33 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week
The stories Dane thinks you need to see. December 4, 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 33 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!
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1) Economic Development and Developers in the News # 223 - Econ dev news from 93 economic development executives and organizations in 28 states.
2) Podcast 200: How Colorado Springs Competes Globally with Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer - Because you can’t see mountains on a balance sheet
3) Economic Development and Developers in the News # 222 - Econ dev news from 102 economic development executives and organizations in 27 states.
4) Econ Dev Podcast Guests Wanted - Seeking: Unique perspectives, new ideas, and massive failures.
5) 26 New Economic Development Jobs This Week - From $68,000 to $175,000
Hey Econ Dev Show crew,
Most of you know me as the voice behind the podcast and newsletter. What you might not know is that I also built Sitehunt: the AI-powered property intelligence and RFI platform my team and I have been obsessing over for the last two years. In that time we’ve hosted 500+ demos with communities of every size, and the product has leveled up dramatically from the scrappy “not very smart” tool we launched with.
Here’s what’s new (and why I’m shouting it from the rooftops):
- Your property data cleans itself up. Upload spreadsheets, PDFs, or GIS layers and Sitehunt normalizes everything, adds utilities/zoning/workforce layers, tracks refresh schedules, and lets you override data locally with full audit trails.
- RFIs go from days to hours. Drop in a request, the AI extracts criteria, scores every site, flags gaps for follow-up, and assembles branded response packets: maps, stats, and narratives included. No more Frankensteined spreadsheets.
- Maps + portals without extra software. The internal Map Explorer, public portals, spec sheets, and labor-shed reports now all pull from the same enriched source, so marketing stories stay consistent.
- Coalitions work in sync. Regional and state programs can spin up partner instances, coordinate multi-jurisdiction RFIs, and publish aggregated inventory while each local EDO stays in control.
If you kicked Sitehunt’s tires early on, back when it was more spreadsheet than superpower, let’s reconnect. I’ll bring the latest build, you bring your gnarliest property list or RFI, and we’ll run through it live.
👉 Book a 30-minute walkthrough
👉 Prefer email/chat? dane@sitehunt.io · (209) 626-6261 (text/call)
Thanks for following the Econ Dev Show journey; can’t wait to show you what Sitehunt has become.
Founder, Sitehunt · Host, Econ Dev Show
6) Zillow has deleted climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales: Economic developers have no such luxury.
7) Black Friday spending raises eyebrows over US economy: U.S. consumers spent $6.4 billion on Thanksgiving Day and $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, both record highs and up significantly compared to last year. But order volume fell by about 1 percent year over year, and average selling prices were up 7 percent --indicating that much of the growth was caused by inflation rather than any uptick in shopping enthusiasm.
8) Women are leaving the workforce: There's been a gender flip in the workforce: Men now make up the majority of workers who are juggling employment and caregiving.
9) Manufacturing jobs per capita by state:
10) A look at productivity by country:
11) Developers that once provided workforce housing for oil and gas boomtowns are now shifting their attention to data centers as AI drives digital boomtowns in rural communities across the U.S.
12) In 2027, governors choose the next Opportunity Zones – the places where hundreds of billions in investment will land. Some communities will surge. Others will be left out.
Your priorities align with the governor's: jobs, housing, and revitalized streets.
Opportunity Zones deliver federal tax benefits to investors who build in your community. No cost to the city. No cost to the state.
But selection isn't about hopes. It's about projects that are real and ready to go. Here is how you win.
13) Wisconsin becomes the 9th largest army in the world during deer hunting season:
14) Consumer confidence by age group:
15) Average overdue utility bills:
16) Don Erwin: If you're looking for a state in which to live and work, looking at the average hourly wage is a much better measure than looking at a state's per capita or household income. Here's why. Per capita and household income average in all the people who are not working and not looking for work, and states with low labor force participation rates inevitably have low per capita and household income numbers.
17) Andy Portera: Rural communities have a superpower: In small towns, everyone knows everyone.
18) Data center construction is exploding, with built, active, and planned capacity reaching a record eighty gigawatts in 2025, up eightfold since 2022. The next phase of AI growth will be defined entirely by energy:
19) Navigating reindustrialization in a deglobalized world:
20) Data centers are a 'gold rush' for construction workers: Surging demand means six-figure pay and more perks.
21) In North Carolina, they have for-profit economic development corporations!
22) Great PR advice, but I don't have to tell you: Why partnering with an economic development organization is the smartest move for maximizing your site selection or expansion announcement.
23) When I was a kid, I thought that the Bermuda Triangle would pay a much larger role in my life than it has.
The location of all airplane crashes in the last 100 years with the Bermuda Triangle outlined:
24) County employment growth, 2024:
