Regional Matters

From the end of 2025 through mid-January, businesses said they are increasingly confident but are still hesitant to make moves; the low-hire, low-fire equilibrium seems likely to continue.

Since Hurricane Helene made landfall in September 2024, Riverbird Research of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce found through its surveys that while recovery gained momentum, businesses face ongoing challenges.

Since the last FOMC cycle, businesses said growth has been solid, but narrow; the low-hire, low-fire equilibrium continues.

Many rural areas lack sufficient resources to strengthen the STEM pipeline. How is one nonprofit in South Carolina addressing the workforce gap in hopes of reducing rural flight?

This post will examine loan fund responses to the 2025 CDFI Survey: the business lines and top funding sources, as well as how many have leveraged secondary markets as a funding strategy.

How does Fifth District manufacturing activity vary by size? The Richmond Fed Manufacturing Survey found that large firms are more optimistic, including about the impact of recent tariffs, compared to small and mid-sized firms.

Conversations with businesses since the last FOMC cycle did not suggest any big shifts in the economy; economic conditions remained stable.

This post explores the experiences of rural CDFIs using data from the most recent CDFI Survey, including funding challenges and reliance on federal funding.

While most Fifth District firms intend to increase full-time employment or hold it steady due to projected demand increase, others intend to decrease through attrition or a combination of attrition and layoffs.

The recent changes to how federal agencies define metro areas impact how we report, analyze, and better understand the Fifth District.