Search Results
Briefing
Is the US Economy K-Shaped? Evidence From the Past Three Decades
We examine whether the U.S. economy has exhibited "K-shaped" behavior — outcomes for low-income and high-income households moving in opposite directions — over the past three decades.The U.S. economy has not been persistently K-shaped, though income growth showed K-shaped patterns during the recoveries from the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions.Even though income growth has not always been K-shaped, growth rates have been substantially larger for high-income households than for low-income households over the 30-year period we examined.Measured consumption growth has been less divergent than ...
Journal Article
District Digest: What's Driving Rural Population Growth?
Population decline is a familiar story for many rural areas and small towns: Children grow up and leave for college or move to a larger city with more job opportunities. With fewer working-age adults left, some rural employers might leave as well, and new businesses may be reluctant to move in. This self-reinforcing cycle of population decline can continue for decades.In the Fifth District, counties that are today considered small towns or rural are more likely than urban counties to have been shedding population for three or more of the decades between 1970 and 2020. In contrast, about 63 ...
Journal Article
Definitions Matter: The Rural-Urban Dichotomy
District Digest article titled: Definitions Matter: The Rural-Urban Dichotomy
Journal Article
State and Metropolitan Area Data, Q4:17
Journal Article
District Digest: Transportation Access as a Barrier to Work
Lack of a car can be a barrier to employment, particularly for low-income individuals. According to a 2022 survey conducted by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, almost 20 percent of individuals in that state who were able to work but were not currently working cited transportation as a barrier. Many studies have shown that ownership of a car (or a truck or motorcycle) increases the probability of work, especially among welfare recipients. And low-income individuals are the least likely to own a car and therefore must rely on other means of transportation, such as ...
Discussion Paper
Growing Younger: Are Rural Demographics Shifting?
As the Baby Boomer generation ages, America has been "graying." The Census Bureau estimates that within the next decade, there could be more adults over 65 than children under 18. Geographically, rural areas tend to be older than urban areas and median age rose across both rural and urban areas from 2010 to 2020. More recently, however, the story has changed; in the last three years, many rural counties have gotten younger. And about a third of them are getting younger while growing their prime working-age population, a key group needed for economic and employment growth that can help lead to ...
Discussion Paper
What Businesses are Saying About the COVID Crisis
While the majority of businesses surveyed have suffered some negative effects and loss of revenue as result of the COVID-19 crisis, most firms remained open and operating, at least partially, when surveyed.While the majority of businesses surveyed have suffered some negative effects and loss of revenue as result of the COVID-19 crisis, most firms remained open and operating, at least partially, when surveyed.
Discussion Paper
State Revenues Hit Hard by COVID-19
The measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 have not only led to a sharp decline in employment and an unprecedented rise in unemployment but have negatively impacted state and local governments that depend on income and sales taxes as primary sources of revenue.