Results from our November business surveys suggest that disruptions (e.g., reduced operating hours, supply chain disruptions) to economic activity from Hurricane Helene were largely, but not only, concentrated in FEMA-designated impact areas.

Customer spending in the Fifth District has been on a decline according to results from the Richmond Fed's business surveys. This pullback was especially true among lower-income individuals.

Rural areas were hit hard with labor shortages during COVID-19, more so than their urban counterparts. However, the tides have turned with rural wage growth now exceeding that of urban areas.

Fifth District firms expect a limited impact to their businesses due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, although the impact varies across industries.

We reexamine the Dallas Fed's analysis to understand if regional manufacturing data published by several Reserve Banks still track leading national economic indicators.

The Richmond Fed business survey results suggest that wage growth is slowing, and firms expect a return to pre-COVID-19 levels over the next year.

Price growth in the Fifth District is slowing, but firms expect annualized growth and price adjustments to be above pre-COVID-19 norms, suggesting that pricing uncertainty persists.

Despite the overall optimism firms have about their prospects in 2024, there are still quite a few firms that anticipate growth this year to be below normal, pre-pandemic growth.

In order to observe Fifth District community college outcomes, we decided to collect consistent data that would enable us to calculate a new success metric: the Richmond Fed Community College Success Rate.

We regularly report the quantitative results from the Richmond Fed business surveys, but participants' comments also provide useful context for changes in local business conditions.

Fifth District firms have experienced faster price growth since 2021. Increased uncertainty coincided with firms adjusting their own prices more frequently than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

February's monthly business surveys show that businesses, for the most part, are optimistic about their firms' prospects but less optimistic about the U.S. economy.

Fifth District firms recently reported being able to better meet customer demand. A cooling economy may be part of the story.

This new system for measuring community college outcomes better reflects how the institutions are serving their students and communities than current data collection methods.

In our March business survey, we found that firms continue to struggle finding workers across skill levels, particularly in the low- to mid-skill range.

Fifth District firms report that two years into the pandemic, they still cannot provide enough goods and services to completely meet customer demand.

Fifth District firms increase employment and raise wages in response to a changing economy.

In a tight labor market, Fifth District firms struggle to attract qualified workers.

Regional businesses are returning to pre-COVID-19 operations as workers return to the office and business travel picks up.