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Fewer People Are Moving as Interest Rates, Rents Rise
Most people move during the spring and summer months, but many would-be movers stayed put this May and June amid higher interest rates and rising rents, according to change-of-address data from the U.S. Postal Service. Every state saw fewer people moving in compared with the same time last year, but the declines were most pronounced […]
Investors Bought a Quarter of Homes Sold Last Year, Driving Up Rents
Investors bought nearly a quarter of U.S. single-family homes that sold last year, often driving up rents for suburban families in the process. The issue is especially acute in some Sun Belt states amid evidence that investors often can outbid other buyers, keeping starter homes out of the hands of would-be owners, especially suburban Black […]
Energy-Producing States Lag in Latest Economic Numbers
Amid worries about a possible recession, energy-producing states had the biggest drops in GDP during the first quarter of this year, despite skyrocketing oil and gas prices, new government figures show. The main reason: Energy companies are still struggling to bring back workers and rigs that were idled early in the pandemic. GDP, or gross […]
Housing Slump Would Place Greatest Stress on Black, Hispanic Residents
If the United States enters a recession and housing prices stagnate or fall, homeowners in parts of California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey are most at risk of owing more than their houses are worth or losing their homes to foreclosure, according to a new analysis. ATTOM, a real estate data company, identified the […]
Pandemic Petition Woes Derail Candidates, Ballot Initiatives
James Craig, a former Detroit police chief who was running for Michigan governor, said he remembers pleasant conversations with petition circulators at his campaign events this spring and never suspected anything untoward was happening. “I’m the candidate out giving speeches, and you think you have professionals working for you on the ground getting signatures. I […]
Sun Belt States See the Highest Inflation
The Sun Belt is taking the brunt of historic inflation, while some Northeast states have been less hard hit, new federal data shows. Consumer prices in May rose 8.6% from a year earlier, the highest rate in 41 years. Some areas saw even higher inflation, including the Tampa area (11.3%), California’s Inland Empire around Riverside […]
One Region Led a 13-State Pandemic Baby Boomlet
New England has seen an unusual uptick in births during the coronavirus pandemic as more highly educated residents, especially those in their 30s, seized working from home as an opportunity to start a family. All six New England states were among the 13 states where births increased between 2019 and 2021. New Hampshire and Tennessee […]
Census Bureau to Review Potential Miscounts of Institutions
The U.S. Census Bureau will allow local governments to ask for reviews of institutions counted in the 2020 census, the agency announced this week. Problems with institutional counts for places such as college dorms, nursing homes and prisons have drawn 34 detailed complaints from cities, states and their advocates. Many officials have asked for ways […]
Suburban Areas Saw Pandemic Population Boom
Smaller and suburban places drew most of the population growth in the first pandemic year, between mid-2020 and mid-2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today. The numbers confirm a trend predicted by a Stateline analysis earlier this year. Suburban cities in the West and South saw explosive growth. Georgetown, Texas, about 25 miles […]
As Remote Work Persists, Cities Struggle to Adapt
Andrew Challenger’s urban Chicago neighborhood is buzzing, but not with office workers. “I live 15 minutes’ walk from my office building, and every restaurant, every bar and gym and store is packed 100%,” Challenger said recently. “When I get to my building it’s still pretty much empty. So much of normal life has come back, […]
Multiracial Residents Are Changing the Face of the US
The number of Americans who identified as more than one race nearly doubled to 13.5 million people between 2010 and 2020, and did double or more in 34 states and the District of Columbia, a Stateline analysis of census figures shows. To some observers, the increase in the number of Americans identifying as more than […]
Unemployment Rate for Women Declines to Pre-Pandemic Level
The unemployment rate for women dropped to 2.8% in April, the lowest level since April 2019 before the pandemic, as restaurants and bars led the way in hiring amid renewed optimism about public mingling. It’s another indication of recovery from the “shecession” that affected women more than men economically. The unemployment rate for men was […]