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Journal Article
Understanding the Employment Patterns of Workers in Low- and Moderate-Income Households
Understanding employment patterns of different segments of the population—and the extent to which they may be exposed to or impacted by evolving labor market conditions—contributes to a deeper understanding of the economy, in support of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy goals. Multiple factors influence the landscape of employment opportunities and barriers that can affect an individual’s or community’s experience of and ability to participate in the labor market, from shifts in what kinds of jobs locate where in different regions (and who has access to them) to evolving ...
Journal Article
The Evolving Homebuying Landscape: An Update with 2023 Data
The years immediately following the pandemic saw large swings in the housing market, from a rapid growth in prices and homebuying activity in the early years to a sharp contraction in the market as price and interest rate increases challenged homebuying affordability. As part of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s work to understand the economic experiences of the communities we serve to inform monetary policy and other areas of our work, we released a report in the fall of 2024 examining trends in pandemic homebuying patterns through 2022. That analysis found that many groups of ...
Journal Article
On-the-Job Exposure to AI Among Lower-Income Workers
To better understand the potential impacts of generative AI (gen AI) on the economy, this analysis uses quantitative methods to assess the extent to which workers are likely to be exposed to AI on the job, paying particular attention to workers in lower-income households, the occupations and industries in which they work, and how exposure varies across different parts of the country. It also draws on qualitative insights to understand how the impacts of AI integration are showing up in real time and how workforce and training organizations, nonprofits, and employers are adapting.
Journal Article
AI Adoption Among Small Businesses: Qualitative Insights from the Small Business Credit Survey
Nearly 40% of small business respondents to the 2024 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) reported either using or planning to use artificial intelligence (AI), revealing a rapidly evolving landscape of adoption among the nation’s smaller firms.Sentiments around AI adoption ranged from enthusiasm to opposition. Reported applications of AI among small business respondents were just as varied, spanning both core operations and support functions. Common applications included:-productivity tasks-marketing, social media, and search engine optimization-developing written communications-visuals ...
Journal Article
On the Sidelines of the Hot Economy
While the current economy is often characterized as ?hot,? marked by low unemployment, stable prices, and sustained economic growth, many residents are not enjoying the prosperity reflected in the aggregate measures of economic well-being. This report focuses on those who have not reaped the benefits of recent sustained growth in the economy. The report highlights groups who have faced barriers to economic participation and documents interrelated rising costs?particularly for housing, transportation, and childcare?that contribute to keeping people on the sidelines of the economy.
Journal Article
Funds for Kickstarting Affordable Housing Preservation and Production: Lessons for New Investors
A shortage of affordable homes for workers and families at all income levels across the country calls for innovative solutions. Over the past decade, a variety of public-private loan funds have developed to kick-start construction and preservation of affordable housing. This report breaks down how these funds fit into the process of developing and preserving affordable housing and shares lessons for those who are considering starting or investing in a fund.
Journal Article
Household net worth and asset ownership among the economically vulnerable
Households whose balance sheets were dominated by housing, particularly those in depressed markets and those exposed to high-cost predatory mortgages, were deeply exposed to the downside risk that became reality during the Great Recession. These households tended to be lower-income, minority, and have lower educational attainment, meaning they were already struggling with low net worth prior to the recession. This Research Brief examines household net worth and asset ownership in 2005 and 2011 across different demographic groups, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau?s Survey of Income and ...
Journal Article
Testing Our Hypotheses on Equitable Development: Midcourse Learning and Adapting Through SPARCC
The Strong, Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) supports collaborative leadership to advance changes in policy, practice, and investment that promote equitable regional development. SPARCC does this by investing in six regions across the country: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Within each site, leaders from across sectors come together at the same metaphorical table to align their vision and implement strategies for effecting regional change. SPARCC provides each site with combined grant and technical assistance funds over ...
Journal Article
At What Cost? Student Loan Debt in the Bay Area
For most Americans, an investment in higher education is a key driver of economic security and mobility. However, rapidly rising costs of attendance, combined with stagnant wages and inadequate support systems for vulnerable borrowers have resulted in outcomes that are at odds with our collective vision of higher education as a crucial foundation for achieving the American Dream. This report highlights the local contours of this issue in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region, particularly for low-income communities and communities of color, using Federal Reserve Bank of New York ...
Journal Article
Housing market recovery in the 12th district: implications for low- and moderate-income communities
Following the aftermath of the Great Recession, national indicators are starting to show signs of improvement in the housing market. However, such indicators mask the realities of what?s happening on the ground in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities that were disproportionately affected by the housing crisis. Complicating matters is the unprecedented role of investors in the housing recovery and the changing nature of local housing markets. There are pressing concerns around the potential impact of investor ownership on communities, tightening rental markets, and the ongoing challenges ...