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 takeaways from this week’s dashboard include:
- Consumer spending was flat or down in the largest Capital Region parishes;
- Retail fuel sales were up significantly at the state level and slightly at the metro level;
- Mobility data shows more driving to work by regional residents, but less driving to parks, retail and recreation sites;
- The number of weekly unemployment claims was relatively static for the third consecutive week;
- Hotel occupancy was up for the week, potentially due to travel related to the special legislative session;
- While COVID-related deaths and mortality rates are flat, positive test rates and hospitalizations are up.