Regional Matters
Earlier this year, we reported the results of a special survey on hiring and wages. A similar survey was conducted in November ... the results are in.
The qualitative data conveyed through surveys, or gathered at roundtable meetings with business firms or our own Bank directors are very valuable pieces of information. However, summarizing and extracting meaning out of this information are very challenging tasks. So how can we make sense out of this information?
The Richmond Fed publishes a series of diffusion indices based off of surveys of manufacturing and service sector firms across the Fifth District. These indices help us to understand business conditions in our region in a timely and more comprehensive way.
There has been a dramatic change in the energy sector in recent decades. With lower prices, what is the outlook going forward? What has the impact been on West Virginia, the Fifth District’s largest energy producer?
In 2015, nearly 4 million Virginia residents commuted to work; however, the means of transportation and average commute time varied substantially by location.
Income has been growing, but many households have not fully recovered from the recession. Income inequality persists at the national level and varies by state and metro area within the Fifth District.
Manufacturing accounted for 9.6 percent of total private sector employment and 11.8 percent of total output in the Fifth District in 2015. What kind of things are produced in the District? Where? And what are the values of those goods?
Virginia gained jobs at a brisk pace during 2015, but the pace slowed during the first five months of 2016 and has only recently picked up again. Employment growth by industry and by metro area varies substantially.
The United States' top three trade partners are China, Canada, and Mexico. Many of the Fifth District jurisdictions also trade extensively with these nations. What goods are being exported? And what other countries are top trade partners with Fifth District states?
The Fifth District labor market was hit hard during the recession. The recovery was slow. Which industry sectors were hit the hardest and how have they fared since? Which sectors have grown the fastest?