The Visual Capitalist asks; How much do prices actually differ across America? Today’s graphic takes a look at price parity across the U.S. by looking at things like the price of food, bills, gas, and other living costs. Not surprising, California is the nation’s most expensive state with Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma being the least expensive. Stay safe, watch your wallet and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to the Visual Capitalist.
Author: Brad Beckett
Brad Beckett
Director of Education & Outreach, National Real Estate Investors Association
According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in May decreased $109.6 billion (0.4% at a monthly rate). Disposable personal income (DPI – personal income less personal current taxes) decreased $125 billion (0.6%) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $29.3 billion (0.1%). Personal outlays (the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments) decreased $27.6 billion in May. Personal saving was $1.01 trillion in May and the personal saving rate (personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 4.5%. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of…
The Rental Housing Journal is reporting that a federal court recently ruled that landlords are due compensation and have a right to pursue compensation claims for losses suffered during the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction ban moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied the federal government’s petition for a rehearing in Darby v. United States, a case claiming the CDC’s eviction moratorium was unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment. Indeed… “The decision marks a significant victory for property owners. By upholding the Darby ruling, the court maintains the legal framework…
According to the ADP National Employment Report for June, 2025, private sector employment increased by 33k jobs and annual pay was up 4.4% 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. “Though layoffs continue to be rare, a hesitancy to hire and a reluctance to replace departing workers led to job losses last month. Still, the slowdown in hiring has yet to disrupt pay growth.” Said ADP chief economist Dr. Nela Richardson. Click here to read…
Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for June, 2025. According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1520 and $1,910 (up 0.2%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. In addition, they said on an annual basis, one-bedroom rent dipped 0.4%, marking the first year-over-year decline in 14 months. “The current plateau seen in our national rent prices likely reflects a more deliberate and strategic approach by property owners…This isn’t a sign of weak demand, renters are still out there, but with so much…
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 147k in June, 2025 with the unemployment rate dropping lightly to 4.1%. In addition, the report says Job gains occurred in state government and health care. However, contrary to what was seen over the past few years, the federal government continued to lose jobs. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in May, 2025 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,138.2 billion, down 0.3% from April’s revised number. In addition, April’s estimate is 3.5% lower than one year ago. Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $888.9 billion in May, which is 0.5% lower than April’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Today, July 4th, marks 249 years of America’s independence! Today’s infographic takes a look at the Fourth of July “by the numbers” and provides insight into this holiday that we Americans hold dear. Whatever you do to celebrate, do it safely and have fun…..and, as always, Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth…
The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has reported a 2.7% annual increase for April, 2025. Their 10-City Composite increased 4.1% and their 20-City Composite increased 3.4%, year-over-year. Yardi says the market is increasingly being driven by fundamentals rather than speculative fervor: “The housing market continued its gradual deceleration in April, with annual price gains slowing to their most modest pace in nearly two years…What’s particularly striking is how this cycle has reshuffled regional leadership—markets that were pandemic darlings are now lagging, while historically steady performers in the Midwest and Northeast are setting the pace. This…
FHFA Director William J. Pulte recently issued an order directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to consider crypto currency as an asset for single-family loans. According to Pulte’s directive, cryptocurrency is an emerging asset class that may offer an opportunity to build wealth outside of the stock & bond markets. In addition, prior to implementing any changes, each enterprise must submit their plans to the FHFA (after their respective boards approval) for review. “After significant studying, and in keeping with President Trump’s vision to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, today I ordered the Great Fannie…
