Last week we saw the most recent GDP numbers, but how do America’s richest and poorest states stack up to G7 countries when it comes to per capita GDP? Today’s graphic from the Visual Capitalist does just that by looking at the per capita GDP of these states and compares when with actual G7 countries. As always, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “These massive gaps in output could be surprising for those not paying attention. The U.S. economy has surged since the pandemic, with its GDP per capita increasing by $20,000 between 2020 and 2024—a growth none of…
Author: Brad Beckett
Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for January, 2025. According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1534 (down 0.3%) and $1,907 (up .01%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. Click here to read the full report at Zumper.
Once again the Tax Foundation has published their annual list of sales taxes in each state. Sales taxes are a form of taxation that truly affects every person – it’s the classic consumption tax. It is also the one politicians often reach for first to ratchet-up to fund their next project du jour. That being said, the folks over at the Tax Foundation recently released their annual list showing the combined sales tax rates (state & local where applicable) for each state. The five states with the highest average combined state and local sales tax rates are Louisiana (10.12%), Tennessee…
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 256k in January, 2025 with the unemployment rate coming in at 4%. As always, the BLS says employment in government continued its upward growth trend in January (up 32K) with an average monthly gain of 38k in 2024. However, with the new administration’s policy changes this trend will surely change. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The U.S. government is reporting that the national vacancy rates for Q4 2024 were 6.9% for rental housing and 1.1% for homeowner housing. The national homeownership rate for Q4 2024 was 65.7%. In addition, approximately 89.8% of the housing units in the United States in Q4 were occupied and 10.2% were vacant. Owner-occupied housing units made up 59% of total housing units, while renter-occupied units made up 30.8% of the inventory. Vacant year-round units comprised 8% of total housing units, while 2.2% were vacant for seasonal use. Interestingly, all of these number are nearly the same as the previous quarter.…
According to the ADP National Employment Report for January, 20245, private sector employment increased by 183k jobs and annual pay was up 4.7% year-over-year. The ADP National Employment Report is an independent and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on the aggregated and anonymized payroll data of more than 25 million U.S. employees. “We had a strong start to 2025 but it masked a dichotomy in the labor market…Consumer facing industries drove hiring, while job growth was weaker in business services and production.” Said ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. Click here to read the full report at ADP.…
In early February, the U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Turner as the 19th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Secretary Turner was confirmed by a vote of 55-44 and sworn in by Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas. “I am honored and humbled to serve the American people and the Trump Administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development…On President Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order to lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply. As Secretary, I will lead the department in furthering these priorities.” -…
The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in December, 2024 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,192.2 billion, up 0.5% from November’s revised number. However, December’s estimate is 4.33% higher than one year ago. Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $939.5 billion in December, which is 1.5% higher than November’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.
This Sunday, February 8th, the super deluxe happy fun bowl (aka Super Bowl 59) will be played in New Orleans, LA. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will battle it out to claim the top NFL crown. Today’s graphic from the U.S. Census Bureau asks if someone from your hometown is playing in the “big game?” Be sure to click on the map to make it interactive… Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!! Hat tip to the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to their “advance” estimate, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis is reporting that America’s real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.3% in Q4 2024. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.