Taxes are Lowest in TN, Twice as High in CT. Yes, your overall tax bill is still sensitive to where you live. The average share of personal income paid in current Federal, state, and local taxes ranges from a low of 7.8% in state-tax-free Tennessee to a high of 16.3% in Connecticut.
IOGCC just released its latest annual report on oil and gas production from marginal oil and gas wells across the producing states. Download the full report. RegionTrack was pleased to assist IOGCC with the project!
Workers 55 and Over Comprise the Most Vibrant Sector of the U.S. Workforce. Been wondering who has filled the more than 8 million new jobs created since the job recovery began in January 2010? Well, as shown in our pic-of-the-week, two out of three have gone to workers 55 and over. Since the national job recovery began in January 2010, these workers have filled 5.2 million of the 8.15 million net new jobs added in the period.
Weak Gasoline Sales Weighing on Retail Activity but Aiding Consumers. Retail sales at gasoline stations have remained stuck in a holding pattern since early 2011 at about $45 billion per month. Strong domestic crude production coupled with only a modest rebound in vehicle miles driven continue to put steady downward pressure on gasoline prices, and, subsequently, total purchases. Measured as a share of all retail sales, gasoline station sales have declined steadily from just below 12% in early 2011 to only about a 10% share currently.
Has the Shift From Coal to Natural Gas in Electricity Production Stalled? Just ten years ago, coal was used to generate 50% of U.S. electricity while natural gas held only an 18% share. Toss in the shale gas revolution and move forward to early 2012 and you have both coal and natural gas producing 32% of U.S. power each. It appeared natural gas was well on its way to replacing much of the coal-fired production in the U.S.
However, our pic-of-the-week illustrates that since early 2012 the shift has taken a clear short-term breather. Coal has made a small comeback and is now closer to 40% of total production. Natural gas has eased back a bit to just under a 30% share. Is the shift from coal to natural gas over?