Economic development

Wichita jobs and employment, February 2021
13
Apr
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, February 2021

For the Wichita metropolitan area in February 2021, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend is more positive. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for February 2021. Click charts and tables for larger versions. Total nonfarm employment fell from 306,700 in February 2020 to 282,300 in February 2021, a loss…
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Wichita jobs and employment, January 2021
19
Mar
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, January 2021

For the Wichita metropolitan area in January 2021, the number of unemployed persons is down, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend is positive. Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for January 2021. Click charts and tables for larger versions. Total nonfarm employment fell from 306,200 in January 2020 to 283,100 in January 2021, a loss…
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Naftzger Park event management agreement still ambiguous
21
Feb
By Bob Weeks

Naftzger Park event management agreement still ambiguous

This week the Wichita City Council will update an agreement from last year, but it appears important issues were not addressed. Last February the City of Wichita approved an agreement with a local business to manage events at Naftzger Park. With the pandemic upending public events, the business -- Wave Old Town, LLC -- was unable to program any events. Therefore, the city wants to add additional time to the agreement. During the delay, the city could have addressed problems with the original agreement. Some problems concern the bidding process. My concern was the uncertainty in the profit-sharing agreement, which…
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Wichita jobs and employment, December 2020
03
Feb
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, December 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in December 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend, however, is mixed. (more…)
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Wichita jobs and employment, November 2020
05
Jan
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, November 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in November 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down, all by large amounts, when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend, however, is mixed. (more…)
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Downtown Wichita population is up
10
Dec
By Bob Weeks

Downtown Wichita population is up

New Census Bureau data shows the downtown Wichita population growing in 2019. Data released today by the United States Census Bureau shows the estimated population for zip code 67202 in 2019 was 1,751, an increase of 80 from the prior year. Zip code 67202 is greater downtown Wichita, from the Arkansas River east to Washington, and Kellogg north to Central, roughly. The source of this data is U.S. Census Bureau, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. This is not the Bureau's estimate of the population in 2019. This is because for areas of population less than 65,000, the Bureau does…
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Wichita jobs and employment, October 2020
03
Dec
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, October 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in October 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down, all by large amounts, when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend, however, is positive. Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for October 2020. Click charts and tables for larger versions. Total nonfarm employment fell from 307,600 last October to 295,800 in…
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Wichita jobs and employment, September 2020
28
Oct
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, September 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in September 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down, all by large amounts, when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend, however, is positive, although Wichita is recovering slower than the nation. Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for September 2020. Click charts and tables for larger versions. Total nonfarm employment…
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Wichita jobs and employment, August 2020
30
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, August 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in August 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down, all by large amounts, when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend, however, is positive, although Wichita is recovering slower than the nation. Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for August 2020. Click charts and tables for larger versions. Total nonfarm employment…
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Rethinking the city and the community for a post-pandemic world
13
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Rethinking the city and the community for a post-pandemic world

How has the pandemic affected cities in general and Wichita specifically, and what are implications for the future? Recently Chase M. Billingham, who is Associate Professor of Sociology at Wichita State University, delivered an online lecture titled "Rethinking the city and the community for a post-pandemic world." In the lecture, Billingham covered topics such as the nature of cities and urbanism; how the pandemic has affected cities; how cities have suffered during pandemics throughout modern history, but have also led in innovation, medicine, and research.; COVID-19 will likely accelerate ongoing trends, especially economic trends; the effect of remote working on…
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Swamp refilling itself
08
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Swamp refilling itself

Although there has been progress, cronyism and the swamp may be renewed in Washington. Right under the nose of a president who promised to drain the swamp, one of the government’s shadiest handouts to large banks and big companies looks like it will be renewed for another 25 years. It will not get adequate oversight and congressional review. All it will take is the approval of two out of three U.S. Export-Import Bank directors, who are political appointees. That entity is called the Private Export Funding Corporation, or PEFCO. Veronique de Rugy is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus…
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Wichita economic development examined
06
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Wichita economic development examined

"What may look like economic growth on the surface ends up being, upon closer scrutiny, an expensive exercise in the rearrangement of existing business activity." Kansas Policy Institute has released a report examing economic development in Wichita. Titled "Perspectives on Economic Development Incentives and Economic Growth in Wichita," it presents much information specific to Wichita, and specifically two STAR bond districts: Riverwalk and K-96/Greenwich Road. There is also material on economics and economic development in general. The main takeaway, according to KPI, is "... two of Wichita’s leading development projects, driven by economic development incentives, did not improve job creation."…
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Wichita jobs and employment, July 2020
02
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, July 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in July 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down, all by large amounts, when compared to the same month one year ago. The recent trend, however, is positive, and the effects of the pandemic have been less severe for Wichita than for the nation. Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for July 2020. Click charts…
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Economic development incentive to be canceled
24
Aug
By Bob Weeks

Economic development incentive to be canceled

The City of Wichita will consider canceling an economic development incentive for a firm that no longer meets policy requirements. Two years ago the Wichita City Council granted an economic development incentive for a freestanding emergency department in northeast Wichita. The incentive was in the form of property tax relief. The firm would be exempt from paying 88 percent of its property taxes for five years, with the possibility of renewal for another five years. [1. Weeks, Bob. Free standing emergency department about to open in Wichita. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/wichita-government/free-standing-emergency-department-room-open-in-wichita/.] At the time, the city estimated the first-year property tax…
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Wichita aerospace manufacturing concentration
28
Jul
By Bob Weeks

Wichita aerospace manufacturing concentration

Wichita leaders want to diversify the area economy. Has there been progress? In the wake of layoffs at Textron Aviation and Spirit Aerosystems, Wichita's leaders shifted their attention to the need to diversify the Wichita metropolitan area economy. This has been a recognized need for a long time. [1. See, for example: Roe, John. Where To From Here? Surviving The Coming Bad Times Will Require A Direction, Wichita Eagle, February 7, 1993.] Recently the Wichita Eagle published an article addressing this matter. [2. Stringer, Megan. Aviation is key to Wichita. For workers, what does a diversified economy mean? Wichita Eagle,…
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Wichita jobs and employment, May 2020
02
Jul
By Bob Weeks

Wichita jobs and employment, May 2020

For the Wichita metropolitan area in May 2020, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is up, and the number of people working is down, all by large amounts, when compared to the same month one year ago, but improving from April. Data released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows the effects of the response to the pandemic in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area for May 2020. Click charts and tables for larger versions. Total nonfarm employment fell from 307,500 last May to 285,000 in May 2020,…
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Employment in the states
23
Jun
By Bob Weeks

Employment in the states

An interactive visualization of monthly employment in the states by major industry category. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, gathers data about people and jobs. I've gathered some of its data on monthly employment levels in the states and present it in an interactive visualization. The data in this visualization is from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. BLS describes it as "a monthly survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is a federal and state cooperative program that provides employment, hours, and earnings estimates for states and metropolitan areas based…
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