Press Releases on the Massachusetts Economy

Six Years Later, Massachusetts Active Home Listings Remain 35% Below Pre-COVID Level

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.

November 10, 2025/by Editorial Staff

New Pioneer Institute Analysis Finds Proposed Massachusetts Income-Tax Cut Unlikely to Cause Major State Revenue Decline

Lessons from the 2000 Massachusetts Income-Tax Rollback: A Reality-Check for the 2025 Ballot Debate is an empirical analysis of Massachusetts revenue data from FY1998–FY2021. The study concludes that a one-point rate reduction is unlikely to produce large, persistent revenue shortfalls, and that long-term fiscal stability depends far more on economic performance than on marginal rate differences.

November 3, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Among Large Massachusetts Cities, Lawrence Had the Highest Home Value to Income Ratio in 2024

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.

October 13, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Massachusetts’ Changing Demographic Landscape

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.

September 18, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Pioneer Institute Joins Pew Charitable Trusts in Call to Expand Housing Affordability

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.

September 15, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Massachusetts’ Capital Investment Plan Earmarks $415 Million for Housing in FY2026

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.

September 8, 2025/by Editorial Staff

New Study Highlights Tax Reforms that Would Enhance Massachusetts’ Competitiveness

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.

August 27, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Despite Statewide Legalization, Boston has a lot of Work to Do to Allow By-Right ADUs Within Its Borders

This edition of The House Call explains why the City of Boston is behind the curve on broadly allowing accessory dwelling units by right, and what it's doing to catch up. The newsletter also explores the (limited) housing options for seasonal workers on Cape Cod and how some employers are housing workers in company-owned buildings.

August 11, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Surge in State Revenue, Growing Expenditures and Inflation

How has state government spending and revenue changed from 2017…

August 7, 2025/by Oliver Dabora

Pioneer Institute Joins Coalition of Business and Taxpayers to Support Affordability, Job and Economic Growth

Boston, MA — The two 2026 ballot proposals filed today—one to lower the state income tax from 5% to 4% over three years, and another to strengthen the state’s tax revenue cap (“62F”)—represent concrete steps to return billions to taxpayers and restore Massachusetts’ economic competitiveness. According to fiscal modeling by the Mass Opportunity Alliance (MOA), of which Pioneer Institute is a founding member, the income tax reduction alone would save the average taxpayer more than $1,300 annually.

August 6, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Massachusetts Local Pensions: Fund Count, Access, and Benefits

Public employee pensions contribute to national savings, representing 21 percent of retirement assets according to the Urban Institute. These pensions help public workers plan and live out retirement, especially the 97 percent of Massachusetts government employees who do not earn Social Security benefits through their current job.

July 31, 2025/by Oliver Dabora

Trump Administration, Congress Offer Vastly Different Visions for the Future of the Housing Choice Voucher Program

This edition of The House Call explores a federal proposal to cut Housing and Urban Development funding by 44 percent, and how it contrasts with a more recent congressional appropriations bill. The newsletter also provides an update on compliance with Massachusetts' multifamily zoning mandate around MBTA stations after the latest deadline.

July 17, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Study Finds MBTA Operating Costs Surging Since Control Board’s Elimination

In the years since fiscal 2018, when the MBTA last balanced its budget without state contract assistance or federal funds, operating costs have been rising at an alarming rate, culminating in an increase of nearly 15 percent from FY 2023 to FY 2024 alone, according to a new policy brief published by Pioneer Institute.

July 14, 2025/by Editorial Staff

New Report Shows Massachusetts Has Been in Economic Slow Down Since 2020

A new report from Pioneer Institute shows that Massachusetts has been in an economic slowdown since 2020, with the professional, scientific, and technical services sector (PSTS) exhibiting the greatest slowdown relative to competitor states since 2022. This sector includes scientific research and development, computer systems design, engineering, and scientific consulting firms.

June 12, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Connecticut’s H.B. 5002: A Stark Contrast With Massachusetts’ Approach to Housing Reform

This edition of The House Call discusses a pending bill in Connecticut that both requires municipalities to plan for more affordable housing and preempts local zoning rules on small multi-family buildings and parking requirements. The newsletter also explores the possible effects of banning landlords from imposing "broker's fees" on residential tenants.

June 9, 2025/by Editorial Staff

New Study Cautions: Rent Control Offers Short-Term Relief, But Steep Long-Term Costs

A new Pioneer Institute study finds that while rent control can lower rental housing costs and help vulnerable tenants remain in their homes, it also carries steep long-term consequences—including reduced housing quality, lower property values, fewer new housing units, and higher rents for non-controlled apartments.

May 7, 2025/by Editorial Staff

New Report Warns: Massachusetts Facing Alarming Decline in Private Sector Employment Growth

While nearly every state has expanded private sector employment since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts is an outlier in experiencing a net decline in private sector job growth, posing significant risks to the state’s economic health and long-term prosperity, according to a new policy brief published by Pioneer Institute.

May 6, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Massachusetts Releases New Permanent Regulations for MBTA Communities Act

The April edition of The House Call provides an update regarding the MBTA Communities Act's implementation, with some communities amending their zoning via either referendum votes or Town Meeting this spring. The newsletter also includes a discussion of communities that have eliminated minimum parking requirements in recent years.

April 15, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Historical Domestic Migration Patterns: Putting Massachusetts in Context

This week's edition of Mapping Mass Migration features an analysis of newly released data from the Census Bureau, its March supplement of the Current Population Survey. Our analysis covers how migration trends have played out nationally since 1948, including the demographics of movers, the extent of their migration (within a county, across counties, to another state, etc.), and the most common reasons movers cite for changing their primary residence. The newsletter concludes with a brief discussion of what might account for a decline in overall migration rates nationally and where Massachusetts fits in.

April 3, 2025/by Editorial Staff

Pioneer Institute Study Finds Outdated U.S. Immigration System Delays Creation of 150,000 Businesses and 500,000 Jobs

Global competitors seizing opportunities to attract top talent

March 19, 2025/by Editorial Staff

The House Call – Cambridge Adopts a Zoning Ordinance Allowing 4 to 6-Story Residential Buildings Citywide

The March edition of The House Call covers recent zoning changes in Cambridge that allow 4 to 6-story buildings on every residential lot. It also summarizes reform recommendations from a state commission tasked with advising the Healey administration on how to ramp up housing production.

March 10, 2025/by Editorial Staff