February 20, 2025
Manufacturing Myth 2: U.S. Manufacturing Jobs Were Lost Solely to Productivity, Not Trade
There is no doubt that U.S. manufacturing has historically had a more prominent role in driving American prosperity, yet the cause of its relative decline is often misunderstood. A proper framework for discerning the sector’s past challenges is essential to understanding the future of American manufacturing and its continuing opportunity to contribute to regional prosperity.
January 28, 2025
The 2025 Economic Outlook
Will the U.S. economy show the same resilience it did in 2024? There are signs of a slowdown ahead for microeconomies across the U.S., but data indicate that GDP will grow in every one of the country’s 150 largest Extended Metropolitan Areas. Find out what we expect to see this year in job creation, consumer spending, the housing market and more. A key question: What will the impact of new federal policies be?
November 26, 2024
Manufacturing Myth 1: Manufacturing Doesn’t Fit in a Forward-Looking Economy
Audiences of the Empowering American Cities project are sometimes surprised at the weight we place on the Manufacturing sector. That’s because the pervasive public narrative about U.S. manufacturing is largely untrue. As believers in the potential of manufacturing, we challenge the myths that have led many to overlook the sector's value and its opportunity to contribute to a regional economy's prosperity.
November 11, 2024
What Powers Local Economic Engines
Embedded Local Growth Characteristics (ELGC) measures how specific elements drive regional economic growth. ELGC is a composite indicator that includes productivity, industry mix and demographic shifts. Having favorable growth characteristics is like a car’s engine that has more cylinders: it can generate more power with the same amount of fuel. ELGC analysis can help identify ways to improve the engine’s performance.
