Economic Policy Commons^™

“You Never Know” Work And Precarity In Las Vegas Before And During Covid-19, Richard Reeves, Morgan Welch, Hannah Van Drie

Policy Briefs and Reports

In this brief we examine work and work-based policies in Las Vegas, Nevada – a theme that emerged strongly from focus group data collected in the fall of 2019. The middle-class Americans we talked with were concerned about upward mobility, the changing landscape of work as a result of automation and skills training, scheduling uncertainty, and employee benefits like time off and paid leave. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated these pre-existing issues for many workers. Much of the policy agenda in the last year has been understandably reactionary, as policymakers addressed immediate issues such as unemployment insurance, keeping workers …

Metro Monitor 2021: Las Vegas And Reno, Eshaan Vakil, Katie M. Gilbertson, Emmanuel A. Berrelleza, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet measures changes in Nevada’s economic growth performance indicators using data provided by the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor analysis. Researchers at Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program measure various indicators of economic well-being across 192 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for a 10-year period (from 2009-2019) to provide a thorough time series analysis of isolated variables. This fact sheet presents data for the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA and the Reno, NV MSA.

2020 Most Dynamic Micropolitans In The Mountain West, Kelliann Beavers, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Cities & Metros

This fact sheet draws from the “Most Dynamic Micropolitans 2020” report released by Heartland Forward, “an institute for economic renewal […] with a mission to improve economic performance in the center of the United States.” In this report, Heartland Forward offers the Most Dynamic Micropolitan Index to analyze the economies of smaller communities for a total of 515 micropolitan areas nationally. This fact sheet includes information on job growth, annual pay growth, and personal income growth for micropolitan areas in the Mountain West region.

Domestic Workers In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Saha Salahi, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr., Eshaan Vakil

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet explores the number of domestic workers employed in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), as originally reported in the Economic Policy Institute’s “Domestic Workers Chartbook.” Data for domestic worker median wages compared to the median wages of nondomestic workers are also included.

2021 Business Tax Climate In The Mountain West, Katie M. Gilbertson, Peter Grema, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet summarizes a report by Jared Walczak and Janelle Cammenga of The Tax Foundation titled “2021 State Business Tax Climate Index.” The index compares how states structure tax systems to bolster state business activity and investments, and possible routes for future improvement. Scores and rankings are offered for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

The Housing Market And The Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications For Las Vegas, Phoenix, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orlando, And New Orleans, Jenny Schuetz, Sarah Crump

Policy Briefs and Reports

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted virtually every part of the U.S. economy in the past year, and wreaked havoc on people’s daily lives. Housing markets are no exception. Millions of renters have fallen behind on their rent, fearing eviction while accumulating debts they cannot pay. At the same time, prices for owner-occupied housing have soared while the inventory of for-sale homes has plummeted. In this brief, we analyze several measures of housing distress from 2007 to 2019 for six metro areas, chosen based on their housing and labor market characteristics. Los Angeles, Riverside, Las Vegas, and Phoenix were among the …

Child Care Costs In The Mountain West, Saha Salahi, Kristian Thymianos, William E. Brown Jr., Caitlin J. Saladino

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines the cost of child care using data from the Care Index, a collaboration between New America, Care.com, and other organizations. Data for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are included in this document.

Explaining The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Core Industries And The Hispanic Workforce, Aaron Klein, Ember Smith

Policy Briefs and Reports

As the United States prepares for a COVID-19 recovery, policymakers need to understand why some cities and communities were more vulnerable to the pandemic’s economic consequences than others. In this paper, we consider the association between a city’s core industry, its economic susceptibility to the pandemic, and the recession’s racially disparate impact across six select metropolitan areas. We find that areas with economies that rely on the movement of people—like Las Vegas with tourism—faced substantially higher unemployment at the end of 2020 than cities with core industries based on the movement of information. Further, we find the hardest-hit areas have …

Venture Capital In Nevada, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet provides an overview of venture capital in the State of Nevada. Venture capital is an essential part of economic diversification and business startup development. The Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are used for comparative purposes to add context to Nevada’s venture capital ecosystem. The differing nature of venture capital funds in Northern and Southern Nevada is delineated.

Nevada's Plan For Recovery And Resilience, Sri International, Rcg Economics, Brookings Mountain West

Policy Briefs and Reports

The report that follows contains the following components:

• An economic forecast from RCG Economics on the situation expected for Nevada—GDP and employment—in the fall of 2021 (subject to all the present uncertainties faced by Nevada and the country as a whole).
• A series of immediate actions, in which GOED plays a leadership role, to shelter and prepare for recovery key components of Nevada’s economy. The particular focus is on “Main Street” and small and medium sized businesses.
• A set of visionary strategies, firmly grounded in Nevada’s underlying assets, that will accelerate the diversification of the state’s economy and the transition …

Visualizing Vulnerable Jobs In Nevada, Peter Grema, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet summarizes data on Nevada and its metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) from the national report “Visualizing Vulnerable Jobs Across America,” by Marcela Escobari, Natalie Geismar, and Dhruv Gandhi of the Brookings Institution. Data from the original report and accompanying database are used to highlight the total number and share of vulnerable jobs in the Silver State during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Covid-19: Working Parents And Child Care In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet synthesizes data on child-care dependent parents in various Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). This synthesis is based on an original report by Brookings Research Analyst, Nicole Bateman, titled “Working parents are key to COVID-19 recovery.” Additionally, this fact sheet highlights other variables that include the race-ethnic breakdown, education attainment, and federal poverty breakdown for child-care dependent parents.

The Las Vegas Medical District And The Unlv School Of Medicine: An Economic Analysis And Tax Revenue Study, Jaewon Lim, Robert E. Lang, Sabrina Wang

Policy Briefs and Reports

In the 2011 report, “Unify, Regionalize, Diversify,” The Brookings Institution, SRI International, and Brookings Mountain West detailed Las Vegas’s experiences during and after the Great Recession, and identified the health and medical industry as a particularly potent opportunity for economic diversification – one that could improve health outcomes while also generating sustainable economic activity and high-quality jobs. The Las Vegas Metro medical industry began growing in 2006, grew during the Great Recession, and is expected to continue to grow for the next 10-year period spurred by the rapidly growing population in Southern Nevada. The establishment and launch of the UNLV …

The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Rebuilding The Las Vegas Economy, Jaewon Lim

Policy Briefs and Reports

This study analyzes the recent trends of monthly visitors to the Las Vegas-ParadiseHenderson, NV metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the first five months of 2020. In addition, six scenarios for the seven-month period of June through December 2020 estimate the net loss of visitors to Southern Nevada and the impact for the state economy in terms of employment, income, the total value added (contribution to Gross State Product), output sales, and state and local tax revenues. The counter-factual scenario – projecting the regional economy if no COVID-19 outbreak occurred – serves as a baseline scenario that allows measurement of the …

Covid-19: Nevada Counties With Low-Income Job Loss, Katie M. Gilbertson, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

The purpose of this fact sheet is to highlight low-income job loss due to COVID-19 in Nevada’s 17 counties. This fact sheet features data originally reported by the Urban Institute in the publication, “Where Low-Income Jobs are Being Lost to COVID-19,” which highlights data as of June 5, 2020.

Geography Of Debt In Nevada Counties, Eshaan Vakil, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet summarizes and expands on the Urban Institute’s Debt in America: An Interactive Map online interactive dataset. The original data source offers statistics on the share of individuals in both white communities and communities of color with debt in collections, as well as the median value of this debt. The dataset further itemizes this information by medical, student loan, and automobile debt organized within counties and states. Data are presented for white communities and communities of color in Nevada’s most populous counties: Clark and Washoe.

Covid-19: Payment Protection Program (Ppp) Loan Impact In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet summarizes the impact of COVID-19 relief loans on small businesses in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Using data reported by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), researchers at Brookings report, “across metro areas, COVID-19 relief loans are helping some places more than others.” This fact sheet explores the geographic distribution of PPP loans in 20 “very large,” “large,” “midsize,” and “small” metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the Mountain West.

Covid-19: Metro Recovery Index In The Mountain West, Vanessa Booth, Katie M. Gilbertson, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession that is developing as a result, researchers at the Brookings Institution created the “Metro Recovery Index dashboard,” an interactive data set that tracks changes in labor, real estate, and other economic indicators for metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. Using data from January – June 2020, this Fact Sheets highlights the impact of the COVID-19 recession on 13 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Minority Owned Businesses In The Southwest Megapolitan Triangle, Yanneli Llamas, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents the potential impact of COVID-19 on minority owned businesses, using data originally published by Brookings researchers Sifan Liu and Joseph Parilla in “Businesses owned by women and minorities have grown. Will COVID-19 undo that?” As noted in the original report, the coronavirus pandemic will shock a variety of industries and communities, but minority-owned businesses are likely to be hardest hit.

Transportation Affordability In The Mountain West, Saha Salahi, Kelliann Beavers, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This Fact Sheet highlights “The Most and Least Affordable Cities For Public Transit” in the Mountain West. Extracting from Paul Reynolds’ analysis of over 70 transit system across the United States from 2014 to 2015, this fact sheet focuses on data for the 7 municipalities in the Mountain West: Albuquerque, NM; Ogden, UT; Boulder, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and Denver, CO.

Covid 19: Unemployment Claims In The Mountain West, Katie M. Gilbertson, Madison Frazee-Bench, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

The purpose of this fact sheet is to highlight the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on unemployment claims in the Mountain West region. This fact sheet presents data gathered from Opportunity Insights and provides unemployment claims data for five Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) as of May 9, 2020.

Covid-19: The Impact On Young, Low-Wage Workers Without College Degrees, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights select data from the Brookings Institution report “We can’t recover from coronavirus recession without helping young workers” released May 7, 2020 by Martha Ross and Nicole Bateman. In the context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the report includes data on the long-term, near-term, and immediate-term risk for occupations held by young workers without college credentials. This Fact Sheet focuses on data pertaining to the employment demography of young workers without a college degree in Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).

Neighborhood Change In Las Vegas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This Fact Sheet analyzes indicators of demographic and economic change in Las Vegas neighborhoods and suburbs, provided by “American Neighborhood Change in the 21st Century,” a study published by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity (IMO) at the Minnesota Law School. Researchers reviewed data from the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) for the top 50 largest metros in the U.S. The study reports levels of neighborhood change, including economic growth, poverty concentration, gentrification, and low-income displacement. Data pertaining to the Las Vegas metropolitan region are synthesized to measure indicators of economic viability and housing availability.

Metro Monitor 2020: Las Vegas & Reno, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet presents changes in indicators of economic health for the State of Nevada using data provided by the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor analysis. Looking beyond gross domestic product (GDP) and job growth, researchers at Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program measure various indicators of economic well-being across 192 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for a 1-year period (from 2017-2018) and a 10-year period (from 2008-2018). Metro areas are classified by size: midsized metros (with populations between 250,000 and 500,000), large metros (with populations between 500,000 and 1 million), and very large metros (with populations over 1 million). For the purpose of …

Covid-19: The Impact On Small Businesses In Nevada, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet presents data on the number of small businesses (fewer than 250 employees) considered at risk due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The data collected originates from the Brookings Institution, and reports the economic effect of COVID-19 on small businesses in states and counties throughout the nation. Understanding this data can help policymakers and business owners alike make strategic decisions about navigating this crisis. This Fact Sheet focuses specifically on the State of Nevada and its 17 counties.

Covid-19: Economic Recovery, Twitter, And Public Perception Of Las Vegas, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet analyzes responses posted on Twitter following an interview conducted by CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, who interviewed Carolyn Goodman, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, concerning the re-opening of the Las Vegas economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Covid-19: Projected Job Loss In Mountain West States, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights Mountain West data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report titled, “States are projected to lose more jobs due to the coronavirus: 14 million jobs could be lost by summer.” The original data source provides figures on the estimated job loss from private sector employment in retail, leisure, and hospitality. This Fact Sheet examines the data for large metropolitan Mountain West states (including Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) with projected job loss in the coming months due to the coronavirus.

Migration Of Millennials And Seniors In The Mountain West, Ashley Leclair, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Demography

This Fact Sheet examines trends in intraregional migration of millennials and seniors since the Great Recession, with a focus on the Mountain West. The data presented were originally published in a report by the Brookings Institution, titled “How migration of millennials and seniors has shifted since the Great Recession.”

How Startups Help Cities Measure Their Economic Development Frontier, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet provides data on the ability of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West to foster innovative and technology-driven industries, utilizing information presented by the Brookings Institution report, “How startups help cities measure their economic development frontier."

Job Density In The Mountain West, Ember Smith, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights the job density patterns in large metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West states (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado) using the findings of Where Jobs are Concentrating and Why it Matters to Cities and Regions, a report by Chad Shearer, Jennifer S. Vey, and Joanne Kim of the Brookings Institution.