Summary:

The data presented in this report show that the last decade was extremely hard for Bay State residents. For the first time since World War II, the Commonwealth ended the decade with fewer jobs and families went without a raise. The report describes how this sour economy created four key hurdles that Massachusetts must now overcome.

Summary:

MassINC's new Middle Class Index looks at how well Massachusetts' middle income residents have been faring over the last decade.

Summary: The purpose of this report is to assess the economic health and well-being of the workers and families in Massachusetts. Much has been written nationally about how the New Economy is affecting working-class and middle-class families, but there is little information at the state level. This research project finds that most middle-class families are working harder today than ever to hold onto their standard of living, despite the economic prosperity of the last decade. In arriving at this conclusion, we examined the economic data of the last twenty years and used the most up-to-date information available from a wide variety of government and other data sources.

Summary: Throughout the 1980s boom and the 1990s recession and slow recovery, the New England economy has been transforming itself. Where once manufacturing was the dominant employer, by 1994, service and retail trade jobs were producing the overwhelming lion's share of job growth throughout the region. New Englanders have made remarkable strides in trying to adapt to these new conditions, but these efforts are being swamped by the rapid changes taking place in the economy. This report examines what has happened to New England families over the past 15 years, which families have gotten ahead in the new economy, and which have fallen behind.