Economy Tracker
Current Edition
The new Economy Tracker is a quarterly publication covering economic and business trends in the region. The Sordoni Family Foundation is the Signature Underwriter.
Visit The Institute’s You Tube Channel for video economic briefings.
Spring 2024
The first quarter 2024 edition is a deep dive on recent data on household income and earnings. The report also features the latest unemployment and labor force statistics.
Past Editions
Winter 2023
The fourth quarter 2023 edition is a deep dive on recent data on household income and earnings. The report also features the latest unemployment and labor force statistics.
Fall 2023
The third quarter 2023 edition includes articles on cost of living, economic cluster analysis, and earnings. The report also features the latest unemployment and labor force statistics.
Summer 2023
The second quarter 2023 edition includes articles on housing affordability, the workforce pipeline, and regional exports. As usual, the report also features the latest unemployment and labor force statistics.
Spring 2023
The first quarter 2023 edition includes articles on supply and demand in the health care workforce, regional commuting trends and labor sheds, and recent cost of living data.
Fall 2022
The Fall 2022 edition includes articles on household income, the rising cost of rent in Northeast PA, the state of the retail industry, and trends in college-going rates. As usual, the report also features the latest unemployment and labor force statistics.
Spring 2022
The Spring 2022 edition includes articles on households’ financial outlook, the effects of the pandemic on family caregivers, data on fixed-income households, plus the latest wage trends, industry data, and labor market updates.
Winter 2022
The Winter 2022 edition includes articles on The Great Resignation, supply chain challenges facing small businesses, and worker absences due to lack of child care, plus regional cost of living data and the latest labor market updates.
Fall 2021
The Fall 2021 Economy Tracker examines workforce challenges, including articles on long-term job demand and how the current job market creates opportunities for recent graduates. Also featured is an analysis of the importance of infrastructure jobs in the regional economy and the latest data on the labor market.
Summer 2021
The Summer 2021 edition of the Tracker covers information from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey that discusses how people are catching on their financial situation after COVID and an analysis of PPP funding approved in the region. Another major feature is a story about the housing wage – how much money do you need to earn to afford a home in NEPA? The results may surprise you. An updated labor market profile is also included.
Spring 2021
The spring issue of the Economy Tracker reviews rising home values, vaccination progress, financial stability and food security as a result of COVID and job postings and wage growth.
Winter 2021
This issue covers how COVID has affected financial stability and food security. Further, this issue covers the disproportionate negative disruption on entertainment and recreation – a major economic impact generator for the region. Finally, labor market data and female share of employment related to wage growth are also featured.
Fall 2020
The fall edition of the Tracker provides updates on the impact of COVID on a variety of sectors in our region including health systems, public education, business & industry and the workforce.
Past Economy Tracker Editions
| Date | Title | Button Link | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 - Jan | Small Business Impact: Vital Contributions to Regional Economy | View Report | The significant role of small businesses in the economy - locally, regionally, and nationally- cannot be ignored. |
| 2015 - Apr | High Education Careers Associated with Lower Unemployment in NEPA | View Report | In 2014, a total of 240,956 people were employed and 18,184 were unemployed in the Luzerne and Lacka- wanna counties. |
| 2015 - Jul | Internet Infrastructure in Lackawanna & Luzerne Could be an Asset to Economic Growth | View Report | In todayâs interconnected society, the internet has become an essential part of everyday life. |
| 2015 - Oct | Small Businesses Making Big Contributions to Regional Economy | View Report | It is commonly understood that small businesses play a vital role in our economy at the local, regional, and na- tional scales. |
| 2016 - Jan | Region Progressing in Increasing Educated Workforce â Efforts Critical to NEPAâs Economic Success | View Report | In order for a region to re- main economically competi- tive, it must be able to re- tain educated and skilled workers. |
| 2016 - Apr | Manufacturing Remains an Important Part of NEPA Economy and has Unique Potential | View Report | When discussing the re- gionâs economy, a common- ly held belief is that manu- facturing is in a terminal decline. |
| 2016 - Jul | The Institute Releases Research on Economic Indicators, Financial Literacy | View Report | On May 12th, The Institute held its annual Indicators Forum at Mohegan Sun Po- cono. There were over 140 in attendance representing government, business, higher education, and non- profit organizations in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. |
| 2016 - Oct | Small Business Data Highlights Their Contribution to Region | View Report | The economy of Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties is largely built upon and thrives off of the impact of small, local businesses. |
| 2017 - Jan | Underemployed NEPA Workers Still Face Economic Struggles | View Report | On the surface, Americaâs unemployment crisis ap- pears to be on the wane. |
| 2017 - Apr | NEPAâs Retail Sector Shows Mixed Outlook Amid Nationwide Uncertainty | View Report | The retail industry sector employs over 31,000 workers in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties, representing about 12 percent of total employment. |
| 2017 - Jul | Migration TrendsâPeople Moving In and Out of Northeastern PA | View Report | The rapidly changing economy of the 21st century has resulted in a high level of migration among the American population. |
| 2017 - Oct | Migration Trends: County to County Population Changes | View Report | In the summer 2017 edition of The Instituteâs Quarterly Economy Tracker, data was presented on state to state migration trends. |
| 2018 - Apr | How Does Occupation Growth in the Region Compare to Other Metro Areas? | View Report | Data on growth for broad and detailed occupation categories was collected for 2014 and 2017 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for several Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in Pennsylvania as well as the Commonwealth as a whole. |
| 2018 - Jan | Small Business Impact: Vital Contributions to Regional Economy | View Report | The significant role of small businesses in the economy - locally, regionally, and nationally- cannot be ignored. |
| 2018 - Jan | Small Business Impact: Vital Contributions to Regional Economy | View Report | The significant role of small businesses in the economy - locally, regionally, and nationally- cannot be ignored. |
| 2018 - Jul | Jobs of the Future: Key Industry Workforce Projections | View Report | In the Spring 2018 edition of the Quarterly Economy Tracker, data was presented on regional occupation growth compared to other regions in Pennsylvania. |
| 2018 - Oct | Amid Workforce Shortage, Are Wages Growing? | View Report | Nationwide and in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the labor market has tightened considerably in recent years. |
| 2019 - Apr | Economic Impact of Tourism & Travel | View Report | In Northeastern Pennsylvania, tourism supports a wide variety of industries including hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, transportation businesses. |
| 2019 - Jan | In PA, One in Five Adults Has Student Debt | View Report | Student loan debt has become a key factor shaping the personal finances of millions of Americans. |
| 2019 - Jul | Business Vacancy: Challenges and Opportunities | View Report | Vacant storefronts, offices, and industrial buildings are a reality in virtually every community. |
| 2019 - Oct | Health Status and Economic Implications | View Report | The environments in which people live, learn, work, and play can impact the health of individuals and populations. |
| 2020 - Apr | Closures Could Impact 90,000 Workers in Non-Life-Sustaining Industries | View Report | Since the beginning of the statewide shutdown of non-life-sustaining businesses, there has been an unprecedented economic disruption that has left thousands of workers unemployed and negatively affected the bottom line of businesses of almost all sizes and types. |
| 2020 - Jan | Women & Minority Owned Business Trends | View Report | Though women constitute just over half the country and Pennsylvania populations, women are the majority owners of one-fifth or fewer of the businesses in both geographies. |
| 2020 - Jul | Survey of Businesses Reveals COVID Challenges | View Report | The Institute conducted a survey of business owners and managers with the partnership of regional Chambers of Commerce in order to learn more about the challenges facing businesses and adaptions they are making. |
| 2020 - Oct | Impact of COVID-19 on Workforce Demographics | View Report | While the nation seeks to recover from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an analysis of unemployment claims data indicates certain segments, including women, younger workers, and some minority groups have been disproportionately impacted by job losses. |
| 2021 - Dec | Workforce Challenges Create Opportunity for the Post-Secondary Population | View Report | Currently, more than 10 million job vacancies are spread across all industry sectors in the United States. In conjunction, a record proportion of companies are raising pay in order to attract staff. |
| 2021 - Feb | Covid has affected financial stability and food security for many. | View Report | Across the region and the Commonwealth, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread economic disruption. |
| 2021 - May | Rising home values suggests strong migration into NEPA | View Report | Anecdotal reports from real estate professionals have indicated strong demand for homes and rising home prices. Data confirms a rise in home prices in Northeastern Pennsylvania during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may indicate a trend of increased migration: more people moving into the region. |
| 2021 - Sep | What is the wage needed to afford housing in Northeastern Pennsylvania? | View Report | Northeastern Pennsylvania is touted as an area with affordable housing and a moderate cost of living, but what does that really mean for the regionâs low-wage workers? |
Sarah, a former Institute intern, joined The Institute in April 2021 as a Research Assistant. She started her new role as a Research Analyst in January 2024. 
Jill Avery-Stoss joined The Institute in June 2018 to fill the newly-created role of Research, Data, Intern & Administrative Coordinator. She assists with the collection and management of data for purposes of ethical and efficient analysis. She visits partner campuses to market The Institute’s internship opportunities, and participates in event-planning logistical activities as well. In 2021, Jill was promoted to Director of Operations to reflect the diversity in her job description and the additional marketing and communication functions she successfully mastered in 2020. In 2022, Jill was named Chief Operating Officer after expanding into both research and administrative management functions. Jill is taking on project management, fundraising, and other executive leadership functions of the organization.
Ooms is responsible for all facets of research, organizational strategy, and management. Ooms is an active principal investigator in all Institute research. Ooms has been nationally recognized as a leader in regional economic development. She turned that skill into a research institute to help other regions develop and prosper. Her strategic skills have allowed The Institute to expand its services to the private and non-profit sectors for research and analysis in community health needs assessments, strategic planning, market and feasibility studies, and economic impact analysis.