— While national poverty rates dropped last year, the county-level picture is mixed.
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Scott Story
Blog
Insights and commentary on events in the West.
Kelly Pohl
The Growth of Hispanic Populations Across the West
— Hispanics account for roughly one in four westerners and one in six rural westerners.
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Megan Lawson, Ph.D.
Disasters and Populations at Risk: Lack of Vehicle Makes Evacuation Difficult
— Lack of access to a vehicle, poverty, and disabilities, can make evacuation difficult or impossible for some households.
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Kelly Pohl
Fire & Flood: Lessons from Hurricane Harvey for Wildfire
— A lack of land use planning amplified the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Wildfire-prone communities should take note.
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Patricia Gude
Which Counties Are Most Reliant on Medicaid?
— National interactive map and charts show Medicaid-dependent counties and populations at risk.
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Mark Haggerty
The Context and Status of Colstrip’s Coal-Fired Power Plant
— A guide to planning for the long-term social, economic and environmental well-being of the community of Colstrip, Montana.
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Ray Rasker, Ph.D.
Rural Communities, School Kids, and Federal Lands in the West
— While most western rural counties are aging and losing young families, the loss of school kids in rural western counties with protected lands such as National Monuments was, on average, less than half the rate of loss for similar counties without protected lands.
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Kimiko Barrett, Ph.D
Tennessee Wildfires: Now Is the Time to Plan
— The wildfires that burned the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park devastated nearby communities and underscore the need to reduce the risks and costs of future catastrophic events.
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Mark Haggerty
As Energy Market Forces Shift Coal Woes West, Transition Planning Should Follow
— The new Administration’s plans to remove coal regulations should not dampen efforts to shift coal transition planning West to assist displaced workers and diversify coal-dependent communities.
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Patricia Gude
Trails Are Good for All But Not Available to All
— Trails are good for people, but the health and social benefits of trails are not equally available to everyone.
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Chris Mehl
Trails and the Elusive Quality of Life
— Many people talk about trails and quality of life, but how do we measure and obtain it?
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Mark Haggerty
Economic Conditions in Communities Dependent on Federal Coal
— This blog draws on federal data and research to describe more about the local economies of the communities dependent on federal coal.
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Mark Haggerty
Changed Electric Power Markets Create New Volatility for Coal
— Lower overall coal generating capacity—the outcome of coal fired power plant retirements and a demand for coal that rises and falls depending on natural gas prices—will create new volatility for coal jobs and for counties, schools, and states that depend on tax revenues from coal.
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Kimiko Barrett, Ph.D
Identifying Communities at Risk to Wildfire
— Mapping and understanding communities at risk from wildfires just became easier with a new interactive tool generated by Headwaters Economics.
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Chris Mehl
Measuring the Benefit of Trails to Communities
— Updated tools, research, and studies on the benefit of trails to communities and local citizens.
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Mark Haggerty
Wildlife Refuge Payments: Reforms and Funding
— How national wildlife refuge payments--especially important to rural counties--could be reformed and funded.
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Kimiko Barrett, Ph.D
Rising Wildfire Costs Encourage Better Land Use Planning
— Five urban areas in the West and Southwest are taking steps to mitigate wildfire risks and costs through the perspective of land use planning.
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Megan Lawson, Ph.D.
Trails and the Benefits to Your Community
— Headwaters Economics has updated its Trails Library to include 105 studies on trails, searchable by benefit, use, year, and region.
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Chris Mehl
Know Your Economy: Economic Tools Updated for Every County
— Understanding the local economy, and how it compares to peers, is a crucial part of smart community and economic development. Several new tools, utilizing the latest data (through 2014), now are available for every county in the nation.
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Ben Alexander
LWCF Rewards Republican Congressional Districts
— Many Congressional Districts benefit from LWCF, and Republican Districts have seen disproportionate LWCF investment for federal land acquisition.
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Chris Mehl
One Click: Socioeconomic Reports for Every County
— Understanding what drives the local economy is crucial to smart community and economic development. This map provides detailed socioeconomic reports for every county.
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Patricia Gude
Urban Areas Drive Economic Growth in the West
— Despite being known for its rural landscapes, the West is surprisingly urban.
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Chris Mehl
The West Today: What Sectors Drive the Economy?
— In the West today, what economic sectors are driving the economy and make up the growing workforce?
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Mark Haggerty
Will Federal Coal Valuation Reforms Hurt the Coal Industry? Yes And No
— The Office of Natural Resources Revenue recently proposed a new rule that would change the way federal coal is valued for royalty purposes. Will it hurt the industry? Yes and No.
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Chris Mehl
Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Cities, Counties, and National Forest Regions
— A sample of research and free tools available to help communities better understand the potential socioeconomic impacts of climate change.
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Kelly Pohl
Understanding the Recreation Economy on Nearby Public Lands
— How can communities measure and take advantage of the economic impacts of nearby outdoor recreation activities on public lands?
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Chris Mehl
Getting the Economics Right: Communities, National Forests, and Local Development Decisions
— Getting the economics right is important for communities to compete in a modern economy. We've created a number of tools to help rural, western communities better understand current trends as well as the role of the nearby National Forest or other public lands.
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Mark Haggerty
Time for a U.S. Natural Resources Trust?
— Compared to other nations and even U.S. states, the federal government is a conspicuous laggard in creating a natural resources trust which would allow for stable, permanent, and ever rising payments to states and local governments without risks to taxpayers.
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Mark Haggerty
Falling Oil Prices: Good for the U.S. Economy, Bad for Shale Communities?
— Lower oil prices could be great for the economy, but for the communities dependent on drilling, the price drop may prove challenging for several reasons.
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Megan Lawson, Ph.D.
On Halloween, Many Counties with High Death Rates Still Growing
— It's All Hallow's Eve, so we decided to look at western counties where the dead most recently were living. But a high death rate does not mean a county is faring poorly. Like most things, it’s complicated.
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Megan Lawson, Ph.D.
Baby Boomers Move Near Protected Lands, Help Drive Economies
— Protected federal lands (such as Wilderness or National Parks) not only preserve unique landscapes, but have the potential to attract in-migrants such as baby boomers, which in turn help support a robust local economy.
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Ray Rasker, Ph.D.
Today’s Economy, Political Rhetoric Too Often Don’t Match
— Today's economy is much different than what we hear in the rhetoric from current politicians. We need our leaders to wrestle with current problems rather than old ones.
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Ray Rasker, Ph.D.
Wildfire Budget, Incentives, and Missed Opportunities
— The failure of Congress to pass wildfire disaster funding is a missed opportunity for two reasons: one to stop 'fire borrowing' and second to reduce risks and costs to homeowners and the taxpayer.
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