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Briefing
Recent Trends in Residential Segregation in New England
Residential segregation in Boston has drawn considerable attention in recent years, but much less notice has been given to the issue with respect to the rest of New England. This regional brief focuses on residential segregation between all minority groups and non-Hispanic white residents in metro areas throughout the region. New England’s population is predominately non-Hispanic white; however, the region has diversified considerably since 1990, as most of the population growth has occurred among minority groups. Residential segregation by race/ethnicity declined over that same period in ...
Briefing
Aging and declining populations in northern New England: is there a role for immigration?
In hundreds of communities across northern New England, the population is aging rapidly and becoming smaller. The entire country is aging, but northern New England stands out: Among the populations of all US states, those of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have the top-three highest median ages, respectively. The situation is even more extreme in northern New England?s rural counties, where the populations of the smallest towns generally are substantially older than those of the rest of the region. These communities also have seen the slowest, or even negative, population growth over the ...
Briefing
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Household Migration in New England
The COVID-19 pandemic and the policies implemented to limit the spread of the virus brought about changes to domestic migration patterns in New England. Overall, the region lost about 50,000 fewer households to permanent out-migration in 2020 compared with 2019, as measured by United States Postal Service change-of-address requests. Every New England state except Massachusetts either lost fewer households or gained households for the first time since at least 2017. However, counties that added households generally saw an increase of less than 1 percent. The characteristics of a community ...
Briefing
The Challenge of Declining K–12 Enrollment in Northern New England
COVID-related public health concerns and declining tax revenues raised or continue to raise important questions throughout the country about when and how to restart schools and how to fund them in the near term. For communities across northern New England, there are also fundamental, longer-term concerns over declines in the student population that will still confront districts well beyond the current academic year. In every county in New Hampshire, Maine, andVermont, the number of young residents has declined over the last two decades. Northern New England is not alone in facing this ...
Briefing
Nursing Home Closures in New England: Impact on Long-Term Care, Labor Markets
The number of nursing homes in New England has declined steadily over the last decade, while the region’s population has grown older. This report looks at why nursing homes are closing—why they’re losing money—and how the closures, combined with the aging of the population, could affect the region’s infrastructure for long-term care. It also considers the closures’ potential impact on the region’s labor markets.
Briefing
The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Public Transportation Ridership and Revenues across New England
In New England and elsewhere, public transportation was among the many sectors immediately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential workers and members of the labor force with no teleworking options and no alternate means of transportation continued to rely on public transit following the onset of the pandemic. However, with business closures, event cancellations, and social distancing regulations in effect, ridership dropped sharply, hampering transit systems’ ability to generate revenue. As of June 2021, ridership remained depressed despite the relaxation of restrictions and a general ...
Briefing
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on New England Homeowners and Renters
Job losses and likely layoffs related to the COVID-19 pandemic will put many New England residents at risk of not being able to pay their mortgage or rent and needing financial assistance and state-government safeguards to remain in their homes. Economic interventions from Congress, primarily through the federal CARES Act, include direct payments to households and increased unemployment insurance benefits that are expected to provide vital support to many of these households for the next three to four months. Even with these efforts, 2 to 3 percent of New England homeowners and 9 to 13 ...
Briefing
Recent Migration and Visa Trends in New England and Implications for the Labor Market
From 2010 to 2021, 56 percent of the total population growth in New England came from increases in foreign-born residents. The labor force participation rate of foreign-born residents in the region in 2022 was 4 percentage points higher than that of native-born residents. While numbers of J-1 visa workers and international students in the region have declined, overall temporary employment visa use in the region has continued to rise.
Briefing
Recent Trends in Infrastructure Investment and Capacity in New England
Households and businesses throughout New England rely on roads, bridges, dams, sewers, drinking water systems, and other elements of public infrastructure daily. However, the region’s states and municipalities have long been acknowledged as spending less than much of the rest of country on these public capital assets. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) represents a massive and historic opportunity that will fund billions of dollars’ worth of repairs and improvements to public infrastructure across the region. The $1.2 trillion package contains $550 billion in new ...
Briefing
Rental Affordability and COVID-19 in Rural New England
Although a shortage of affordable rental housing is often framed as an urban-area issue, rural communities also suffer from this problem. On average, rural and urban renters spend similar shares of their income on rent and have comparable rates of housing-cost burden. Years of slow income growth and skyrocketing rents, particularly during the 2000–2010 period, have eroded slack in household budgets that may have gone toward other expenses or toward savings. The coronavirus pandemic likely has exacerbated affordability problems by putting many rural residents out of work. The share of jobs ...