Addressing Immigrant Labor Declines in North Carolina
Declines in immigrant labor threaten to affect major NC industries. We identify which sectors are most vulnerable and identify strategies to support employers and maintain economic output.
Research & Insights
Featured
Five Economic Trends to Watch in 2026
Want to know which issues are top of mind for business leaders as we enter 2026? Chief Economist Gerald Cohen gives you the big questions for the new year in his annual Five Trends.
American Growth Project: Top-Performing EMAs for 2026
Some Extended Metropolitan Areas will be more resilient to 2026’s economic challenges than others. Find out which EMA economies the American Growth Project expects to expand the most.
2025
Skilled Tech Workers Help Drive Local Productivity
As businesses increasingly rely on technology, cities with a strong tech workforce gain a competitive edge, experiencing greater economic growth. This shift can be seen in both urban centers and rural areas.
Manufacturing: Regional Strengths and Shifts (Redux)
We update an August 2023 piece in which we explain why manufacturing remains essential for economic growth and how manufacturing in the US today incorporates both regional shifts and “stickiness” in traditional strongholds.
From Tobacco to High Tech: Manufacturing in the Piedmont Triad and the Research Triangle
The Research Triangle and the Piedmont Triad epitomize North Carolina’s economic evolution. The Triangle transitioned from legacy industries to high-tech manufacturing and experienced explosive economic growth; the Triad may be poised to join it.
2024
American Growth Project: Top-Performing EMAs for 2024
The Kenan Institute’s projected 2024 GDP growth rates for 150 microeconomies across the United States anticipate a slowdown, with almost all our 150 Extended Metropolitan Areas experiencing a deceleration.
Five Economic Trends to Watch in 2024
The year ahead is full of economic uncertainty, but institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen knows that some topics will be in the thoughts of many business leaders and policymakers. Find out five trends he has in mind.
Productivity Driving Prosperity: Decoding Local Economic Growth
To find signs of productivity, we must first know where to look. Chief Economist Gerald Cohen describes how an area’s industry mix is key to its productivity and how adjusting that mix can drive more local growth using data from our American Growth Project.
2023
What to Watch: Five Economic Trends to Expect in 2023
In kicking off the new year, we at the Kenan Institute want to highlight five topics we anticipate will be top of mind for business leaders and policymakers during the 12 months ahead.
Midyear Regional Economic Growth Estimates: EMAs Performing Better Than Expected, but Large Disparities Remain
Chief Economist Gerald Cohen outlines mid-year updates to our 2023 economic forecasts, discussing which EMAs have changed since our January projections.
Skills in the Workforce: Why They Matter for Economies
Our American Growth Project examination of skills in the workforce begins with a discussion of why skills are difficult to measure, then moves to a broad look at two ways to estimate the skill level across our Extended Metropolitan Areas.
