A DIAGNOSIS OF CHARLOTTE'S COVID ECONOMY
Charlotte Magazine|December 2020
Business Alliance digests data that illustrates how virus has swamped commerce
GREG LACOUR
A DIAGNOSIS OF CHARLOTTE'S COVID ECONOMY

WHAT WE REFER TO AS “the economy,” as if it were a single entity that’s either healthy or sick, is easy to gauge if you think of it as a synonym for the stock market; just check the ticker. The true state of the economy is harder to measure. State unemployment numbers, for example, count people who have filed for benefits. They don’t include those whose benefits have run out, or who have given up on finding work. As with COVID cases, authorities have no way of knowing your condition until you report it to someone who tracks the numbers.

Since mid-March, a consortium of Charlotte-area governments, nonprofits, and companies have taken part in a Charlotte Regional Business Alliance data analysis that tries to clear away the confusion. The project aims to present a fuller, more nuanced picture of our area’s economy under the coronavirus: in manufacturing, tourism, unemployment, consumer spending, and other areas. The CRBA issues a daily digest of COVID-related workplace information and maintains a portal and dashboard on its website (charlotteregion.com; click on “COVID-19 portal” in the upper right corner) with data it regularly updates.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM CHARLOTTE MAGAZINEView all
‘This Is How We're Going to Make Your Child Better'
Charlotte Magazine

‘This Is How We're Going to Make Your Child Better'

Pediatric neurosurgery is technically and emotionally complex—and traditionally dominated by men. As Novant’s first female pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Erin Kiehna Richardson has had to learn the intricacies of a demanding field and battle sexism along the way

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2021
The Dumbledore of CMC
Charlotte Magazine

The Dumbledore of CMC

A surgery resident wrote a series of children’s books and created a special kind of medical magic

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2021
LGBTQ HB2+5
Charlotte Magazine

LGBTQ HB2+5

Five years after the furor of House Bill 2, the LGBTQ community—in Charlotte, in North Carolina, and across much of the nation—fights attacks on new fronts

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2021
Oh, Snap!
Charlotte Magazine

Oh, Snap!

New ‘selfie museum’ in Concord celebrates the 1990s

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2021
ALLISON LATOS
Charlotte Magazine

ALLISON LATOS

The WSOC anchor on her hard trek from one episode of loss and grief to another—and the meaning of resilience

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2021
GOOD HEALTH
Charlotte Magazine

GOOD HEALTH

For years, Charlotte has been one of the largest American cities that lacked a four-year medical school. The health care professionals who finally made it happen overcame a series of setbacks, false starts, and failures, and they plan to use their clean slate to create a new kind of community asset

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2021
Summer Partee
Charlotte Magazine

Summer Partee

From woodwork to retail, the kindergarten teacher-turned-designer has learned how to do it herself

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2021
Uptown or Downtown?
Charlotte Magazine

Uptown or Downtown?

Archives illuminate how long we’ve argued over the perennial question

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2021
NOW OPEN NOVEL ITALIAN
Charlotte Magazine

NOW OPEN NOVEL ITALIAN

Paul Verica brings a simpler version of the city’s hottest food trend to NoDa

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2021
TOP DOCTORS 2021
Charlotte Magazine

TOP DOCTORS 2021

The annual list you can't without

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2021