Tag: 2020

Red State Budgets Are Suffering The Most In This Recession

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizfarmer/2021/02/18/red-state-budgets-are-suffering-the-most-in-this-recession/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=follow&cdlcid=5f3d53896be319c3c36cff29&sh=7f2620337b69

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Of those states suffering at least a 3% drop in revenue since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, two-thirds (eight in 12) are red states. Alaska, Florida, North Dakota and Texas are seeing some of the worst revenue losses of 9% or higher over the comparable period in 2019, according to the latest data from the Urban Institute.

Across the 47 states from which the institute has full data, total state tax revenues were down by $14 billion in the first ten months of the pandemic (between March and December 2020) compared to the same period a year earlier. That’s an average drop of 1.8% and is largely driven by declines in sales tax revenue.

Author(s): Liz Farmer

Publication Date: 18 February 2021

Publication Site: Forbes

COVID-19: New Study Reveals Danger To Younger Americans, Who Are Dying At Historic Rate

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/northsalem/news/covid-19-new-study-reveals-danger-to-younger-americans-who-are-dying-at-historic-rate/799940/

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Contrary to popular belief, COVID-19 is taking its toll on younger Americans, who are dying at a historic rate, according to a new study.

Research published this week in the Journal of American Medical Association found that Americans between the ages of 25 and 44 have died at a rate that has never been seen in history.

During the study, a total of 76,088 deaths were reported in adults between those ages, which was 11,899 more than the expected 64,189 fatalities during that stretch.

Author(s): Zak Failla

Publication Date: 19 December 2020

Publication Site: Daily Voice

States of Growth and Decline

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/states-of-growth-and-decline-11609460276

Excerpt:

Sixteen mostly coastal and Rust Belt states lost population from July 2019 to July 2020, according to the Census Bureau’s annual population survey, and Illinois, West Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Mississippi and Vermont have shrunk since 2010. At the same time, many low-tax Sun Belt states have continued to attract newcomers.

The pandemic may have contributed to population losses in some states as city dwellers with means escaped to rental and vacation homes. Foreign immigration also fell after President Trump suspended new green cards in April. Some states, especially in the Northeast, experienced thousands of more deaths than usual due to Covid.

But the bureau’s annual population estimate captures only the first few months of the pandemic when migration generally declined as most people hunkered down. Geographic mobility increased over the summer and fall, and the pandemic seems to have accelerated migration flows that have been occurring for years. States such as New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and California have counted on foreign immigration offsetting net out-migration. That didn’t happen this year, so many states lost population for the first time in decades.

Author(s): Editorial board

Publication Date: 31 December 2020

Publication Site: Wall Street Journal

U.S. life expectancy fell by a year in the first half of 2020, CDC report finds

Mary Pat Campbell
U.S. life expectancy fell by a year in the first half of 2020, CDC report finds

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Looking further at racial disparities in the data, the gap in life expectancy between non-Hispanic white and Black people widened from 4.1 years in 2019 to six years in the first half of 2020 — the largest gap since 1998.

“The disparities between those populations have been declining consistently, since we began estimating life expectancy, which goes back to 1900,” she said. 

The gap between Hispanic and white non-Hispanic individuals narrowed, however, from three years in 2019 to 1.9 in 2020.

Author(s): Rebecca Sohn

Publication Date: 18 February 2021

Publication Site: Stat News

US life expectancy dropped a full year in first half of 2020, according to CDC

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/health/life-expectancy-fell-pandemic/index.html

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“A year of life expectancy lost doesn’t really give you a true sense of how serious this has been. Millions of life years were actually lost,” Eileen Crimmins, a professor at the University of Southern California who has researched changes in mortality, told CNN. “Covid is on track to cause more deaths than cancer or heart disease, and that’s important.”Most deaths due to Covid-19 have been among older adults, which would have a small effect on overall life expectancy.

But Theresa Andrasfay, a researcher at the University of Southern California who has published work on the potential impact of Covid-19 on life expectancy, notes that while deaths among younger adults may be less common, the numbers are still substantial.

Author(s): Deidre McPhillips

Publication Date: 18 February 2021

Publication Site: CNN

Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates for January through June, 2020

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/VSRR10-508.pdf

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In the first half of 2020, life expectancy at birth for the total U.S. population was 77.8 years, declining by 1.0 year from 78.8 in 2019 (6). Life expectancy at birth for males was 75.1 years in the first half of 2020, representing a decline of 1.2 years from 76.3 years in 2019. For females, life expectancy declined to 80.5 years, decreasing 0.9 year from 81.4 years in 2019 (Figure 1).

Author(s): Elizabeth Arias, Ph.D., Betzaida Tejada-Vera, M.S., and Farida Ahmad, M.P.H.

Publication Date: February 2021

Publication Site: CDC

US life expectancy drops 1 year in first half of 2020 amid coronavirus pandemic, CDC says

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-life-expectancy-drops-year-half-2020-amid/story?id=75965992

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The decline in life expectancy was seen across racial and ethnic groups but was most severe in minorities, with Black Americans losing 2.7 years (from 74.7 to 72.0) and Hispanic Americans losing 1.9 years (from 81.8 to 79.9) during the same period. Meanwhile, white Americans lost less than a year (from 78.8 to 78.0), according to the report.

Hispanic Americans traditionally have the most longevity compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., and provisional estimates show they still do. Hispanics saw their “advantage” in this regard compared to Black Americans increase from 7.1 years in 2019 to 7.9. years in the first six months of 2020, the report said.

Author(s): Morgan Winsor

Publication Date: 18 February 2021

Publication Site: ABC News

U.S. Life Expectancy Fell in First Half of 2020 as Covid-19 Deaths Surged

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-life-expectancy-fell-in-first-half-of-2020-as-covid-19-deaths-surged-11613624460

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U.S. life expectancy declined by a year during the first half of 2020, according to federal figures released Thursday that show the deadly impact of the coronavirus pandemic’s early months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics said life expectancy at birth was 77.8 years as of the end of June based on provisional estimates. The one-year decline from the previous year was the largest drop since World War II, when life expectancy fell 2.9 years between 1942 and 1943. It put life expectancy at its lowest level in the U.S. since 2006.

“It’s very concerning when we see mortality increase to such a degree,” said Elizabeth Arias, a health scientist at the center and a co-author of the report. “It gives you a clear picture of the magnitude of the effect of the Covid pandemic.”

Author(s): Janet Adamy

Publication Date: 18 February 2021

Publication Site: Wall Street Journal

Graphic: A look at hiring activity in 2020

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.pionline.com/interactive/graphic-look-hiring-activity-2020

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Overall hiring activity tracked by Pensions & Investments fell 16.3% to $214.5 billion in 2020. The total number of hires increased to 2,424 in 2020 from 2,220 in 2019. Hires for traditional and alternative asset classes fell 10.4% and 18%, respectively. Activity dipped slightly in the first quarter, but was relatively unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As with prior years, commitments to alternative investment vehicles made up the bulk of the mandates, reaching an all-time high of 1,659, up from 1,493 in 2019. Infrastructure had 146 hires, more than double the level five years ago.

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Real growth: Assets committed to infrastructure have steadily grown over the past 10 years, doubling the amount from five years ago. The number of hires also jumped, from 13 hires in 2010 to 44 hires in 2015 and 133 in 2020.

Author(s): AARON M. CUNNINGHAM

Publication Date: 25 January 2021

Publication Site: Pensions & Investments

More people died on Illinois roads last year than since 2007. Is the pandemic to blame?

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-illinois-more-traffic-deaths-pandemic-20210212-4ybopm6pvbelpeorspd3cxm7gy-htmlstory.html#new_tab

Excerpt:

Nearly 160 more people died on Illinois roads last year than in 2019, making 2020 the deadliest year for Illinois drivers in 13 years, a surge officials say may have been fed by drivers speeding on roads left open by motorists who stayed home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 1,166 people died in motor vehicle crashes in Illinois in 2020, a nearly 16% increase over 2019, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. That’s a provisional number, said IDOT spokesperson Guy Tridgell, since it takes the state agency 12-18 months to finalize annual data.

Illinois traffic fatalities haven’t been that high since 2007, when 1,248 people died, according to recent and historic state data. Deaths include drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Author(s): LESLIE BONILLA

Publication Date: 12 February 2021

Publication Site: Chicago Tribune

2020’s murder increase is ‘unprecedented.’ But is it a blip?

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2020/1214/2020-s-murder-increase-is-unprecedented.-But-is-it-a-blip

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For all its singular tragedy, Ms. Nguyen’s death is part of a tide of gun violence rising from New Orleans to Lubbock, Texas. Coming off a record low in homicides in 2019, New Orleans saw its rate spike by over 50% this year. It is not, by any stretch, an outlier. Lubbock doubled its murder rate, so far, from 2019 to 2020.

To be sure, overall crime has dropped dramatically in the U.S. since the late 1990s. But the 2020 homicide rate “now exceeds the rates of the late ’80s and ’90s, before the big drop,” says Richard Rosenfeld, lead author of “Pandemic, Social Unrest and Crime in US Cities,” a new report. “This round of crime increase is unprecedented.”

This year, 51 cities of various sizes across the U.S. saw an average 35% jump in murder from 2019 to 2020 – a “historically awful” development, says New Orleans-based crime analyst Jeff Asher, who crunched those numbers. A different study looking at 21 U.S. cities found 610 more murders in those jurisdictions this year over last year. In those cities, gun assaults increased by 10% over 2019.

Author(s): Patrik Jonsson

Publication Date: 14 December 2020

Publication Site: Christian Science Monitor