Latest News SSBCI 2.0 Delivers $10 Billion to State Finance Programs (Council of Development Finance Agencies). The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes funds to support the relaunch of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). The reauthorization of SSBCI is a major step forward in recognizing the economic challenges faced by underserved communities […]

Latest News What to Watch in the 2021 Stimulus Proposal (SEDE Staff). The American Rescue Plan proposed by President Biden and currently being considered in the U.S. House would provide $1.9 trillion in economic relief. While the proposed $1,400 stimulus checks and the national vaccination plan are getting most of the headlines, the plan has […]

Latest News Trends for 2021—and Beyond (McKinsey & Company). Businesses have spent much of the past nine months scrambling to adapt to extraordinary circumstances. While the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet won, with a vaccine in sight, there is at least a faint light at the end of the tunnel—along with the […]

Latest News Who Should Get the Coronavirus Vaccine First? (New York Times). With initial coronavirus vaccine supplies limited, the United States faces a hard choice: Should the country’s immunization program focus in the early months on the elderly and people with serious medical conditions, who are dying of the virus at the highest rates, or […]

Latest News The Future of Commercial Office Space (Cushman & Wakefield). Concerns exist about the future of commercial office space. There is no denying that the work from home trend is real and the impacts will be felt in the short and long term. A report from Cushman & Wakefield examining the global impacts of […]

Latest News U.S. Census Provides Monthly State Retail Sales Data (U.S. Census Bureau). The U.S. Census is launching a new experimental data product featuring modeled state-level retail sales. The Monthly State Retail Sales (MSRS) report features interactive state-level data visualizations that combine data from the Monthly Retail Trade Survey, administrative data, and third-party data. The […]

Latest News Visualizing Vulnerable Jobs Across America (Brookings). The Brookings Workforce of the Future initiative breaks down the number and dispersion of “vulnerable” jobs for 380 metropolitan statistical areas and all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Vulnerable jobs are ones that pay low wages (less than the median wage, adjusted for location), and […]

Latest News Increased Consumer Interest Correlates with COVID-19 Hot Spots (Yelp). As people began resuming common pre-pandemic activities – specifically, frequenting restaurants, bars, and gyms – a clear spike in COVID-19 cases within those locations quickly followed. Yelp website and mobile app activity data shows a statistically significant correlation between an increase of consumer interest […]

Latest News U.S. Economy Won’t Grow as Fast as Expected Over Next Six Months (Congressional Budget Office). The Congressional Budget Office downgraded its near-term assessment of the U.S. economy’s growth as it struggles in response to the shock of the coronavirus pandemic. In May, the CBO projected real gross domestic product to expand at 21.5% […]

Latest News Where the Small Business Administration’s Coronavirus Disaster Loans are Going (Washington Post). About 40 percent of the SBA’s economic injury disaster loan (EIDL) program funding as of early June was captured by four states: California, New York, Florida, and Texas. A few states with relatively small economies received an outsize share of the […]