RERI Reports

Regional Economic Indicators: November 2024 Report

November 04, 2024 / RERI Research Team

The RERI has published Regional Economic Indicators for November 2024. The monthly publication represents a collection and analysis of economic indicators including airport passenger activity, taxable sales, tourist tax revenues, labor force, employment, real estate, and consumer sentiment for the Southwest Florida workforce region.

Issue Brief: Southwest Florida Employers Skills Gap

November 01, 2024 / RERI Research Team

In September 2022, FGCU in partnership with FutureMakers Coalition at Collaboratory received $23 million from the U.S Department of Commerce's Good Jobs Challenge grant. This funding led to the creation of The Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline (EJP), a regional initiative that aims to train local job seekers in employer-demanded skills and ultimately place these job seekers into gainful jobs in the region within four key sectors: Healthcare, PK-12 Education, Manufacturing and Logistics.

Regional Economic Indicators: October 2024 Report

October 14, 2024 / RERI Research Team

The RERI has published Regional Economic Indicators for October 2024. The monthly publication represents a collection and analysis of economic indicators including airport passenger activity, taxable sales, tourist tax revenues, labor force, employment, real estate, and consumer sentiment for the Southwest Florida workforce region.

Issue Brief: Southwest Florida Business Applications

October 04, 2024 / RERI Research Team

Business applications are an important leading indicator for gauging the health of a regional economy. They offer insight into entrepreneurial activity and business creation, both of which contribute to local job opportunities. However, obtaining relevant data on business applications at the regional level can be challenging due to data limitations. The U.S. Census Bureau provides information through its Business Formation Statistics (BFS), but county-level data from the BFS is only available annually and is released with a six-month lag. For instance, business applications data for 2023 was only released in June 2024.

2024 Southwest Florida Economic Almanac Series

October 04, 2024 / RERI Research Team / Tags: Reports, SWFL Almanac

The Regional Economic Research Institute is pleased to announce the publication of the 2024 Southwest Florida Economic Almanac Series. The series represents a comprehensive collection of over 30 databases in a one document, allowing for an easy and thorough access to information pertaining all Southwest Florida’s counties – specifically Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties. Topics covered include agriculture, charitable giving, demographics, employment, finance, education, the environment, government spending, health, housing, income and poverty statistics, and real estate.

Industry Diversification Project: Third Quarter 2024 Report

September 24, 2024 / RERI Research Team / Tag: Industry Diversification Project

The RERI has published the Industry Diversification Report for the third quarter of 2024. The goal of the IDI is to measure industry diversification and, by extension, that of the workforce, in each of Florida’s 24 workforce regions, the state of Florida, and the remaining 49 states. The index measure is computed quarterly, soon after the release of workforce data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. It spans from 0 to 10, with 0 signifying no diversification (or an economy characterized by a single industry), and 10 signifying perfect diversification (no concentration).

2024 Educational and Workforce Outcomes Report

September 11, 2024 / RERI Research Team / Tag: Reports

The Regional Economic Research Institute is pleased to announce the 2024 Southwest Florida Educational and Workforce Outcome Report. The 116-page report is the result of a collaborative effort between the Regional Economic Research Institute and the FutureMakers Coalition, and provides up-to-date information on education and workforce indicators for the five-county region.

SWFL Real Estate: Third Quarter 2024 Report

September 03, 2024 / RERI Research Team

The residential market continued to level off during Q2 2024, as evidenced by the latest data available. Single-family home sales in the region have plateaued over the past quarters and remain below their 2022 apex, with declines primarily concentrated across the coastal counties. Single-family and condominium real median prices in the region also continued to fall, with declines observed in most Southwest Florida counties.