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Ray Rasker, Ph.D.

  ray@headwaterseconomics.org       406.570.7044

Ray enjoys working with people in rural communities who are passionate about their place. He grew up in Mexico City in a Dutch household and came to the U.S. as a student. After obtaining B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Washington and Master’s in Agriculture from Colorado State University, he went on to study economics, earning a Ph.D. from the College of Forestry, Oregon State University. Ray has worked as a wildlife biologist and in the dairy industry. Ray’s multicultural background and diverse education and experiences allow him to appreciate many different viewpoints. He has written widely on rural development and the role of environmental quality in economic prosperity, and is well known in policy circles in the U.S. and Canada.

Outdoor Economy Conference: How to Build an Outdoor Community (slides)

October 2020

Slide show: Ray Rasker’s keynote to the 2020 Outdoor Economy Conference highlights ways to build an outdoor community.

October 28, 2020 Filed Under: Outdoor Recreation

Explore COVID-19 unemployment by county

June 2020

As U.S. jobless claims reach historic levels from the coronavirus pandemic, find the latest county-level unemployment numbers.

June 4, 2020 Filed Under: Economic Development, Equity Tagged With: pandemic, recession, unemployment

The Outdoor Recreation Economy by State

October 2019

The outdoor recreation economy is large, growing faster than the overall economy, and consists of jobs in many industries. Explore data by state.

October 13, 2019 Filed Under: Economic Development, Outdoor Recreation, Trails & Pathways, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Economic Development, gross domestic product, outdoor recreation, outdoor recreation economy, recreation economy, state outdoor recreation, Trails & Pathways, Trends & Performance

The Value of Montana’s Outdoors

September 2019

Montana’s outdoors attracts people and talent, creating jobs and a high quality of life. The outdoors is essential to the state’s future economic growth.

September 3, 2019 Filed Under: Economic Development, Local Studies, Outdoor Recreation, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Economic Development, Local Studies, montana, outdoor recreation, The Value of Public Lands, Trends & Performance

Public Land Ownership in the United States

June 2019

Public lands influence the economy, demographics, and fiscal policies of communities. Explore maps and county-level data for the 828 million acres of federal, state, and municipal land in the U.S.

June 17, 2019 Filed Under: Protected Lands, Public Lands Tagged With: Protected Lands

People and Public Lands Essays

May 2019

Public Lands Forum logo over image of the Sequoia Red Wood forest

What is the economic impact of America’s public lands and waters? How can we quantify how these remarkable resources contribute to our quality of life? And how are our valuation methods and public policies changing?

May 7, 2019 Filed Under: Public Lands

Redesignating Bandelier National Monument as a National Park

March 2019

Study on the economic impacts of redesignating Bandelier National Monument as a National Park with case studies of other Monuments converted to National Parks.

March 19, 2019 Filed Under: Protected Lands, Specific Places Tagged With: bandelier, national monument, national park, Protected Lands, Specific Places, white sands

Montana’s Outdoor Recreation Economy

October 2018

Family hiking in Montana at sunset

A new report highlights the role of Montana’s outdoor recreation economy in spending, jobs, and economic diversification.

October 5, 2018 Filed Under: Local Studies, Outdoor Recreation, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Economy, Local Studies, montana, outdoor recreation, Trends & Performance

Populations at Risk

July 2018

Populations at Risk quickly and easily generates and downloads reports about populations more likely to experience adverse social, health, or economic outcomes.

July 24, 2018 Filed Under: Disadvantaged Populations, Equity, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Disadvantaged Populations, populations at risk, Trends & Performance

Economic Impact of National Parks

May 2018

This interactive and background materials show visits, spending, and the number of jobs created in gateway communities for every National Park Service unit.

May 28, 2018 Filed Under: Local Studies, Protected Lands, Public Lands Tagged With: Local Studies, Protected Lands, The Value of Public Lands

Impact of National Monuments Redesignated National Parks

May 2018

Investigating the economic effects of National Monuments redesignated National Parks, and the potential impact of converting the White Sands National Monument to a National Park.

May 4, 2018 Filed Under: Protected Lands, Specific Places Tagged With: national monument, national park, Protected Lands, Specific Places

Gallatin County’s Economy, Growth, and Open Space

April 2018

Agriculture in the Gallatin Valley

This report summarizes Gallatin County’s economy, how it has grown, and what is driving its performance. The report also describes how growth threatens open space and the role these lands play in local quality of life.

April 25, 2018 Filed Under: Economic Development, Local Studies, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Local Studies, Trends & Performance

Communities Threatened by Wildfires, 2000-2017

April 2018

Explore all communities threatened by wildfires from 2000 to 2017.

April 2, 2018 Filed Under: Homes & Risk, Natural Hazards Tagged With: Homes & Risk

Communities Threatened by Wildfire, 2000-2017: Sortable Table

April 2018

The sortable table identifies frequently threatened towns and cities, including the different sizes and distances of wildfires from nearby communities.

April 1, 2018 Filed Under: Homes & Risk, Natural Hazards Tagged With: Homes & Risk

Assessing Wildfire and Populations at Risk

December 2017

Assessing Wildfire and Populations At Risk

A new tool helps the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico assess wildfire and populations at risk.

December 12, 2017 Filed Under: Disadvantaged Populations, Equity, Homes & Risk, Natural Hazards Tagged With: Disadvantaged Populations, Homes & Risk

Lessons from the Timber Transition

December 2017

Western counties once dependent on timber today perform similarly to like-sized counties. Three case studies outline economic lessons from counties that weathered the timber transition.

December 11, 2017 Filed Under: Economic Development, Local Studies, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Local Studies, Trends & Performance

Montana’s Economy, Public Lands, and Competitive Advantage

August 2017

This report summarizes Montana’s economy analyzing recent growth and what is driving its performance, including a description of how federal lands help attract people, investment, and businesses.

August 3, 2017 Filed Under: Economic Development, Protected Lands, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Protected Lands, Trends & Performance

Economy Surprisingly Dependent on Non-Labor Income

August 2017

Non-labor income sources such as investments, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid often are the largest and fastest growing sources of personal income for many counties. Rural counties especially are surprisingly dependent on non-labor income.

August 1, 2017 Filed Under: Economic Development, Local Studies, Trends & Performance Tagged With: Economic Development, Local Studies, non-labor, rural, Trends & Performance, west

The Value of Public Lands

April 2017

Headwaters Economics compiled a number of regional reports, case studies, tools, research library, and related news articles on the value of public lands to nearby communities.

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: Protected Lands, Public Lands Tagged With: Protected Lands, The Value of Public Lands

The Economic Value of Federal Public Lands (slides)

April 2017

Slide show: The role of federal lands in rural development.

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: Public Lands

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