Polls have certainly gotten a great deal of attention lately, for better or worse! Despite some of their shortcomings, polls can tell us some very interesting things, particularly when we are able to see enough difference in answers to eliminate the poll's necessary margin of error as a major concern for interpreting results. Things [...]
People born outside of the United States comprised an estimated 13.7% of the 29-county Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)'s population in 2016 and accounted for an estimated 5.1% of the region's population growth between 2015 and 2016. In appreciation of the increasing and integral part that the foreign-born play in the regional community and [...]
When it comes to the economy, most of us would likely agree that, while things are better, we "got a ways to go yet". A recent article in the AJC examines the lingering impacts of the Great Recession, pointing out that despite improvements in employment (and even, finally, wages), many are still suffering. One [...]
The holiday season is upon us! It is a time for festivities and gift giving among friends and family--which means an increase in household spending. According to polling by Gallup, average holiday spending per person nationally is projected to be $906 in 2017, up from $785 in 2016 (see chart below). The most recent [...]
Adults are far better educated "now" than they were in previous generations--higher and higher shares are going to, and completing, college. And this level of education is crucial, as recent Burning Glass data indicate that employers are asking for bachelors degrees or more as qualifications to fill nearly two-thirds of 2017 job postings! A [...]
Incomes in the Atlanta metro area are growing again...just not very quickly, and a great deal more in some counties than in others. Data from the last three years show recovery from the slight declines or (at best) stagnation of the 2000 through 2013 period. And it is all relative, as median household incomes [...]
The Atlanta metro economy is in really good shape, and we rank highly among competing metros in terms of job growth. In the latest data, higher wage job sectors such as Professional & Business Services and Information show strong year over year (YOY) increases of 6% and 4% respectively. But our overall YOY rate [...]
This week's Friday Factday provides a preview of the results from this year's Metro Atlanta Speaks survey. Each year, ARC and its community partners conduct the Metro Atlanta Speaks public opinion survey to take the pulse of metro Atlanta residents and help guide the region’s planning and decision-making. The survey, which began in 2013, is [...]
