44 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week
The stories Dane thinks you need to see. November 20, 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 44 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 # 221 - Econ dev news from 105 economic development executives and organizations in 26 states.
2) Wait, Dane Built Sitehunt? Here’s What 500+ Demos Taught Him. - Economic Development's AI Evolution
3) Podcast 199: How Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Can Transform Local Economies with Martin Vanags - Where “just one more meeting” actually helps your business
4) 24 New Economic Development Jobs This Week - From $72,000 - $298,000
5) 32 Things Economic Developers Need to Know This Week - The stories Dane thinks you need to see. November 13, 2025 edition.
6) The New York Fed's Empire State Manufacturing Index unexpectedly surged:
7) The underlying details were strong, with the new orders, shipments, and employment components all improving:
8) Both current and expected price pressures eased:
9) Construction spending, the first major data release after the government reopened, rose 0.2% in August, defying the consensus for a decline. The July reading was also revised upward:
10) The sequential growth was driven by residential construction, offset by nonresidential construction:
11) Construction spending on data centers has been stable:
12) Traffic congestion is getting worse in the US:
13) The world's hardest working countries:
14) The proportion of 20- to 24-year-olds who are working fell to the lowest level since May 2021:
15) US factory orders rebounded:
16) US teens are increasingly ambivalent about marriage, with only 67% of 12th graders in 2023 expecting to marry versus 80% three decades ago:
17) Clark County, Nevada's Office of Community and Economic Development's Project Estimator Tool is awesome.
18) Rod Crider: "I saw yet another announcement for a top economic development role awarded to someone with no experience in the field. It seems to be a pattern and it's frustrating because this work requires a special skill set. It demands years of training, hands-on experience, building connections, and the ability to navigate complex issues and diverse stakeholders. Many professionals have invested their entire careers building the expertise these positions require. Those that don't often spend valuable time learning the ropes at the expense of their communities. When these hard-earned skills and experience are repeatedly set aside in favor of candidates from outside the profession, it sends a clear message about how our industry's knowledge and commitment are being valued. We can and should do better at helping the volunteer board members making these hiring decisions recognize and value the career professionals who have dedicated themselves to this work."
19) Labor force growth has shifted from NYC and San Francisco to Texas and Florida:
20) Average annual start-up growth rate by state since 2010:
21) Interesting: Artists generally had richer parents than doctors.
- Doctors, dentists, and surgeons: generally upwardly mobile, doing better than their parents.
- Designers, musicians, and artists: generally downwardly mobile, doing worse than their parents.
22) Interesting: Boomers have a mental block where they think luxury items are some lavish expense because, when they were young, those things actually were expensive. In reality, "luxuries" have gotten incredibly cheap and now basic necessities are extremely expensive.
