Regional Economics Commons^™

Upjohn Regional Economic Outlook, Vol. 1, No. 3, October 2026, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams, Emily Petz

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Economic Benefits And Costs Of State And Local Incentives For Clean Energy Projects, Timothy J. Bartik, Gerrit Anderson, Brian J. Asquith, Kathleen Bolter, Kyle Huisman, Iryna V. Lendel, Jeremy Morris, Sevrin Williams

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of The Potential Training Population Within Selected Neighborhoods In The City Of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Kathleen Bolter, Gerrit Anderson, Kyle Huisman

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report provides a strategic analysis of the potential job training population of prime-age (25–54) “Recompete” residents within 14 identified census tracts in South and East Chattanooga, Tennessee. The data reveal a distinct population facing compounded physical and economic barriers that require a multisectoral approach beyond traditional skills training. The report offers neighborhood-specific strategies to improve stable employment through better access to training and other forms of transportation, childcare, and language assistance.

How The Economic And Fiscal Benefits Of Economic Development Incentives Are Affected By Targeting, Housing Policy, And Incentive Design, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report finds that reformed state economic development policies can raise residents' per capita incomes by over 5 percent while generating a fiscal surplus exceeding 4 percent of state and local tax revenue. In other words, they can pay for themselves. Traditional policies, by contrast, boost incomes by less than half a percent and carry a net fiscal cost of more than 3 percent of tax revenue. Traditional policies rely on untargeted cash incentives such as tax abatements, credits, and grants, and leave zoning unchanged. Reformed policies instead provide customized business services (site-specific infrastructure, job training, business advice, incubators), target …

Upjohn Regional Economic Outlook, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2026, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams, Emily Petz

Reports

No abstract provided.

How States Can Design Better Economic Development Incentives, Timothy J. Bartik

Reports

No abstract provided.

Benefits And Costs For Chattanooga Residents Of Incorporating Training Into Economic Development Strategies, Timothy J. Bartik, Iryna V. Lendel, Sevrin Williams

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report evaluates the benefit-cost tradeoffs of adding a workforce training component to Chattanooga's economic development incentive packages, using the Bartik Benefit-Cost Model of Business Incentives. Focusing on hypothetical projects across seven industries, the analysis compares the present value of training costs against resulting gains in residents' per capita income over a 20-year horizon. Findings show that training, layered onto existing PILOT-based tax incentives, delivers benefits more than 25 times its costs—driven by training's greater cost-effectiveness in inducing business location decisions and its stronger tendency to direct new jobs toward local residents. While training is not self-financing from a city …

How Incentive Design Affects The Benefit-Cost Ratio Of Clean Energy Projects, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Economic Benefits And Costs Of State And Local Incentives For Clean Energy Projects, Timothy J. Bartik, Gerrit Anderson, Brian J. Asquith, Kathleen Bolter, Kyle Huisman, Iryna V. Lendel, Jeremy Morris, Sevrin Williams

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report evaluates the benefits and costs of investment incentives for 50 large clean energy supply chain manufacturing and infrastructure projects. The findings suggest that these incentives generate modest but typically positive economic returns, with a median benefit-cost ratio of 1.47, meaning benefits exceed costs by 47 percent for the typical project. Returns vary significantly across projects—approximately 70 percent of projects produced net positive benefits over a 20-year period, while 30 percent failed to recover incentive costs. Project performance depends heavily on incentive design and local conditions. Excessively large cash incentives reduce returns, while customized services, strong job multipliers, investment …

Upjohn Regional Economic Outlook, Vol. 1, No. 1, April 2026, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams, Emily Petz

Reports

No abstract provided.

Workforce Dynamics In Michigan’S Upper Peninsula: Trends, Shocks, And Projections Through 2030, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report examines the economic and workforce dynamics of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) through 2030, highlighting the region’s ongoing transition during population decline, workforce aging, and structural labor shortages. Despite these pressures, the U.P.’s labor force remains relatively stable due to increased participation among older workers, partially offsetting declines in prime-age cohorts. The region’s economy is highly specialized, with strong concentrations in extraction, construction, and production industries—sectors that offer high wages but are vulnerable to cyclical economic downturns.

Using a combination of demographic analysis, occupational data, and industry projections, the study identifies significant skill overlap across key industries, suggesting potential …

Workforce Dynamics In Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Trends, Shocks, And Projections Through 2030, Iryna V. Lendel

Presentations

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is navigating a complex economic transition shaped by demographic change, workforce aging, and sectoral concentration. While the region has experienced long-term population decline, its labor force has remained stable due to rising participation among older workers. At the same time, the U.P.’s economy remains highly concentrated in extraction, construction, and production industries. These industries offer strong wages but are sensitive to economic cycles.

This presentation highlights key findings on workforce structure, industry specialization, and the region’s capacity to respond to potential shocks, including major employer closures. Evidence shows substantial skill overlap across industries, creating opportunities for worker …

Ten Lessons In Public–Private Partnerships To Create Good Jobs, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.

Upper Peninsula Regional Economic Development Strategy, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Gerrit Anderson, Sevrin Williams

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This comprehensive report describes the economy of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, outlining both persistent issues and emerging opportunities. The region faces several structural challenges, including a decline in prime-age workers and bachelor’s degree attainment that falls below state and national averages, while shortages in housing and healthcare further limit its ability to attract and retain residents. Despite those challenges, the U.P.’s universities, longstanding industries, abundant natural resources, and robust outdoor recreation economy provide strong foundations for future development. The report recommends strategies such as strengthening retention of the talent pipeline, expanding housing and healthcare capacity, fostering small and mid-sized firms in …

Abundance Strategies Should Promote Abundant Jobs In Distressed Places, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

A prominent recent policy debate is about “abundance policies”: policies to make it easier to build housing or infrastructure, deliver government services more quickly and more efficiently, and expedite the public funding of the most innovative and socially impactful research. In this essay, I argue that abundance advocates often mistakenly ignore or have a negative attitude toward “place-based policies.” These place-based policies would seek to increase employment rates, particularly in good jobs, in two types of distressed places that lack abundant job opportunities: distressed local labor markets and distressed neighborhoods. Both the goals and means of place-based policies fit into …

The Effects Of Tulsa Remote On Inducing Moves To Tulsa: Estimates And Implications, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

Tulsa Remote is one of the largest of over 100 remote worker attraction programs in the United States. Since its beginning in 2018, the program has provided generous incentives ($10,000 for moving to Tulsa and staying one year), along with accompanying networking services and incentives to encourage entrepreneurship, to over 3,000 Tulsa Remote member households, selected out of tens of thousands of applicants. Tulsa Remote’s purpose is to promote economic development in Tulsa. Tulsa Remote members spend more locally and generate fiscal benefits, as well as start up businesses and help make Tulsa more attractive for high-tech job growth. These …

Tulsa Remote’S Benefits For Other Tulsa Residents: Results And Implications, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Federal And State Governments Can Help Solve The Employment Problems Of People In Distressed Places To Spur Equitable Growth, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

Places in the United States differ greatly in their residents’ access to jobs, especially good jobs. Although the federal and state governments provide about $80 billion annually to create jobs through multiple programs, these job-creation initiatives are rarely targeted to economically distressed places, where the job-creation benefits for local residents are greatest. Moreover, many of these programs take the form of business tax incentives, which are less effective at job creation than customized services for businesses and workers. I argue that the prime-age employment rate of places should be used to target job-creation programs and review which such programs are …

Five Key Lessons For Five Core Groups Shaping Place-Based Policy, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.

Broadly Shared Local Economic Success: New Measures And New Lessons For Communities, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Broadly Shared Local Economic Success Since 2000: New Measures And New Lessons For Communities, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Kathleen Bolter, Kyle Huisman

Reports

In recent decades, many local labor markets—especially those in former industrial areas—have experienced lagging employment rates, hourly wages, and annual earnings. Even in places that have thrived, disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups and those with less education have often fared poorly, and long-term growth has bypassed many Americans at the middle and bottom of the income distribution. This report examines the relative economic success over the past two decades (prior to the COVID pandemic) of different local labor markets throughout the United States, both for residents overall and for those of different demographic groups. We construct a new, publicly available …

Policies For Place: How To Make Sustainable Investments In Communities, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Lee Adams, Brian J. Asquith, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Iryna V. Lendel, Gabrielle Pepin, Bridget Timmeney, Beth C. Truesdale, Yulya Truskinovsky

Reports

No abstract provided.

Employment, Income, And Poverty In Kalamazoo City Core Neighborhoods, Val Klomparens

Reports

This report employs a traditional methodology using American Community Survey data to examine employment, income, and poverty in three neighborhoods in Kalamazoo, Michigan: Eastside, Northside, and Edison. These neighborhoods are studied with an emphasis on eligibility status for the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, administered through the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Eastside residents are unique in that a larger share earn income through wages or employment than do Michigan residents, yet their median income falls below those at the county and state levels in a statistically significant way. The Edison neighborhood is characterized by greater income inequality than the other …

What Should States Do About Incentives?, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Economic Conditions: Updates On The National, State, And Regional Economies With A Look At 2018, Jim Robey

Presentations

No abstract provided.

A New Business Incentives Database, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

A New Business Incentives Database, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

New Evidence On State Fiscal Multipliers: Implications For State Policies, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

When state and local governments engage in balanced budget changes in taxes and spending, what fiscal multiplier effects do such policies have on creating local jobs? Traditionally, the view has been that possible job-creation effects of such state and local “demand-side” policies are smaller, second-order effects. Such effects might be worthwhile to take into consideration when a state or local government balances its budget during a recession, but the effects were believed to be of modest magnitude, and not of major importance for more general state and local public policies. However, recent estimates of fiscal multiplier effects of state and …

What Works In Economic Development, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Labor Market Analysis Of The Kenosha, Wisconsin Region, Bryan Bommersbach, Don Edgerly, George A. Erickcek, Brian Pittelko, Claudette Robey, Jim Robey, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.