In unprecedented times, decisionmakers benefit from up-to-date data to help guide the formation of thoughtful policies. The following two resources were created to help capture the effects of COVID-19 on individuals, families, and communities across the country.

As communities think through policy and programmatic options to address the current health and economic crises, tools like these below can help gauge the impacts on household earnings, small businesses, and housing insecurity. Using combination of real-time data and likely scenario planning, communities can begin to craft solutions to anticipated local problems.

Household Pulse Survey - U.S. Census Bureau

In mid-May, the U.S. Census Bureau unveiled the first batch of results from an experimental “Household Pulse Survey,” meant to help gauge the economic and social impacts of COVID-19. In collaboration with five federal agencies, the Census Bureau began sending a short questionnaire through text and email messages on April 23. Census plans to collect surveys for a 90-day period and release data on a weekly basis. Currently four weeks of data are available.

According to the survey, nearly half (45.7%) of all Ohioans say they – or another adult in their home – have lost employment income since March 13. Additionally, 32% say they expect someone in their household to experience a loss of income in the next 4 weeks.

The Household Pulse Survey also covers food security, health, education, and housing. For example, the survey found that 20% of renters and 10.8% of owners with a mortgage did not make their last monthly payment or had the rent/mortgage payment deferred. On top of that, 44% of renters and 11.5% of owners lack confidence that they will be able to pay next month’s costs. This after the Census Bureau reported that the national homeownership rate was at a 7-year high as of Q1 2020. In Ohio, the homeownership rate rose to its highest level since 2011, which signaled growing economic stability across the state prior to the Coronavirus crisis.

The Census Bureau lets users explore data at national and state levels through its interactive tool.

Economic Tracker - Opportunity Insights

Opportunity Insights, a nonpartisan research and policy institute based at Harvard University, launched the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker in early May to present real time analysis of economic data, like consumer spending and job postings. The tracker pulls and continually updates data from several sources, including some private companies who have agreed to share aggregate data with Opportunity Insights.

The tracker allows decisionmakers to quickly identify trends and respond with thoughtful policy solutions. The tool also allows users to compare current metrics to equivalent rates before the pandemic. For example, as of May 10, total spending by all consumers in Ohio decreased by 13.8% compared to early January 2020, with the biggest spending reduction in arts, entertainment, and recreation spending (-75.8%).

For some series, the data is available at the county and metro level.