Blog

When economists assess a state’s economic health, private sector employment is one of the clearest signals of momentum. It’s a lagging economic indicator that corresponds to increases in business creation, wage growth, and consumer activity, so when private sector employment is growing robustly, it bodes well for a state’s overall economic outlook and health.  In recent years, Florida has stood out as one of the...

Net AGI Loss to Florida and New Hampshire Quintuples in a Decade as 26-35-Year-Old Outmigration Continues Newly released 2023 IRS migration data – the first full year after the 4 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million took effect – show Massachusetts losing more than double the amount of adjusted gross income...

Sunshine Week is an opportunity to celebrate transparency in government. Unfortunately, this year we once again observe it by pointing out major shortcomings in open government—starting with the Massachusetts Legislature’s continued refusal to practice it. Voters spoke clearly in 2024: they want the...

State Legislature’s Favorability Rating at 28 Percent   BOSTON – A new poll commissioned by Pioneer Institute finds that state government, and the Legislature in particular, are falling far short when it comes to government transparency, and that satisfaction with the Legislature is in free fall.  Only twenty-eight percent of respondents in the poll of Massachusetts residents have a...

Massachusetts faces a growing challenge: K-12 public school enrollment is declining, while the state’s workforce continues to expand. How can smaller school districts maintain robust educational programs and meet the talent needs of the Massachusetts economy? Our new study, Fewer Students, Greater Demand:...

This month’s edition of The House Call discusses results from a state survey of municipalities on accessory dwelling unit permitting activity. It also describes the debate over whether building codes should be reformed to allow some apartment buildings to contain only one staircase.

Elected officials in Massachusetts sure have a lot to say about “democracy” these days.   For those paying attention to goings on around here in recent years, hearing politicians trumpeting their state as a citadel defending democracy and the rule of law, you might be...

BOSTON – State policy is pivotal to the development and availability of online and virtual learning options, and Pioneer Institute’s new Virtual Schools Toolkit provides tactical guidance for developing such policies in the current educational landscape.   “Virtual learning began by serving students...

On Friday, Governor Healey opposed a proposed cut in the personal income tax that would put an average of $1,300 back into people’s pockets. Her claim that it would devastate the budget and gut education is a wild distortion—and it ignores more...

From April 2020 through July 2025, Massachusetts experienced a net loss of approximately 182,000 residents to domestic outmigration — the equivalent of losing one-and-a-half Cambridges. While a recent surge in international immigration temporarily boosted labor force numbers, new research from Pioneer Institute shows that underlying demographic, workforce, and economic challenges continue to threaten the Commonwealth’s long-term competitiveness.