Economic Opportunity

A new analysis from ADP Research (reported in the Wall Street Journal) delivers a clear warning for Massachusetts: the Boston–Cambridge–Newton metropolitan area now ranks 48th out of 55 major U.S. metro areas in attracting young workers. The study tracks more than 400,000 workers in their 20s and evaluates metro areas on a simple but decisive set of factors—job availability, affordability, and access to degree-requiring work. On those measures, Boston lands near the bottom. High wages are no longer enough to offset the region’s high cost structure and weaker hiring momentum.

The Commonwealth had the nation’s lowest net business formation rate from 2020 to 2024, losing more than 17,000 employer businesses over nine consecutive quarters 

In Massachusetts, the permitting process for new residential development often slows down housing production and adds unnecessary costs for builders. These costs are then passed onto buyers and tenants, helping to explain why Massachusetts has some of the most expensive housing in the country.  Most residential developments, from single-family...

April 15th is more than a filing deadline – it’s a moment to reflect on how tax policy shapes the economic trajectory of Massachusetts. As residents finalize their returns, a broader question looms: are current tax policies helping the state grow, or quietly pushing people and capital...

Data show the requirements increase rents, reduce housing development 

Massachusetts lost 35,000 private-sector jobs and is one of just six states yet to regain pre-pandemic employment levels  Boston – Data released today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirm that the Commonwealth has lost even more private sector jobs in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic than previously understood.  Pioneer Institute’s March 2025 report Massachusetts at Risk: The Alarming...

New Pioneer brief finds Massachusetts has reported just 20 AI use cases, only three of them directly serving constituents. 

Analysis compares decade-long changes in tax rates, private sector employment, and revenue growth in two competing state economies

At a legislative hearing today before the Special Committee on Initiative Petitions, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios testified on the urgency of addressing Massachusetts’ affordability crisis, slowing job growth, and continued loss of investment, and why a gradual reduction in the...

Historical evidence shows revenues rose after early-2000s tax cuts; FY2002 decline driven by economic shock, not policy