Aug 21, 2024

Hey, it’s still job growth

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The BLS just made a major revision to payroll numbers. Plus, when was the last time inflation was under 3%?

Segments From this episode

Job growth hasn't been as strong as we thought. But it's still growth.

by Caleigh Wells

Aug 21, 2024

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reduced its initial count of new jobs between March 2023 and March 2024 by more than 800,000.

U.S. job growth between early 2023 and early 2024 was almost 30% lower than originally reported.

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The last time inflation was under 3% was March 2021

by Kristin Schwab

Aug 21, 2024

The economy — and life —has changed a lot since.

The world looked very different the last time inflation rates dipped under 3%.

Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

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For this hog farmer, uncertainty in Washington is top of mind

by Kai Ryssdal , Sean McHenry and Maria Hollenhorst

Aug 21, 2024

Will there be a new Farm Bill this year? Will the Federal Reserve cut interest rates? These are a few of the questions top of mind for Brian Duncan, farmer and president of the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Brian Duncan at his hog farm Polo, Illinois

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

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"Newness" is enticing inflation-weary consumers to spend

by Stephanie Hughes

Aug 21, 2024

Retail giant Target appears to be banking on refreshed product lines, which can make shopping feel more like a treasure hunt.

New products, when marketed well, can entice wallet-wary shoppers to spend.

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These U.S. counties had the best and worst employment growth

by Elizabeth Trovall

Aug 21, 2024

Experts say strawberries and RVs were behind some of the most dramatic shifts in the labor market on a county basis.

Elkhart County, Indiana, had the largest decline in local employment, likely tied to its RV manufacturing. “Demand for RVs went crazy coming out of the pandemic, and it's kind of come back down to earth,” says Thomas Walstrum of the Chicago Fed.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

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Adventures in Housing

How ranch-style homes helped build the American dream

by Maria Hollenhorst

Aug 21, 2024

One of the most popular building styles in the U.S. emerged as a lower-cost pathway to homeownership.

The ranch-style home grew in popularity in the '40s and '50s. "It is the face of suburbia America," says architectural historian Mary van Balgooy.

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Music from the episode

"Burn the Witch" Radiohead

"Bassackwards Kurt Vile

"Be Here Now" Oasis

"Gumball Machine Weekend" Yppah

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Sofia Terenzio Assistant Producer

Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer

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