Economic Opportunity

Newly released Census Bureau data show that Massachusetts’ population growth is now entirely dependent on immigration, as domestic out-migration rose again in 2025 and underlying demographic and economic weaknesses reasserted themselves. 

Mayor Wu continues to push her effort to further raise Boston’s commercial property tax rate, even though as of 2022 the city already had the second highest ratio of commercial to residential effective tax rates among the largest cities in each state.  Wu claims that cutting Boston’s budget to...

MassOpportunity Alliance’s new economic modeling of the proposed ballot question to reduce the personal income tax from 5.0% to 4.0% confirms the findings of Pioneer Institute’s November report, Lessons from the 2000 Massachusetts Income-Tax Rollback, which analyzed what actually happened after Massachusetts cut the income tax from 5.95 percent...

BOSTON – Even after statewide legalization in 2024, production of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Massachusetts remains far from that of other states due to local zoning and permitting practices that continue to discourage development, according to a new Pioneer Institute study. 

Our November edition of The House Call covers the dwindling availability of homes on the market in Massachusetts since 2019, even as many other states have seen full recoveries in the number of market listings after COVID. It discusses the implications of lower home availability for buyers and sellers alike and identifies a couple of major solutions.

This edition of The House Call explores new American Community Survey data comparing home values and rents to household incomes in Massachusetts cities. It also discusses a proposed rezoning in Boston that would allow for taller buildings downtown.

This edition of Mapping Mass Migration features an analysis of recently released demographic estimates from the Census Bureau. Our analysis covers how Massachusetts' population has changed since the pandemic by race and age, discussing the state's shrinking youth population, its flat growth among prime-aged working demographics, its growing racial and ethnic diversity, and how it compares to other states. The newsletter concludes with a brief discussion of what implications these trends may have for the Bay State's future population growth.

Pioneer Institute is pleased to join a statement of shared principles organized by the Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C., aimed at enhancing housing availability and affordability nationwide. 

This edition of The House Call breaks down the housing items in Massachusetts' FY2026-FY2030 Capital Investment Plan. It also explains a new policy ordered by the Department of Public Utilities that would require natural gas customers to pay more for new hookups.

Research indicates that tax policy plays a key role in outmigration from Massachusetts, and a new study published by Pioneer Institute highlights six tax reforms that would help the Commonwealth address its outmigration and competitiveness challenges.