In Case You Missed It...
Our last newsletter included articles on Maine's Economic Forecasting Commission, the LD 1 2009 Annual Report, November Taxable Retail Sales, Out-migration driving population decline in the Census Bureau's 2009 population estimates for Maine, LeVert and Lawton's "Working Knowledge" series in Mainebiz, 2010 Census Kickoff, and Census Highlights. If you missed a previous newsletter, archived versions are available on our website. |
Meet the Team
Michael LeVert is the State Economist. Michael manages the
Economics and Demographics team and sits on the State's Revenue Forecasting
Committee. He holds a Master's Degree in Resource Economics from the University
of Massachusetts Amherst and a Graduate Certificate in Statistics from the
University of Southern Maine. Before joining the State Planning Office, Michael
worked as an economist and statistician in the private sector. His interests
include leveraging Maine's Quality of Place as an economic development
strategy. Michael lives in Cumberland with his wife Fonda and daughter Robin.
Amanda Rector serves as the Governor's Liaison to the Census Bureau,
staffs the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission, and works on
special research projects. Prior to joining the SPO Economics and
Demographics team in 2007, Amanda worked at the Maine Department of
Labor, Division of Labor Market Information Services. Amanda has a BA
in Economics from Wellesley College and is pursuing a Master's degree
in Public Policy from the Muskie School at the University of Southern
Maine. She is originally from mid-coast Maine and now lives in Union.
Joel Johnson holds a Master's Degree in Resource
Economics and Policy from the University
of Maine, where his research interests
included environmental valuation methods, international trade, and
socioeconomic disparities across Maine. The latest addition to the SPO Economics and
Demographics Team, he most recently completed a NOAA Coastal Management
Fellowship with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. He is also an outdoor enthusiast and
Registered Maine Guide.
Thomas Merrill coordinates the Maine State Data Center as a geographer and computer scientist with an undergraduate degree from the University of Maine at Farmington. He is pursuing a Master's degree in Regional Economic and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He has previous experience and continuing interest in Asset Development for low-income communities, Geographical Information Science, and database/MIS development. Thomas is a native of central Maine. | |
Greetings from the Economics and Demographics Team!
Welcome to the latest edition of the Economics and Demographics newsletter from the Maine State Planning Office. If you have received a text version and would like to see the full version, please visit our website. Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions. |
LeVert and Lawton Talk Tourism
In Part Four of "Working
Knowledge," Michael LeVert and Chuck Lawton's six-part Mainebiz series about Maine's economy, the
authors discuss challenges and opportunities facing tourism businesses in
Maine. Leisure and hospitality businesses were hit hard by the
recession, but tourism in Maine is relatively resilient compared to
more exotic locales simply because Maine gets more day visitors and visitors
traveling by car instead of plane. Nevertheless, tourism is increasingly globalized and competitive so Maine must not be complacent about attracting visitors. Maine's
natural and cultural amenities must be complemented by improved infrastructure
(signage, visitor centers, etc.); branding, packaging, and marketing; and
consistently high-quality customer service. The world-class destinations in
Maine need and deserve similarly superlative service. Specific recommendations include improving workforce
development programs for the leisure and hospitality industry (see here for example), extending the traditional tourist seasons with special events,
and selling a complete experience-lodging, food, and activities all in
one- rather than discrete products. Attracting visitors and wowing them when they get here isn't
just about tourism. The
better their experience as a visitor, the more likely they are to invest, start
a business, or retire in Maine.
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SPO Releases Population Projections, 2013-2028
The Economics and Demographics Team released Maine Population Outlook: Maine County and State Population Projections 2013-2028.
The population projections are in five-year intervals to correspond with the employment projections issued by the Center
for Workforce Research and Information at the Maine Department of Labor.
Projections are given for five-year age cohorts by sex. Town-level
projections will be released once the necessary data are available for
the
calculations, likely in late 2011.
Maine has the oldest median age in the country, the
second-smallest percentage of the population under the age of 18, and the
second-highest percentage of non-Hispanic white residents. These factors all
combine to give Maine a rapidly aging population and slow population growth.
Demographics are important for companies making future plans
based on workforce characteristics and for policy makers to make informed
decisions about what skills, services, and resources will be needed years in
advance. Maine's particular demographic challenges in the coming years will
center around the aging population and slow population growth. As the baby boomers begin to retire, employers will be faced
with the possibility of more job openings than people to fill them. In addition,
the skill sets of the younger generations may not match the openings available.
Demand for health care workers of all sorts will rise as the baby boomers
require more medical care. In order for Maine's population to grow and firms to
find the employees they need, in-migration to Maine must increase. The next two decades appear to be a turning point for Maine's
population. If the slow in-migration of the last few years continues, Maine's
population is projected to grow until 2018, after which point the population is
expected to decline.
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February Taxable Retail Sales
The Economics and Demographics Team reports monthly retail sales information on its website. Timely
information on retail sales provides an up-to-date picture of Maine's economy. Many businesses use it to gauge their market
strength and find new sales opportunities. Public officials use it to estimate revenues. Economists use it to project income and
employment growth. Total taxable retail sales in February 2010 were
up 0.2% from February 2009, signaling the first year over year increase in
total taxable sales since July 2008. Food store sales were 1% lower in
February 2010 than in February of 2009, and auto/transportation sales were down
9.5%. All other store categories indicated an increase in year over year
sales raising personal consumption expenditures 0.3%. Sales for the last
three months, December through February, remained 1.5% lower than the same time
period a year ago. Detailed reports on Maine retail sales are available here. |
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State Data Center News
Maine's Source for Census Data
| 2010 Census Mail-back Complete; Household
Enumeration Begins U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke congratulated the nation for its strong participation in the 2010 Census to date, as the Census
Bureau reported that 72% of U.S.
households have mailed back their 2010 Census forms. This equals the rate achieved during the 2000 Census despite the fact that population has grown by some 30
million and is more diverse than ten years ago. Maine's mail-back participation rate increased to 66% in 2010
from 65% in 2000 ranging from 74% participation in Androscoggin County to 46%
in Franklin County. On May 1, hundreds of thousands of census takers, also
called enumerators, begin the monumental task of going to every household in
the country that either did not return or did not receive a census form. The enumerators, who have been hired from local communities, carry an official
badge and shoulder bag. The census taker will complete the questionnaire,
which should take about 10 minutes. If no one is home, a "notice of
visit" will be left at the door inviting the resident to call the census
taker to complete the form over the phone. More information can be found
at the 2010 Census website. |
Census State Data Center Highlights
-
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released
estimates of personal income at the county level for 2008. Personal income is a comprehensive measure of the income of all persons from
all sources. Total personal income in
Maine grew 0.2% after adjusting for inflation, but this was fueled primarily by
growth in government transfer payments as all counties experienced decreases in
earned income. Per capita personal income (personal income divided by
population) was $36,368 for the state and ranged from $29,199 in Oxford County
to $45,147 in Cumberland County.
The U.S. Census Bureau released " Economic Characteristics of Households in the United States". Survey data collected during the third quarter of 2008 showed that in an
average month, 156.7 million people aged 16 or older (66.9% of people of
working age) engaged in some form of labor force activity (working, on layoff,
or looking for work). 91% of this labor force had a job for the entire
month. During this same time period, approximately 45% of U.S.
residents lived in households in which at least one individual received
government benefits. The two government programs affecting
the largest number of households are Social Security and Medicare. About 33.6 million households (28.6%) received Social Security or
Railroad Retirement benefits and 30.8 million (26.2%) received benefits from
Medicare.
- The Census Bureau reports nearly 6 in 10 advanced
degree holders between the ages of 25-29 are women in the data set "Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009". More women than men are expected to occupy professions such as doctors, lawyers,
and college professors as they represent approximately 58 percent of young
adults who hold an advanced degree. Additionally, more women than men had
high school diplomas and bachelor's degrees. The data also demonstrate
the extent to which having such a degree pays off: average earnings in 2008
totaled $83,144 for those with an advanced degree, compared with $58,613 for
those with a bachelor's degree only. People whose highest level of
attainment was a high school diploma had average earnings of $31,283.
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