RERI Reports

Regional Economic Indicators: December 2023 Report

December 01, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The RERI has published Regional Economic Indicators for December 2023. The monthly publication represents a collection and analysis of economic indicators including airport passenger activity, taxable sales, tourist tax revenues, labor force, employment, real estate, and consumer sentiment for the Southwest Florida workforce region.

SWFL Real Estate: Fourth Quarter 2023 Report

November 30, 2023 / RERI Research Team / Tag: Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development & Finance

For the third quarter of 2023, existing residential units sold and housing affordability both continued to trend downward. Furthermore, increases in real median sale prices have begun to cool down, while the average age for properties sold continues to increase.

Issue Brief: Florida Hospital System

November 28, 2023 / RERI Research Team

With the healthcare industry being one of the most important industries in the state of Florida, it is essential that the industry is aiming to function in the most efficient way. Hospital efficiencies affect a variety of different people in different ways. Community members want efficient hospitals so they can experience lower wait times and a greater quality of service. On the other side, those who work behind the scenes of hospitals want to lower the costs as much as possible while ensuring all their resources are being utilized. Efficiency levels affect both consumers and producers, making it an important topic to further research.

Issue Brief: Building Permit Methodology

November 28, 2023 / RERI Research Team

Building permits are important leading economic indicators to track within a regional economy. They represent the initial stages of what will eventually become a new structure in the area. They help paint a picture of the real estate market while also measuring future demand for the construction industry.

Issue Brief: Southwest Florida Prime Age Employment

November 07, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The prime age population represents the core a region’s workforce. This population is typically defined as the population between the ages of 25 and 54 years old, excluding younger age groups that are more likely to be in school (under 25 years old) as well as the older age groups that begin to prepare for retirement (over 54 years old). They represented approximately 49.0 percent of the total US population in 2021, but 63.7 percent of the total labor force. Among this subset of the population, the national prime age employment rate, defined as the share of adults between 25 and 54 years old that are employed, was 78.1 percent in 2021.

Regional Economic Indicators: November 2023 Report

November 01, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The RERI has published Regional Economic Indicators for November 2023. The monthly publication represents a collection and analysis of economic indicators including airport passenger activity, taxable sales, tourist tax revenues, labor force, employment, real estate, and consumer sentiment for the Southwest Florida workforce region.

Lee EBCS: Fourth Quarter 2023 Report

October 31, 2023 / RERI Research Team

Neither the US nor Southwest Florida experienced any semblance of a recession that experts have predicted for a while in the third quarter of 2023, but uncertainty moving forward still looms. A Federal government shutdown was averted in late September as lawmakers came to an eleventh hour agreement that would fund the government through mid-November. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) maintained the federal funds rate at 5.25 to 5.50 percent in their latest meeting on September 20, stating that “tighter credit conditions for households and businesses are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation. The extent of these effects remains uncertain.” FOMC Chair Jerome Powell, at an October 19 luncheon, further noted that “additional evidence of persistently above-trend growth, or that tightness in the labor market is no longer easing, could put further progress on inflation at risk and could warrant further tightening of monetary policy.”

Collier EBCS: Fourth Quarter 2023 Report

October 31, 2023 / RERI Research Team

Neither the US nor Southwest Florida experienced any semblance of a recession that experts have predicted for a while in the third quarter of 2023, but uncertainty moving forward still looms. A Federal government shutdown was averted in late September as lawmakers came to an eleventh hour agreement that would fund the government through mid-November. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) maintained the federal funds rate at 5.25 to 5.50 percent in their latest meeting on September 20, stating that “tighter credit conditions for households and businesses are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation. The extent of these effects remains uncertain.” FOMC Chair Jerome Powell, at an October 19 luncheon, further noted that “additional evidence of persistently above-trend growth, or that tightness in the labor market is no longer easing, could put further progress on inflation at risk and could warrant further tightening of monetary policy.”