Policy Analysis | September 2020

Spread of COVID-19 within Regions of the United States

Mikko Lindberg and Roger Moore

Last updated: September 10, 2020 (next update: September 24, 2020)

Disclaimer: The research presented here draws upon statistics used by a wide range of governmental and media agencies. Many concerns have been raised about the over-reporting and under-reporting of positive cases of COVID-19 and deaths attributed to COVID-19. This SLC Policy Analysis does not address these concerns and utilizes only the numbers that are known.

A multitude of governmental, private and nonprofit research entities are closely monitoring the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)^1,2 – across the United States on city, county, state and national levels. However, until recently, a limited amount of research existed for how the virus has circulated on a regional basis.³

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Policy Analysis | September 2020

Unemployment in the SLC Region Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Roger Moore

Last updated: September 10, 2020 (next update: September 25, 2020)

Disclaimer: The research presented draws upon statistics used by the U.S. Department of Labor to monitor weekly unemployment data. Many concerns have been raised regarding states' difficulties processing the large and sudden influx of unemployment insurance claims following restrictions that were enacted beginning in mid-March to stop the spread of COVID-19. This SLC Policy Analysis does not address these concerns and utilizes only the data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information about what actions state unemployment agencies are taking in response to the coronavirus, see the SLC Policy Analysis "Coronavirus Response at State Unemployment Agencies."

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Policy Analysis | September 2020

Trade in the SLC Region Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Roger Moore

The COVID-19 pandemic upended global economic activity in the first quarter of 2020. Although the long-term impact of the pandemic remains unknown, the profound economic shocks experienced beginning in March, with widespread business closures and restrictions on movement, are expected to reverberate into 2021 and, possibly, beyond. In April, at the height of the pandemic, the World Trade Organization predicted that international trade could contract anywhere between 13 percent and 32 percent in 2020, as the flow of goods ground to a halt.¹

By highlighting export and import data, as reported monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau, this SLC Policy Analysis depicts how the pandemic has impacted the U.S. economy. The data includes:

1. Bi-monthly changes in imports and exports from July 2019 through January 2020;
2. Bi-monthly changes in imports and exports from the beginning of 2020 until the most recent month for which data is available, currently July 2020; and
3. Year-over-year changes in imports and exports during the most recent month for which data is available, currently July 2020.

Importantly, the monthly data provided by the Census Bureau only includes commodities. Exports and imports of services – such as travel and transportation, telecommunications, financial services and cultural activities, to name a few – are not included in the monthly data sets. Services account for a significant share of overall U.S. economic activity and have similarly been affected by the coronavirus-induced economic downturn.²

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