Thanksgiving mobility down significantly; consumer spending up slightly
Baton Rouge, La. (December 1, 2020) – The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) today released its COVID-19 economic indicator dashboard that examines and assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the regional economy. The dashboard is available online at brac.org/recovery.
“Consumer spending slightly up while mobility plummets reflects the reality of widely celebrated holidays in the time of COVID,” said Andrew Fitzgerald, senior director of business intelligence for BRAC. “While most residents still have the means to purchase goods to celebrate Thanksgiving, travel advisories and the understandable worry of spreading the virus to friends and family severely limited travel. Should a vaccine not be widely available to at-risk populations by the end of the year, this may be a preview of how the economy looks around Christmas.”
Key findings from this week’s dashboard include:
- Unemployment claims were slightly down over the week, but Louisiana Workforce Commission continues to investigate whether the elevated claim numbers over the last two weeks are due to fraud;
- Retail fuel sales remain stable above 2019 numbers, though they also dropped over the week;
- Consumer spending remains above pre-pandemic levels in the Capital Region’s three largest parishes, as well as East Feliciana;
- Mobility for the week of Thanksgiving was down considerably compared to pre-pandemic numbers due to office closures and advisories against traveling for the holiday.
The dashboard looks at a number of data points to illustrate the economy’s current state. With data from a number of regional stakeholders, the dashboard is the most real-time analysis of the Baton Rouge metro economy available.
To download this week’s indicator dashboard directly, click here.
BRAC is regularly updating brac.org/recovery with business resources and guidance related to COVID-19.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,400 small businesses, mid-sized firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
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