This reminds me of being a reporter and writing about opposition to new apartments from neighbors. I still recall a neighbor saying they didn't want renters moving in. I was an owner then but had to wonder if I was somehow scum when I was a renter the year before www.startribune.com/blaine-adu-a...

I'm researching unlicensed child care (e.g., grandmas). One reason it's common is lack of affordable/available licensed care, esp. for infants. Found this chart in CPS data via @ipums.bsky.social. Most paid care is licensed care. As kids age, care gets less costly and easier. Then schools take them.

A child care person I interviewed told me today that more children are cared for by family, friends, neighbors, in part, because we're seeing more young children with mental health issues. Licensed providers can't give them individual attention they need so parents turn to Grandma.

New: Article by Mike Waugh and Jeff Horwich @minneapolisfed.bsky.social looks at potential job losses and impacts of trade war w/ China based on 2018-2019 experience and related research of that prior episode. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2025...

There appears to be renewed interest in banning foreign adversaries from owning US farmland. For those interested, here's a primer I wrote a year ago about the topic. Bottom line, foreigners don't own as much as you might think, and adversaries own way less. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

Tariff Impacts: Delayed or Avoided? New essay this morning by @minneapolisfed.bsky.social President Neel Kashkari where he lays out his argument for potentially two rate cuts in 2025. #econsky www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2025...

We surveyed nonprofits in Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota and found that funding has become very challenging. It's no surprise that federal funding is less available but so is private funding. My article explains why: www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2025...

Health inequality is important for understanding economic outcomes, Karen Kopecky recognizes, and not only for the individuals with health vulnerabilities but for those around them as well. Scholar spotlight from @minneapolisfed.bsky.social's @tuuyentran.bsky.social: bit.ly/3EtXUWw

Join us TOMORROW for the 2025 Regional Economic Conditions Conference. This virtual event will feature CHS President Jay Debertin in conversation with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari. Event will also include panel discussions w/ reps from across our region. To register: t.co/we2b8unJRM

The child care business model has been described as "broken," implying the market isn't working as well as hoped. So I was interested to learn at a recent First Children's Finance conference about market interventions by local govts in rural MN. 1/13

Foreigners have bought more forest land in Michigan's Upper Peninsula: www.mlive.com/public-inter... Is that a bad thing? 1/2

One of the polls at @MinneapolisFed's MN State Fair booth asked what people valued most in a job other than pay. It's amazing how many people chose "work-life balance." That's answer D in the photo. I asked people why. More below. 1/13

One of my colleagues mentioned that the railroad bridge between Ranier MN and Fort Frances ON was closed because of some damage. Turns out that's a pretty important bridge! 1/3

I've been absolutely obsessed with NOAA's "billion-dollar" disaster page mostly because the increase in the number of such disasters has been so large. Here's a chart to start with before I do a nerd dive into the numbers. Dark blue are Ninth District states. 1/10

I'm looking into rising insurance premiums and found this @ConsumerFed chart that shows the % of homeowners who are uninsured. The group says affordability is a key factor. You can see that a lot of Ninth District states (dark blue) are above the national avg. 1/7

I'm doing some research on home insurance rates and stumbled on some statistics for billion dollar disasters. Thought it might make a cool chart. Kind of surprising how SD and MN to a lesser extent have been hammered in recent years. 1/x

In Minneapolis Fed/First Children's Finance's recent survey of MN child care providers (tinyurl.com/4rsx8uxc), many complained that MN's child-teacher ratio is too low given the changing child care market. Here's how we compare w/ other states. 1/7

Following up on my previous post about the condition of high hazard dams. Here's a chart that shows the share of dams in need of repairs (unsatisfactory/poor) condition by states in the Ninth District compared to the US. ND SD MT are all higher than US average.

Initial news reports about the partial breaching of Rapidan Dam near Mankato MN described it as a "high hazard" dam. Pretty scary. So I started thinking: where are all the high hazard dams? Here: www.google.com/maps/d/edit?... 1/11

"It feels like remote work is toothpaste that you can’t just push back into the tube." Love this quote my colleague Haley Chinander got. Her data shows how common remote/hybrid work is despite employers' preference for in-office work. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

Good story on reforms to MN child care regulations. www.mprnews.org/story/2024/0...

In Minneapolis Fed/First Children's Finance's recent survey of MN child care providers (tinyurl.com/4rsx8uxc), many complained that MN's child-teacher ratio is too low given the changing child care market. Here's how we compare w/ other states. 1/7

The Strib had a nice writeup on the Minneapolis Fed's and FCF's child care webinar yesterday (www.startribune.com/minnesota-ch...). I was quoted (accurately) but thought I'd share more. What I meant to say was "The life my family enjoys is not possible without child care providers." 1/x

The costs of so many things are way up. The cost of child care not so much. Why? As a recent @MinneapolisFed and @1stchildrens survey of MN child care providers found, providers are really reluctant to raise rates (learn more here www.minneapolisfed.org/events/2024/...). 1/x

One of the things @MinneapolisFed's and @1stchildrens' survey of MN child care providers found was that many are competing with public schools for preschoolers and it's hurting some. Here's a quote encapsulating that (Hear more at our 4/15 webinar www.minneapolisfed.org/events/2024/...). 1/6

Just a reminder of Minneapolis Fed's and First Children's Finance's upcoming webinar on the health of MN's child care sector. Here's one of many many voices we heard from our recent survey. (Link to webinar registration: www.minneapolisfed.org/events/2024/...)

I saw a map recently that shows unemployment by metro areas, and that made me wonder how unemployment has affected wage growth. Here's a version of the map I saw. The colors go from worst or highest (dark yellow) to best or lowest (dark blue). 1/8

With many states restricting real estate investment by citizens of countries the U.S. doesn't get along with, I decided to analyze what kinds of laws there are and just how much of America is owned by China, Russia, and Iran. Not that much as it turns out. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

Minneapolis Fed and our partners at First Children's Finance are doing our annual webinar on the health of Minnesota's child care industry 12 p.m. April 15 and I get to run it this year. So don't forget to register! www.minneapolisfed.org/events/2024/...

U.S. ag exports were down last year, especially commodities important to Ninth District farmers. What happened? One reason is 2022 was such a big year it was hard to match. But the other is the U.S. is losing its edge against rivals like Brazil. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

The Strib said recently that homes in half of Twin Cities communities are unaffordable for median households (link later). I wondered how we compare to others? Here's a map using the Realtors' 2022 data. Red, orange are unaffordable. www.google.com/maps/d/edit?... 1/10

U.S. ag exports were down last year, especially commodities important to Ninth District farmers. What happened? One reason is 2022 was such a big year it was hard to match. But the other is the U.S. is losing its edge against rivals like Brazil. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

Sorry to see a child care center close but as the article notes and I've found to be true, it's just really hard for a business that isn't primarily in the child care business to offer on-site child care. www.startribune.com/daycare-chil...

Amtrak is proposing new routes through the Ninth District, including in areas that haven't had train service for quite a while, such as southern ND/MT and all of SD. That made me wonder what's ridership like currently? Note, "alighting" means getting off a train. 1/10

Most parts of the Ninth District is agricultural in nature and if you live in those places, like I used to, you might wonder just how important ag is. Here's one answer that I found while working on an ag export story. 1/x

My daughter's math assignment the other day involved making a chart. I was so stoked when I was asked to help. We talked about how to scale the y axis and picking appropriate colors. My baby's first chart!

Looks like U of M is gonna buy some Fairview facilities by end of '27.

It's Girl Scout cookie season again in the Twin Cities, and my little darling is learning how to be an entrepreneur. If you have the demand, she has the supply: digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/winnie...

Canadians tourism and other travel is back to normal in Canada but they're not visiting the Ninth District as much as before. I try to explain why in my story. But the tl;dr is it's probably inflation. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

A 24-hour child care center is a pretty big deal because it opens up more job opportunities for working parents. It would be interesting to know the barriers preventing other providers from doing the same. Market? Labor costs? www.inforum.com/news/fargo/f...

Great article about how to screw up with spreadsheets. I'm always reviewing spreadsheets for anomalies. I do occasionally find errors but it makes my skin crawl to think of the errors I don't find. arstechnica.com/science/2024...

My friend Joe is hosting a webinar on results of the Minneapolis Fed's survey of manufacturers. It's Feb. 2. but sign up now. www.minneapolisfed.org/events/2024/...

What did I learn at the Minneapolis Fed's Regional Economic Conditions Conference? Labor shortages will be with us a while and making each worker more productive will be key to growth. www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024...

I saw an interesting chart recently at the Minneapolis Fed's Regional Economic Conditions Conference (tinyurl.com/recc2024). When people say "nobody wants to work anymore" this is the chart you show them. 1/12

I'm constantly reminded that statistics lie and here's the latest reminder. In a recent 12-mo period, 161k Canadians re-entered Canada in tiny Baudette, MN. That's 8x the population of the Canadian district just on the other side. I assumed they went shopping in Baudette. 1/18

Heads up! Minneapolis Fed is hosting another Regional Economic Conditions Conference next Friday featuring MA Mortenson Co. Chairman David Mortenson. More here: www.minneapolisfed.org/events/2024/...