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Growth, recession, the transition of Idaho’s economy, and the effects of change on Idahoans.

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June 21, 2012

Idaho Spends Less On Public School Students Than 48 Other States

Idaho spent $3,500 less than average on each public school student in fiscal year 2010 according to new Census data released today. On average, public school systems across the U.S. spent $10,615 per student, while Idaho spent $7,106 from 2009-2010. That puts Idaho among states spending the least on elementary and secondary public school kids. […]

June 20, 2012

Why Investment Smoothing Makes Idaho’s Pension System Look Good

Idaho’s public employee pension system gap continues to shrink. As we reported yesterday, a Pew Center on the States Report compared each state’s pension system in 2010.  Many states, including Idaho, took a big hit when the financial markets crashed in 2008, resulting in staggering investment losses. Idaho is making a quicker comeback than many […]

June 19, 2012

Report: Idaho’s Pension System Fares Better Than Most

Idaho is faring better than many states when it comes to funding its public employee pension and retiree health care systems. A Pew Center on the States study on the widening gap between states’ assets and their obligation to fund pension systems ranks Idaho in the “needs improvement” and “solid performer” categories.  Most states — […]

June 15, 2012

Essential StateImpact: Top Five Posts Of The Week (According To You)

Each Friday we take a look back at the five posts that got the most views, comments and shares over the week.  Let us know what you think! Outdoor Recreation An “Overlooked Economic Giant” Jobless In Idaho: Short-Term Work Is A Short-Term Fix Idaho Awaits Outcome Of Health Insurance Exchange Bet More Idahoans Will Be […]

Idaho’s May Jobless Rate Goes Up, Ends 9 Straight Months Of Decline

Mirroring the national jobless rate increase, Idaho’s unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point last month, ending a nine-month decline in the economic measure. Idaho’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate ticked up to 7.8 percent in May, from 7.7 percent in April. Idaho is among 18 states where the jobless rate went up in May, […]

June 11, 2012

Recession Set Families Back Decades, Fed Survey Shows

The Federal Reserve dropped a sobering statistic on the American public today: 40 percent.  That’s the proportion of median net worth families lost from 2007 to 2010.  The Wall Street Journal pulls no punches in describing the number’s significance: “The data released Monday are the real, step-back deal. In 2010, the median net worth of […]

As Family Income Drops, Idahoans Fare Better Than Most

At a time when economic news appears to come in two forms, “grim” and “grimmer,” this opening line from an article in today’s New York Times is especially bleak.  Binyamin Appelbaum writes: “The recent financial crisis left the median American family in 2010 with no more wealth than they had in the early 1990s, erasing […]

June 8, 2012

Essential StateImpact: Top Five Posts Of The Week (According To You)

Each week we look back at the five posts that got the most clicks, comments and shares.  Drum roll, please! Investors And New Homebuyers Square Off In Boise’s Fierce Housing Market Why Being Called A ‘Boomtown’ Isn’t Good For Boise Airstream Dealership Signals Upswing In Idaho’s Economy Idaho Recovers, Sort Of Boise Mayor Spotlights Refugees’ Welfare

June 5, 2012

Idaho Recovers, Sort Of

By one measure, Idaho’s economy has regained the ground it lost in the recession. The state’s real gross state product (translation: the total value of all goods and services produced in Idaho, corrected for inflation) was greater in 2011 than it was in 2007.  That’s according to the Idaho Department of Labor.

June 4, 2012

Why Being Called A ‘Boomtown’ Isn’t Good For Boise

Boise’s local NBC affiliate, KTVB, reported on a handful of recent rankings that put Idaho’s biggest city among those whose housing markets are making a come-back. The TV station (and one of the recent rankings) use the term “boomtown” to describe what’s going on with Boise real estate. By definition, Boise isn’t a boomtown.  At best, […]

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