Blog Posts

In this interview, Visiting Scholar Lola Loustaunau discusses her research with food processing workers in Oregon and Washington, how worker health and safety relates to full employment, ways to address barriers workers face, and COVID-19’s impact on workers in essential industries.

How can we gauge the tightness of monetary policy? The SF Fed’s new monthly Proxy Funds Rate page focuses on financial market indicators to measure monetary policy tightness beyond what the federal funds rate level can show.

To succeed at the highest level, and to be inclusive so that everyone in a community can participate in that success, we need to work collaboratively. Leilani Barnett shares highlights from the Idaho Rural Success Summit, a cross-sector collaboration, which sought to spotlight successful examples of rural community development.

Have people’s earnings kept up with inflation since the pandemic recession? Our new video teaches you how to compare nominal and real earnings using the SF Fed Data Explorer.

To get a sense of how economic conditions have–or have not–evolved over the last six months, the SF Fed sat down again with Twelfth District leaders in August. In this edition of our “Beyond the Numbers” series, we listened and learned how rising prices are affecting housing, employment, and non-profits.

Read our top takeaways from a new research brief that examines residential instability in the Bay Area during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A constrained supply of new housing throughout California has exacerbated the challenge of housing affordability within the state. One solution to housing affordability challenges that has gained prominence through new state legislation is to construct more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on single family home lots. In this interview with Susan Long, program director at Self-Help Enterprises, we explore how ADU financing programs can help meet housing needs.

Digging beyond the headline data can give a fresh perspective on how the economy is affecting different groups. Our new SF Fed Data Explorer provides an interactive charting tool to learn more about the U.S. labor market.

To better communicate economic conditions in our District as reported by business and nonbusiness leaders across the region, the SF Fed is introducing a new section to its Beige Book report. “Community Conditions” will focus on economic conditions at the level of local communities and groups.

At the SF Fed, we’re conducting research to quantify the economic impact of wildfire smoke across the region because climate risk affects our core responsibilities of conducting monetary policy, regulating and supervising the bank system, and ensuring a safe and sound payment system. Our Community Development team looked at wildfire smoke in the LA region over time and its potential effects on the economy and disadvantaged populations. Here’s what we learned.