汉普顿路的经济有很多好消息. The steep declines triggered by the pandemic are largely in the rear-view mirror. 区域经济增长强劲回升, the unemployment rate is close to pre-pandemic levels and our population continues to grow, 尽管速度缓慢.
但是，作为24th annual State of the Region Report produced by bet8体育娱乐入口’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy points out, 如果我们能克服一些遗留问题，我们就能达到更高的高度.
这些挑战包括:
- 尽管中国的经济状况正在改善, 汉普顿路落后于许多同级和有抱负的大都市地区.
- The difficulty of finding the right talent at the right time continues to limit employers’ ability to expand.
- 与收入相比，该地区的住房仍然相对昂贵.
- The region still needs to speed up the pace of regional cooperation and eliminate administrative duplication.
- The economy must further diversify to become less reliant on federal government spending, 每10美元的经济活动中，哪一项占了4美元.
该地区在疫情后的经济复苏令人印象深刻. 罗伯特。米. 麦克纳布, 德拉加斯中心主任，该报告的主要作者, noted that the region is on pace for three consecutive years of economic growth, 这是自2007-09年大衰退以来从未发生过的事情.
“如果我们能够克服我们面临的挑战, 有些是我们无法控制的, 然后我们计划在2024年再次增长,” 麦克纳布 told an audience of more than 700 civic and industry leaders during a presentation held in partnership with the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce in downtown Norfolk on Oct. 3.
为什么这很重要??
Regional growth was particularly lackluster in the decade after the Great Recession. 报告指出，从2001年到2019年，我们的经济仅增长了15%.8%，而35%.政府占7%，43%.全国占5%.
“但是突然之间, 我们在21年的活动急剧增加, in ’22, 在1923年, 如果国会能在2024年采取行动(这是值得怀疑的),麦克纳布说. “That means we are setting the conditions for growth to make up for lost ground of the previous decade.”
然而,, while civilian and individual employment finally inched past its pre-pandemic peak this April, it ranks near the bottom when compared with selected peer and aspirant metro areas, 比如里士满, 罗利/卡里, N.C.以及佛罗里达州的杰克逊维尔.
部分原因是该地区对联邦支出的依赖. 麦克纳布和维诺德·阿加瓦尔, 经济学教授兼Dragas中心副主任, both stressed the need to leverage sectors w在这里 jobs not tied to the federal government are growing in Hampton Roads – maritime, 可再生能源, 医疗保健和健康研究, 以及无人系统, 例如.
“如果我们能进入这些正在增长的领域, we could address the issue of our dependence with regards to the federal government,麦克纳布说.
汉普顿路的“三大支柱”——防御, 弗吉尼亚港, and the hospitality and tourism industry – significantly bolstered the local economy. 当地国防开支(27美元).1 billion in 2023) and the amount of cargo moved through the port reached record highs. The hospitality and tourism industry outperformed many markets within the state and nationally.
港口的货运量达到了26.2022年为200万吨，增加19万吨.比2019年大流行前的水平高出2%.
“21年和22年是弗吉尼亚港辉煌的一年, 不管你看的是哪一种表现,阿加瓦尔说. 这在很大程度上是大流行的结果, 他解释说, 当消费者将大部分支出从服务转向耐用品时.
In 2023, 与通货膨胀, 利率上升，消费者在服务上的支出增加, cargo moving through the port has declined only slightly compared with other U.S. 港口.
这个港口的未来看起来很有希望.
“Shipping companies realize the benefits of having a big channel which is open is open 24/7,他说. “随着渠道的拓宽和加深, 我们预计未来几年将出现合理的增长.”
芭芭拉·布莱克·冈萨雷斯, 她是君主学院实习与合作办公室的执行主任 and former chief administrative officer of the Dragas Center, 讨论了美国的临终关怀.S. 和汉普顿路.
她指出，不止1.7 million Medicare patients received hospice care in 2020, including nearly 40,000 in Virginia. Approximately 7,000 Hampton Roads residents 65 or older died in hospice care that year. 通常, this is often intermittent care consisting of daily and/or weekly visitations that last less than an hour.
Over the past several decades, the hospice care industry has transitioned to a for-profit sector. 目前, 66% of hospice care agencies nationally operate on a for-profit basis and may charge more for their services. A substantial driver of this trend has been the growth of large publicly traded for-profit hospice chains, which has raised quality concerns among some policymakers and patient advocates, 报告指出.
Blake said the latest national data indicates that Hampton Roads is one of the largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas without a freestanding hospice house. Unlike hospice services affiliated with or operated within a hospital or healthcare system, freestanding or independent hospices operate as separate entities that exclusively serve individuals within six months of death.
当地每日住院安宁疗护需求估计为45张病床.
汉普顿路的多兹雷兹临终关怀院, 哪家计划在2024年春季开业, 会有助于解决这个问题吗. 9美元.5600万年, 12-private bedroom complex in Virginia Beach will be the region’s first freestanding facility. It will be staffed by professionally licensed medical personnel and trained volunteers around the clock.
随着人口老龄化，对这类设施的需求只会增加.
“We need to think about ‘Does Hampton Roads have enough of the providers to help with those individuals who have come to the end of their life?’”布莱克说。. “我们有足够的空间吗? 我们如何支持他们? 现在，想想数学. 这将是一个12张床的单位. And we’re talking about thousands of people in Hampton Roads that would need these specialized services.”
The State of the Region Report also contains chapters about veterans in Hampton Roads, 公共交通, the pros and cons of subsidizing private facilities and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. 您可以查看演示文稿 在这里. The full report, as well as previous State of the Region re港口, are available at this link.
上图:罗伯特。米. 麦克纳布, economics professor and director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, addresses an audience of more than 700 at the 24th annual State of the Region presentation. 图Chuck Thomas/ODU