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Journal Article
The Role of Immigration in U.S. Labor Market Tightness
Immigrants contribute a large portion of the growth in the U.S. population and labor force. However, immigration flows into the United States slowed significantly following immigration policy changes from 2017 to 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of state-level data shows that this migration slowdown tightened local labor markets modestly, raising the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed workers 5.5 percentage points between 2017 and 2021. More recent data show immigration has rebounded strongly, helping to close the shortfall in foreign-born labor and ease tight labor ...
Journal Article
Workforce 2020: Is It Time for Disruptive Innovation?
Whether framed as a gap, a shortage or a mismatch, skill problems drive discussions around workforce and education policy today. Employers say they are not getting qualified candidates from educational institutions; unions and workforce advocates say that if employers looked harder and offered increased wages and improved benefits, qualified workers could be found. At the same time, community colleges and vocational training centers say that rapid changes in technology make it cost-prohibitive to buy the latest machines and training tools. Aspiring workers say they are unaware of the ...
Journal Article
An Analysis of African American Interstate Migration to Iowa
There are many motivations for family moves to other states. New jobs, lower crime rates and better schools are a few. A common rumor in Iowa is that many low-income blacks are relocating to the state from communities in Illinois, Wisconsin and elsewhere to take advantage of the state's generous welfare benefits. This article attempts to explore that assumption by clarifying who is moving to Iowa and why. The conclusion, based on census data and a brief review of the literature, is that although perception belies reality, the reality is more nuanced than one might expect.
Discussion Paper
Understanding Immigration in the Fifth District: Where Did International Migrants Settle?
In 2022, the Census Bureau announced that international migration to the United States had returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, and recent estimates suggest immigration has surged to unprecedented levels. To understand how the flow of international migration changed in our region from the onset of the pandemic, we analyze recent census data that looks at population change and its components. During this period, population change and migration in the Fifth District differed from the national trend and varied across states. Even though this period includes the height of pandemic-related ...
U.S. Population Growth Slowed Further in 2020
This year will likely be the slowest annual population increase in U.S. history outside of wartime.
Journal Article
Investing in Healthy Rural Communities – Lessons Learned and Future Directions
The Federal Reserve System and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) created the Healthy Communities Initiative to enrich the debate on how cross-sector and place-based approaches might revitalize neighborhoods and communities, while improving health and well-being for residents. A large body of research and evidence demonstrates inextricable linkages between economic success and physical and mental well-being. People who live in economically challenged areas endure more stress, are more likely to report their own physical and mental health as being just ?fair? or ?poor,? are more prone ...
Discussion Paper
Population Lost: Puerto Rico's Troubling Out-Migration
For the first time in modern history, Puerto Rico is seeing its population decline. This troubling loss can be traced to an exodus of Puerto Rican citizens to the U.S. mainland, a current that has picked up considerably in recent years as Puerto Rico's economy has deteriorated. Today, fully a third of those born in Puerto Rico now reside on the U.S. mainland. In this post, we examine the recent surge in out-migration that is driving Puerto Rico's population decline (which we delve into in more detail in a recent article in the New York Fed's Current Issues in Economics and Finance series), ...
Monograph
Gone to Texas: immigration and the transformantion of the Texas economy
The United States welcomes more immigrants than any other country, and Texas welcomes more migrants?foreign and domestic?than any other state. Nearly half of all new arrivals to the state are foreign born. With a population of over 4 million immigrants, Texas is one of the top three states in terms of the number of foreign born living within its borders. Immigration to Texas has been both a cause and consequence of rapid regional growth. The strong economy and the Texas business model?low taxes, few regulations and a low cost of labor?have attracted many businesses and workers in recent ...
Journal Article
Participatory Budgeting: Enhancing Community Reinvestment through Public Engagement
Community engagement is not an easy task. This is especially true in communities with historically underrepresented and underserved populations who do not feel connected to the planning process. However, some municipalities across the country are finding success through the use of participatory budgeting.