28 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week
The stories Dane thinks you need to see. December 11, 2025 edition.
Welcome to this week's issue of What Economic Developers Need to Know This Week, where we explore the evolving dynamics of our economy.
This week we have 28 tools, stories, graphics, charts and videos that I think you'll find informative, useful, inspiring, and perhaps even humorous. Some are economic development related directly, and some only indirectly. 🤔
If you're wondering what to do with the info in this newsletter, send something to your board members. It will make you look good!
Today's email is brought to you by Resource Development Group
Founded in 1995, RDG offers customized economic development fundraising solutions exclusively for Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Organizations. That’s their niche. That’s their specialty.
Their highly experienced team has raised over $2 billion -- yes, that’s $2 billion with a “B” -- for communities of all sizes and organizations just like yours.
Every community is unique. Tulsa, OK, is not Maury County, TN. Atlanta, GA is not Detroit, MI. Chattanooga, TN is not Charlottesville, VA. Don’t use another community’s fundraising playbook and expect the same results!
RDG's experts excel in providing customized economic development fundraising solutions for every situation. So whether you’re a single county EDO ready to kick off your first fundraising campaign or a large regional organization on your third funding cycle, they have the team and experience to get you the results you’re looking for.
1) Economic Development and Developers in the News # 224 - Econ dev news from 81 economic development executives and organizations in 27 states.
2) Podcast 201: Why Electricity Decides Everything Now in Economic Development with Timothy Comerford - When your biggest site-selection issue is “Do we have any electrons left?”
3) 25 New Economic Development Jobs This Week - From $52,000 - $225,000
4) 33 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week - The stories Dane thinks you need to see. December 4, 2025 edition.
5) Podcast 196: AI and the Future of Economic Development with Dane Carlson: All AI is not "AI slop"
6) The Economic Power of Music Tribes - From Deadheads to Economic Development:
7) In the majority of America, young men outnumber young women:
8) 46% say that this is the worst cost of living rise, ever:
9) How normal people see inflation, versus how economists see inflation:
10) Announced job cuts moderated in November after a sharp increase in October:
11) Year-to-date, job cuts are the highest they've been since 2009 (outside COVID-19):
12) Initial jobless claims fell sharply to the lowest level since September 2022. However, the move is likely a statistical distortion driven by seasonal adjustment difficulties around the Thanksgiving holiday:
13) This chart shows that the seasonal factor used to divide the unadjusted figure this year is unusually high for a Thanksgiving week:
14) Here's a look at monthly changes in employment by sector:
15) The Chicago Fed's real-time forecast of the unemployment rate for November declined to 4.44% from an upwardly revised 4.46% in October:
16) US factory orders were soft, rising just 0.2% month over month, well below consensus:
17) In level terms, factory orders excluding transportation have been stagnant over the past three years:
18) The ASA staffing index, which tracks temporary and contract employment, has risen well above 2024 levels:
19) Black Friday traffic showed growing interest in value retailers:
20) US personal income growth topped expectations:
21) Here are the year-over-year income growth rates by source:
22) Data centers are a major driver of the surge in energy costs and are the largest source of new power consumption in certain US regions:
23) The highest-rated free attractions in each state:
24) (Sort of a joke) Our grocery affordability crisis is so severe that most of us have been completely priced out of groceries and have to subsist on restaurant food instead:
25) America's housing market is a tale of two types of city right now. In a reversal of longer trends, prices are rising in cheaper cities and dropping in America's most expensive metros:
26) From the 1970s to the 1990s, per-capita turkey consumption in the US nearly doubled after it gained popularity as a leaner alternative to red meat. However, consumption has dropped 25% since peaking in 1996, while chicken, pork, and beef continue to dominate:
27) How couples meet, 1940-2020:
28) Wait, Dane Built Sitehunt? Here’s What 500+ Demos Taught Him: Economic Development's AI Evolution
