Economics

Last week, I reported data on Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) labor markets in Georgia. However, the Augusta MSA includes two counties (Aiken and Edgefield) in South Carolina, so how does Augusta compare to South Carolina MSA’s over the last year? Overall, South Carolina’s MSAs all performed better than Augusta, and South Carolina did better than Georgia. The South Carolina Labor Market Index (LMI) increased by 2.7% compared to 1.1% in Georgia. The fastest growing MSA in South Carolina was Charleston at 4.1% and the slowest was Spartanburg at 1.7%, still

The fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) labor market in Georgia for 2023 was Dalton, followed by Columbus and Rome. Dalton’s Labor Market Index (LMI) which includes employment, unemployment, labor force, hours worked, and average weekly earnings, increased by 2.9% in 2023. Columbus LMI grew by 2.6% and Rome by 2.3%. Augusta grew at 1.1% as did the state of Georgia as a whole. Perhaps surprisingly, some MSAs that have racked up strong growth in the last few years were less robust in 2023. Atlanta’s LMI grew by just 0.8%, Gainesville

While I am not an economist like my colleague and fellow Augusta Business Daily contributor, Dr. Simon Medcalfe, many of my family, friends, and acquaintances assume that because I am a business school faculty member and former Dean, that I am an expert on the economy. Therefore, many of them come to me with their questions related to the economy, particularly in times like these when we are getting many mixed signals and we are not sure what is good news or bad news economically anymore. For instance, in the

The first step in adopting legislation to review Georgia’s catalog of tax credit incentive programs has passed the state senate. Senate Bill 366 is the outgrowth of a series of public hearings held across the state to determine the efficacy of the tax breaks currently offered. Titled “Tax Expenditures Transparency Act of 2024,” the measure passed the Georgia Senate unanimously. In presenting the measure, Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-District 52), co-chairman of the Joint Tax Credit Review Panel, said it outlines a process to review the programs more regularly. Among the