Economics Blogs & Reports

  • NJ Education & Tax Rates

Property Tax Rates and Quality of K-12 Education in New Jersey Communities

January 17th, 2023|Comments Off on Property Tax Rates and Quality of K-12 Education in New Jersey Communities

by James Barnett New Jersey is consistent in featuring at the top of the ranks for two different variables: effective real estate property tax rates and quality of K-12 education services.[1][2] These, unsurprisingly to most [...]

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‘Tis the Season: An Inflationary Lamentation

December 5th, 2022|Comments Off on ‘Tis the Season: An Inflationary Lamentation

By Michael L. Lahr, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/Econ™) Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, but all reports are not yet in. Adobe Analytics reports that online sales on Black Friday hit a new [...]

  • Factors of a Recession

What’s a Fed to Do? The Potential Factors of a Recession, Part 2

October 10th, 2022|Comments Off on What’s a Fed to Do? The Potential Factors of a Recession, Part 2

By Michael L. Lahr. As detailed in our previous blog, there are several factors at play in the U.S. economy which may influence the likelihood of a recession. We discussed the Federal Reserve’s decision

  • Inflation Recession Federal Reserve

What’s a Fed to Do? The Potential Factors of a Recession, Part 1

October 6th, 2022|Comments Off on What’s a Fed to Do? The Potential Factors of a Recession, Part 1

By Michael L. Lahr, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON™). It’s a tough time to be Jerome Powell. The Federal Reserve Board’s two primary responsibilities are to assure price stability and growth within the U.S. economy, and Jerome Powell is its Chair. As we are painfully aware, prices have been less than stable [...]

  • Adjusted Intercounty Equalized Municipal Tax Rates in New Jersey, 2020

What Influences Differences in New Jersey’s Municipal Tax Rates?

September 12th, 2022|Comments Off on What Influences Differences in New Jersey’s Municipal Tax Rates?

by Michael Lahr, Tia Azzi, and Maia de la Calle, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service It is vital for New Jersey policymakers to understand what affects municipal tax rates. In this brief, we analyze local government [...]

Does the Decision to Allow Local Cannabis-Related Businesses Impact Home Sale Prices?

September 1st, 2022|Comments Off on Does the Decision to Allow Local Cannabis-Related Businesses Impact Home Sale Prices?

by Michael S. Hayes, Associate Professor, Rutgers University-Camden and Prakash Kandel, Ph.D. Student, Rutgers University-Camden During the 2020 general election, New Jersey voters approved a ballot question to amend the state constitution to allow residents [...]

Housing Affordability in New Jersey, 2010-2020

July 11th, 2022|Comments Off on Housing Affordability in New Jersey, 2010-2020

by Maia de la Calle. Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON™) Housing affordability and ownership accessibility The main expense incurred by New Jersey’s residents is shelter or housing.  As of 2019, New Jersey ranked third in [...]

What Types of New Jersey Municipalities Allow Cannabis-Related Businesses?

July 7th, 2022|Comments Off on What Types of New Jersey Municipalities Allow Cannabis-Related Businesses?

by Michael S. Hayes, Ph.D., Rutgers University-Camden During the Election of 2020, New Jersey citizens voted to legalize the consumption, production, and distribution of cannabis products. While New Jersey municipalities cannot prevent citizens from possessing [...]

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Perspectives on Poverty in New Jersey, 2008-2020

June 9th, 2022|Comments Off on Perspectives on Poverty in New Jersey, 2008-2020

Maia de la Calle, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON™) The impact of the pandemic on poverty and inequality continues to be studied at a global and national scale.[1],[2] Although the U.S. Census data have yet [...]

Catalyzing the Information Economy: Moving Towards Strategic Expansions of Open Data-Driven Value Creation

June 1st, 2022|Comments Off on Catalyzing the Information Economy: Moving Towards Strategic Expansions of Open Data-Driven Value Creation

by Shiya John, Snigdha Mishra and Jim Samuel Open data is expected to influence trillions of dollars in global value creation by 2030, as projected by McKinsey Global Institute: “The boost to the economy from [...]

Guilt Tipping and the Inflated Default Tip

May 5th, 2022|Comments Off on Guilt Tipping and the Inflated Default Tip

By Michael L. Lahr, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/Econ™) In a recent article, New York Times reporter Christina Morales writes about the spread of “tipping fatigue,” noting how electronic screens now recommend tips as high [...]

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New Jersey’s Single-Family Housing Markets by County 2021

March 31st, 2022|Comments Off on New Jersey’s Single-Family Housing Markets by County 2021

Naheed Azhar and Michael L. Lahr, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/Econ™) As the count of listings and asking prices flattened,[i] realtors and creditors predicted a rise in foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies as people were laid [...]

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An Early 2022 Inflation Update for New Jersey

March 7th, 2022|Comments Off on An Early 2022 Inflation Update for New Jersey

Michael Lahr, R/Econ™ In terms of both crude oil and natural gas production, Russia is second only to the United States worldwide. Moreover, about 8% of U.S. petroleum imports are from Russia.[1] For Europe, that share [...]

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New Jersey Intercounty Migration Trends, 2018-2019

February 4th, 2022|Comments Off on New Jersey Intercounty Migration Trends, 2018-2019

by Tia Azzi and Michael Lahr, R/Econ™ The latest report from R/Econ™ examines the migration trends across counties within New Jersey between 2018 and 2019. This report uses Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data, rather than [...]

Which Sector is Leading New Jersey’s Pandemic Recovery?

November 30th, 2021|Comments Off on Which Sector is Leading New Jersey’s Pandemic Recovery?

November 30, 2021 Maia de la Calle, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON™) In the past few weeks, discussions on the “Great Resignation” and labor shortages have permeated news cycles. These phenomena, characterized by (1) [...]

NJ Inflation and You, Imperfect Together?

November 15th, 2021|Comments Off on NJ Inflation and You, Imperfect Together?

Michael L. Lahr, R/ECONTM November 15, 2021 Inflation has found its way to the front pages of newspapers for the first time in decades.  From New Jersey’s perspective though, national reports of inflation are greater [...]

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U.S. Census: How are States Impacted Financially

September 30th, 2021|Comments Off on U.S. Census: How are States Impacted Financially

Amal Muse Every decade, across the United States, the federal government collects comprehensive data on every individual based on basic population characteristics including age, sex, marital status, household composition, family characteristics, and household size. [...]

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The Post-Pandemic Economy: The Nation and New Jersey with a Focus on the Public Sector

September 24th, 2021|Comments Off on The Post-Pandemic Economy: The Nation and New Jersey with a Focus on the Public Sector

Jennifer Spiegel & Michael Lahr, Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON™) The short-term prospects for the state’s economy remain quite exuberant. This is despite the arrival of the delta variant of COVID-19 in July 2021, [...]

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How States Can Improve Unemployment Insurance during the Pandemic

September 16th, 2021|Comments Off on How States Can Improve Unemployment Insurance during the Pandemic

Jennifer Spiegel The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn has brought about record job losses and the highest number of new unemployment claims since 1982. In mid-March 2020, new unemployment claims nationwide totaled [...]