly slow. Employment in Missouri remains above year-ago levels. In Kansas, employment growth over the past year was zero after being in negative territory for the last year. Unemployment rates remain elevated, but have continued to fall slightly over the last quarter in both Missouri and Kansas.
Journal Article
Lower Labor Force Participation Rates and Slower Population Growth Pose Challenges for Employers
As the nation recovers from the pandemic-induced recession, finding workers to fill job openings has beena headwind for many regions and industries. Although many researchers have pointed to the sharp declinein labor force participation rates as an explanation, the role of population growth over time has receivedless attention. We examine state and national trends in these measures and show that slower populationgrowth and an aging population may put downward pressure on labor force growth for some time.
Journal Article
Is the U.S. Labor Force Nearing Its Peak?
Despite an aging population, the U.S. labor force has grown substantially from pre-pandemic levels. Thus far, strong labor force participation rates and immigration flows have more than offset downward pressure from an increasing number of retirements. However, the U.S. labor force is likely nearing its peak: Increases in participation rates are unlikely to fully offset headwinds from slowing immigration and continued aging.
Journal Article
Rural America's fiscal challenge
Fiscal challenges at state and local governments are a potential threat to the economic recovery in rural America. Rural communities depend heavily on intergovernmental transfers from the states to provide local services. Many people in rural communities rely on the state or local government for their jobs and on Medicaid as part of their income. Thus, rural economies are highly susceptible to state budget shortfalls. As state governments cut spending in response to looming budget deficits in coming years, rural America's fiscal problems may also deepen.
Journal Article
The impact of an aging U.S. population on state tax revenues
As the baby boom generation retires, the nation?s labor force participation rate is expected to decline. And since most people earn less and spend less during retirement, the aging of the U.S. population will likely reduce income and sales tax revenue per capita for state governments. Felix and Watkins draw from data on different age groups? earning and spending patterns to assess how projected changes in the age distribution across the American population are likely to affect earning and spending?and therefore state revenue from income taxes and sales taxes. They find that demographic change ...