BRAC produces an economic indicator dashboard as part of our business recovery priorities. The dashboard examines and assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the regional economy, taking into account a number of data points to illustrate the economy’s current state, and to keep businesses informed as it begins to steady and rebound. Past dashboards are archived on brac.org/recovery.
Key findings from this week’s dashboard include:
- Consumer spending was notably down in East Baton Rouge after the state re-closed select businesses, even before federal unemployment benefits lapsed;
- Over the same time period, East Baton Rouge, Ascension, and Livingston all saw a sharp drop in small businesses open;
- Retail vehicle fuel sales in the Capital Region rose for the second consecutive week, and were on par with the same week in 2019;
- Retail and recreation mobility increased over the week, as did travel to parks;
- Total unemployment claims in the Capital Region are down slightly over the week, but appear to have essentially plateaued; and
- Similarly, hotel occupancy remained at 50% last week – a rate above most COVID weeks, but below the same time last year.