Economic analysis, data work, and Python notes from Brian Dew. Subscribe via RSS.
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Who pays for raising the retirement age
Social Security’s cost is projected to rise from 5.3% of GDP today to about 6% by 2055, according to the 2025 Trustees Report. That is le...
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After the thrill is gone
Consumer spending grew about 2 percent over the year ending December 2025, while total household income only increased by 1 percent. The ...
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Defining Poverty Away
A recent piece from Seth Ackerman showed how the design of economic statistics changes the story they tell. At any point in time, US and ...
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The last energy crisis cost Europe $1.8 trillion. The next one just started.
With the war on Iran disrupting global LNG supply and European gas prices surging, a new energy crisis is taking shape before Europe has ...
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53 Percent of Young Adults Live with Their Parents
As of January 2026, 52.9 percent of Americans age 18 to 29 are living with a parent, grandparent, or other relative. That is within half ...
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To Speed Up Buses, Change the Streets
In June 2025, WMATA launched the Better Bus Network Redesign, the first overhaul of the DC region’s bus network in 50 years. The redesign...
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Remote Work’s Slow Burn
Six years after the pandemic sent office workers home, remote work is no longer a disruption. It’s infrastructure. Nearly a quarter of th...
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Economic Divergence: The K-Shaped Economy’s Missing Story
Some economists have been highlighting a divergence in consumer spending. But the discussion is missing an important piece: the dramatic ...
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Matching CPS Observations to Create Crosswalks
Occupation data in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) can be very useful, particularly during a shake-up in labor markets. The e...
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The Gender Wage Gap in 2025: Bigger Than You Think
The gender wage gap widened in 2025. Women working full-time now earn about 82 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts, do...
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It Was the Economy, Not the Generation
Employment data from the Current Population Survey spanning 1962-2025 show that Millennials and Gen Z work at the same rates as previous ...
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Union Membership in 2025
According to calculations from Current Population Survey microdata released today, the US union membership rate in 2025 was 10.0 percent,...