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Joint Economic Committee Democrats Chairman - Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Reports & Issue Briefs

Oct 21 2015

October State-by-State Economic Snapshots

October 2015: includes jobs and unemployment data through September 2015

Click here for the Executive Summary

The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee’s state-by-state economic snapshots provide easy access to the major economic indicators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Key economic statistics for each state include:

  • Private-sector job growth since the recession
  • Unemployment rate changes
  • Average weekly earnings
  • State gross domestic product
  • Home prices
  • Export data

Click here for the full report, including the executive summary, state reports, additional charts and sources.

To view your state's snapshot report, click on the below links:

Click here to view the Post-9/11 and total veterans' unemployment rates by state.

Click here to view income, poverty and health insurance coverage by state.

Click here for a list of sources used to compile the state economic snapshots.

Click here for past state economic snapshot reports

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 The Joint Economic Committee, established under the Employment Act of 1946, was created by Congress to review economic conditions and to analyze the effectiveness of economic policy.

Oct 21 2015

The Economic State of the Latino Community in America

This report examines multiple aspects of the economic state of the Latino community in the United States, including population growth, geographic presence, demographics, educational attainment, employment and earnings, the role of Latinas, wealth and retirement security. Together, these data help paint a portrait of Latinos and their economic prospects for the future.

The good news is that for many, the American dream is alive and well. Hispanics born in this country are more highly educated and earn higher incomes than their immigrant parents. Hispanics outpace all other Americans in forming their own businesses. They will represent fully one third of U.S. population in just 45 years and an economic force of great consequence. But there is bad news as well. Latinas for instance earn just 55 cents for every dollar earned by a non-Hispanic white man and Latinos as a whole lag significantly behind whites in education, income and wealth.

Oct 02 2015

The American Dream on Hold Update: Economic Challenges In the African American Community

African Americans have made significant social and economic progress since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, the black community continues to face enormous challenges. By many of the most important measures of economic well-being, black Americans lag far behind white Americans.

This fact sheet updates key facts from a recent report by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats and includes a state-by-state map showing the gap between black and white unemployment rates.

Sep 24 2015

The Economic Costs of a Government Shutdown

The economy continues to recover from the Great Recession. Businesses have added 13.1 million jobs over a record 66 consecutive months of private-sector job growth. Unemployment has been slashed nearly in half to 5.1 percent from its peak of 10.0 percent. And consumer confidence in 2015 is higher than it’s been at any point since the recession began. While there is more work to be done, substantial progress has been made.

However, a set of critical deadlines this fall could risk a return to the sort of fiscal policy uncertainty that cost the economy nearly 1 million jobs from late 2009 to 2013. 

First, Congress must act to fund the government before October 1 to avoid another shutdown and prevent the negative impact it could have on gross domestic product (GDP), jobs and millions of Americans who depend on federal programs.

Second, if Congress fails to avert a shutdown, it could call into question its ability to avoid the serious economic consequences of not raising the debt ceiling in a timely manner. Highway funding and numerous tax provisions also hang in the balance this fall. The confluence of these key deadlines at a time when there is already increased uncertainty stemming from economic developments abroad adds to the potential for harm.

 

Sep 21 2015

September State-by-State Economic Snapshots

The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee’s state-by-state economic snapshots provide easy access to the major economic indicators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Aug 24 2015

August State-by-State Economic Snapshots

August 2015: includes jobs and unemployment data through July2015

Click here for the Executive Summary

The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee’s state-by-state economic snapshots provide easy access to the major economic indicators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Key economic statistics for each state include:

  • Private-sector job growth since the recession
  • Unemployment rate changes
  • Average weekly earnings
  • State gross domestic product
  • Home prices
  • Export data

Click here for the full report, including the executive summary, state reports, additional charts and sources.

To view your state's snapshot report, click on the below links:

Click here to view the Post-9/11 and total veterans' unemployment rates by state.

Click here for a list of sources used to compile the state economic snapshots.

Click here for past state economic snapshot reports

###

 The Joint Economic Committee, established under the Employment Act of 1946, was created by Congress to review economic conditions and to analyze the effectiveness of economic policy.

Aug 14 2015

80 Years of Social Security

Social Security has for decades been a crucial line of defense against poverty for millions of Americans. The program has succeeded because Congress actively amended Social Security as needed to continue ensuring its viability. Despite critics’ doomsday claims, Social Security has been a towering success. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Labor Secretary Frances Perkins envisioned the program as an opportunity to help Americans earn their own economic stability, and it has done so for 80 years.

Jul 21 2015

The Role of the Export-Import Bank

Congress is currently embroiled in a debate over whether to extend the charter of the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank or Ex-Im), which lapsed at the end of June. As the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States, Ex-Im offers loans, loan guarantees and insurance policies that increase export opportunities for U.S. businesses and support U.S. jobs.
 
Ex-Im’s programs help to fill gaps in private-sector financing and address market failures. For example, private credit can dry up during periods of heightened economic uncertainty, such as during the recent financial crisis. Small businesses may struggle to access private financing even if they are creditworthy. And banks may be reluctant to offer financing for exports to developing countries notwithstanding the long-term benefits opening those new markets could have for the U.S. economy.
 
The Ex-Im Bank also plays a vital role in helping to maintain a level playing field for U.S. exporters facing competition from foreign companies backed by their own ECAs, many of which are more active than the Ex-Im Bank. There are about 85 foreign ECAs that work aggressively to give their home countries’ businesses a leg up on U.S. companies, including in all of the top 10 exporting countries. 

Click here to read the full report

Click here for the Top Ten Reasons for Renewing the U.S. Export-Import Bank

Click here for charts on how the Export-Import Bank helps our economy

Click here to watch the press conference on the report

Jul 02 2015

Role of the Export-Import Bank

Congress is currently embroiled in a debate over whether to extend the charter of the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank or Ex-Im), which lapsed at the end of June. As the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States, Ex-Im offers loans, loan guarantees and insurance policies that increase export opportunities for U.S. businesses and support U.S. jobs.

Ex-Im’s programs help to fill gaps in private-sector financing and address market failures. For example, private credit can dry up during periods of heightened economic uncertainty, such as during the recent financial crisis. Small businesses may struggle to access private financing even if they are creditworthy. And banks may be reluctant to offer financing for exports to developing countries notwithstanding the long-term benefits opening those new markets could have for the U.S. economy.

The Ex-Im Bank also plays a vital role in helping to maintain a level playing field for U.S. exporters facing competition from foreign companies backed by their own ECAs, many of which are more active than the Ex-Im Bank. There are about 85 foreign ECAs that work aggressively to give their home countries’ businesses a leg up on U.S. companies, including in all of the top 10 exporting countries.