Craig Helmstetter

My latest, for @mprnews.org

How abnormal are the revisions in this month’s jobs report? — APM Research Lab A look at revisions to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs report data in light of President Donald Trump's firing of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer.

New on #LabNotes

www.apmresearchlab.org/blog/how-abn... by @craigstetter.bsky.social

Wow!

After a Weak Jobs Report, Trump Says He’s Firing That Agency’s Commissioner

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

NEW on The Marketplace Dozen

July #JobsReport data show

🧑‍💼 Unemployment: Up slightly to 4.2%
👷‍♀️ Jobs: Up 73,000 (+.05%) since June
💰 Average hourly wage $36.44: Up $0.12 (+0.33%) since June

More: www.marketplace.org/data via @marketplace.org

Inflation data just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen

💸 Personal Consumption Expenditures 💸

The June PCE price index increased 0.3% since May, 2.6% from one year ago

Excluding food & energy, the core PCE increased 0.3% since may, 2.8% from one year ago

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

Just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen:

🏦 Federal Funds Rate 🏦

Today the FOMC voted to hold rates steady. See the data:

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

Just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen:

🏭 Gross domestic product 🏭

The Bureau of Economic Analysis' newly-issued 2nd quarter 'advance estimate' shows real GDP increased by an annual rate of 3 percent! (following to an annualized 0.5% decrease in Q1)

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

Our latest, via @marketplace.org

Climate change is pushing up the cost of Florida's crops The price of oranges, for example, has increased by 26% since 2019 due to rising labor costs, lingering supply chain issues, and climate change.

Florida is one of the country’s top producers of fruits and vegetables. Historically, the state’s warm climate has made it ideal for agriculture. But climate change has already altered patterns of temperature and precipitation.

And that's pushing up prices.

Dozens of Questions: Is climate change a driver of inflated food prices? Lessons from Florida — APM Research Lab Experts cite various contributors to the rise in food prices, including rising labor costs and lingering supply chain issues from the pandemic. One potential culprit that may not be immediately obviou...

The latest in our "Dozens of Questions" series, from our Ten Across data journalism fellow, Maya Chari:

www.apmresearchlab.org/10x/dozens-o...

Federal data has been disappearing under Trump There’s been a “targeted, surgical removal of data sets, or elements of data sets, that are not aligned with the administration’s priorities,” said Denice Ross at the Federation of American Scientists...

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0... via @marketplace.org

Little evidence of a COVID-19 ‘summer surge’ so far in Minnesota National data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are showing increases in COVID-19 activity. But data from the state’s health department show continued low numbers of COVID-19 hospita...

Hospitalization and mortality data from the Minnesota Department of Health do not signal a COVID-19 flare-up in the state so far this summer. U of MN wastewater measurements of the disease, however, are trending upward.

www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0... by @craigstetter.bsky.social via @mprnews.org

Success for All gets kids reading. Why don’t more schools use it? The school reform program, first developed in the 1980s, has been declining in popularity for the past two decades — even though a mountain of research shows it gets great results, especially when it ...

The school reform program Success for All, first developed in the 1980s, has been declining in popularity for the past two decades — even though a mountain of research shows it gets great results, especially when it comes to elementary reading skills.

Read why: www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...

Here's @katereports.bsky.social on the impact of her reporting on Illinois hospitals.

Full story: www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...

Just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen:

🏠 Median home sales prices in the U.S. is now $373,125, up by 2.4% May-June and up 2.6% in past year

🏢 Average rent in the U.S. is now $2,069, up 0.3% May-June and up 2.9% in past year

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

Just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen:

⛽ The average price of a gallon of gas ($3.31) stayed level May-June, and is 8.2% lower than 12 months ago

🍳 The average price of a dozen eggs ($3.78) fell by 17% May-June, but remains 39% higher than 12 months ago

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

After quitting antidepressants, some people suffer surprising, lingering symptoms Some people say antidepressants left them with debilitating symptoms for years — even decades — after going off the medications. Their ranks are growing online as they push for recognition and researc...

Some people say antidepressants left them with debilitating symptoms for years — even decades — after going off the medications. Their ranks are growing online as they push for recognition and research. www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...

NIHCM Selects New Cohort of Journalism Grantees The new cohort of NIHCM Journalism grantees is an impressive array of reporters from top national and local, digital and audio media outlets, and lead...

Proud to be on the stellar list of @nihcm.bsky.social journalism grantees!
Led by @egawthrop.bsky.social, the grant will allow us to dig into opioid use, specifically identifying areas that have been most successful in lowering opioid-related ER admissions
Thanks #NIHCM!
nihcm.org/news/nihcm-s...

📉The stock market 📈

Major indices closed down for the day yesterday, but are up over the past month and year.

More at The @marketplace.org Dozen

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

Gas is much more expensive in San Diego than in Houston. Does this affect commuting habits? — APM Research Lab A gallon of gas currently costs about $2.00 more in San Diego, California, than it does in Houston, Texas. Both are heavily car-dependent cities, and average commute times are slightly longer in Houst...

Gas currently costs about $2.00 more in San Diego than it does in Houston. Both are heavily car-dependent cities, but housing costs and urban sprawl also factor in to the commute-time equation.

NEW from our Ten Across data journalism fellow, Maya Chari

www.apmresearchlab.org/10x/dozens-o...

NEW on The Marketplace Dozen

June #JobsReport data show

🧑‍💼 Unemployment: changed little at 4.1%
👷‍♀️ Jobs: Up by 147,000 (+.09%) since May
💰 Wages: Up $0.08 (+0.22%) since May

More: www.marketplace.org/data via @marketplace.org

Are migrating retirees contributing to rising Sun Belt housing costs? — APM Research Lab Sun Belt states, especially Florida and Arizona, have seen an influx in retirees. How is this affecting the housing market?

In her latest "Dozens of Questions" article -- this one on rising housing costs in the sunbelt -- our Ten Across data journalism fellow, Maya Chari, finds that "we might not be able to blame the Boomers for this one"

More: www.apmresearchlab.org/10x/dozens-o...

How are Trump’s auto parts tariffs affecting the broader economy? Mexico, the United States’ biggest foreign source of auto parts, is largely exempt from tariffs — but prices are still likely to rise, experts say.

Mexico and Canada have largely avoided auto parts tariffs, but levies on imports from other regions remain in place.

Now, industry experts say car prices are likely to rise — even for vehicles made in North America and not subject to those tariffs.

Also available via @marketplace.org
www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

How are Trump’s auto parts tariffs affecting the broader economy? — APM Research Lab President Donald Trump made economic waves earlier this year when he announced a 25% tariff on imported automobiles and parts. Those announced tariffs have since been walked back. In fact, new inflati...

Maya Chari digs into the question: "How are Trump’s auto parts tariffs affecting the broader economy?"

Today's new inflation numbers show consumer prices continuing to creep up. But not so much for "motor vehicles and parts"

More: www.apmresearchlab.org/10x/dozens-o...

Just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen:

💸INFLATION 💸

May readings of PCE show annual rate of inflation up just slightly to 2.3% (or 2.7% by the core PCE, excluding more volatile food and energy prices)

More: www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

Just updated on The @marketplaceapm Dozen:

🏭 Gross domestic product 🏭

The Bureau of Economic Analysis' third revision of GDP, 1st Quarter 2025, results in a slightly lower annualized growth rate: -0.5%

More: www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

The Marketplace Dozen Easy, regularly updated data about the U.S. economy, including many of the numbers we use in our reporting.

Just updated on The @marketplace.org Dozen:

State-level data for May…
🧑‍💼 Unemployment: 1.8% (SD) to 5.9% (DC)
👷‍♀️ Jobs (monthly change): -0.4% (CT) to +0.4% (NM)
💰 Ave. hourly wage: $28 (MS) to $53 (DC)

More: www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

a pink envelope with the words sent via e-mail below it Alt: a pink envelope with the words sent via e-mail below it

We know you like FACTS in your FEED

How about INFORMATION in your IN-BOX??

Sign up for our FREE monthly newsletter:

cloud.connect.americanpublicmedia.org/apm_research...

Yes, it is FREE

COVID-19 in MN: Key data — APM Research Lab Easy, regularly updated, access to key data about the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota, including graphs about: hospitalizations, deaths, and regional wastewater analysis.

This week's health dept. data show declines in COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths in Minnesota

Similarly, new U of MN wastewater data show that COVID-19 levels are low & declining in most regions of the state.

More: www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/mn-key... for @mprnews.org