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September 20, 2018 September 24, 2018 - by Alex - 6 Comments.
You have just completed 10 miles of your 30 mile backpacking trip. Woo hoo! You have 5 more miles to go today and it is time for a break. There is a slight pain on your feet. Removing your shoe and sock, you see a balloon-like, red swell of skin on the sole of your foot. Uh oh, it's a blister.
In this article, a Guide to Preventing Toe, Foot, and Heel Blisters Hiking, you will learn all about preventing and treating blisters before they get out of hand and ruin your outdoor adventure.
If you are planning a multi day backpacking adventure, then blisters probably won't be the only challenge you will encounter on the trail. I recommend brushing up on some backpacking basics in one of my previous articles. A back to basics motto is what makes the experts, well, the experts.
How Do You Get Blisters in the First Place?
The real question is, though, how do you get blisters in the first place? They don't just spring out of holes in the ground. In reality, you can get blisters all sorts of ways. If you hike and a bug bites you, a bunch of blisters may end up popping up on the patch of skin. You can also get them from skin conditions or allergies.
Much more commonly though, your blister will be the result of friction, direct pressure, and moisture.
If you have taken a Physics class, then you know friction results when two objects rub together, creating heat. Your hands warm up when you rub them together. If you rub those hands together for too long though, the top layer of skin will loosen and tear. That is similar to what happens in your boot when you hike. Your foot rubs up against the inside of your shoe and it helps to cause a blister.
But there is more to it than just that, direct pressure comes into play. It acts to increase the intensity of damage between your skin and the bottom of your boot or another piece of skin. You can get it from a tight fitting boot.
On top of all the other two, you can find moisture. When you hike, you sweat. When you walk, you sweat. It is exercise. The reason we wear socks is to absorb the moisture, acting as a preventative measure for a blister outbreak. Sweat and water, if you have gone through a puddle or stream, dampen the skin, making it easier for a blister to form.
The best blister is the one you don't get. It is as simple as that. When you take the time to prevent blisters now, you save yourself a lot of pain down the trail. The journey becomes more enjoyable and you can focus on the pleasure of hiking through the landscape you see before you.
Broken in boots block a blister. New boots or hiking shoes are not loose. They will stick to your skin and increase the friction and pressure, providing the perfect cesspool for blisters. You need to make sure the boots you wear fit you. This prevents slippage, stopping pressure points in their tracks.
Solid socks seal the sailor. Good socks are going to be synthetic or wool. Both handle moisture well. Cotton, though, should be avoided; when you wear cotton, the water sticks to you, creating the impetus for blisters to form. Your socks need to fit too. Small socks create slippage for friction and pressure points. Large ones create wrinkles. They need to mold to the skin. Darn tough is the best brand for hiking socks, holding its own in tough conditions and giving you the comfort you need. I recommend it.
An extra pair of socks keep your feet warm. When I hike, I always bring a second pair of socks with me. I like to keep my feet dry and warm. One is hanging on my backpack to dry while I wear the other pair. It is a perfect combination.
If you notice a patch of red or feel a hot spot, treat it quickly. This is the precursor to a full-blown blister. If you do not treat it now and continue to hike, you will see a blister creep up. You have to deal with it now. A hot spot can be felt. It is a slight tinge you notice when you take a short break. Fortunately though, I have some steps to protect your feet.
Use a blister gel. My go to for all my outdoor scratches and bruises is Neosporin. It is a godsend, taking care of all my wounds and healing me up really quick. I recommend it above all others. You can use a blister gel, but Neosporin is the most versatile.
Put on a fresh pair of socks. If you have ever taken a shower and put on clean clothes, you feel like a million bucks because you're clean and the clothes are clean. You can do anything. Your feet, too, will feel better when they have a clean pair of socks on them.
Moleskin is a pre cut blister dressing. This will take the direct friction and pressure off of your red-hot spot patch, making it a great anti blister remedy in any hiker's arsenal.
Air out your feet and wash them regularly. Just because you are hiking does not mean you cannot give your royal feet some good rest and relaxation. You know what I am saying? You deserve it. At the same time, the much-needed R&R will go a long way in preventing blisters. A dip in the stream or Epsom salt water will go a long way.
It is okay to get a blister. You get caught up in the beauty of the hike, seeing all the incredible landscape before you and forgetting to take care of your feet in the process. It happens. Every outdoor expert I know of has had a blister at some point or another. It is all a matter of treating it.
Spenco 2nd Skin Blister Kit, I recommend this. While I have not used the product myself, the reviews I have seen have been nothing but phenomenal. The biggest complaint has been the amount inside the package. The customer just needed more. It is an all in one package. If you want to treat your blisters, it has everything for blisters.
Gauze or Neosporin, both are great disinfectants for a wound. They clean the skin and soften the pain, making the journey ahead easier.
Band aids, these are indispensable.
Duct tape or medical tape, if given the choice between the two, I would choose the former every time. Duct tape is a versatile friend on the trail. Not only can it act as a band aid for you in a pinch, but it can patch up fabric hole in no time flat, making your life a lot easier.
Mini first aid kit, without a doubt, one of these puppies will have all the gear inside needed to treat a blister and more. It is a versatile friend when hiking outdoors, giving you the peace of mind to sleep well at night.
Needle or safety pin, either one is essential for popping a blister. If you pop a blister with just your hands, you risk tearing apart perfectly fine skin.
Small medical scissors, these are needed to remove dead skin and clear the affected area.
Should You Pop it like its Hot?
It is a tough choice to pop a blister, spilling out fluid and exposing raw skin to the stresses of a hike. You need to avoid popping a blister as much as possible. Only do so as a last resort. A popped blister makes the journey a lot more difficult. When a blister is popped, you create an opening for infection.
If you have not popped it and are hesitant to do so, you can treat a blister by following steps 4 and 5. They are the essence of blister treatment.
Before you pop it, disinfect the area. This prevents any bugs and infections from dropping into your body through the open wound.
Grab a needle or safety pin and sterilize it with alcohol or heat. Heat and alcohol kill germs. Go the extra mile and do the same for your hands too. I have popped a blister with my hands before, but only because I did not have a needle on hand. If you go this route, sterilize your hands. You have been hiking and your hands are quite dirty and risk infection.
Insert the needle and drain the fluid. Be careful here. You want to insert the needle or pin just far enough that it punctures the blister for the fluid to escape. If you go too close, you risk a deeper wound.
Treat it like you would a normal wound. This means putting on ointment like Neosporin or something similar to disinfect the wound and applying a bandage. Gauze also works in place of neosporin.
Put on some moleskin or an extra layer. Underneath the affected area, you have raw skin. It is very vulnerable and sensitive. It needs extra protection against the elements to heal in the best manner possible. Moleskin will do that, shielding you from the pain.
Blisters happen. You should not let them stop you from having a good time. They are just a small part of hiking outdoors. You will encounter them. It is part of the adventure though. Be sure to pack a blister treatment kit, so you can focus on what really matters, the escape to the outdoor world.
Previous Article 5 Tips for Hiking in the Rain – Get the Best Rain Jacket!
Ouch! Sounds so painful. I will have to keep this in mind for when I go on my next hiking trip. Actually, I've never been hiking but I want to. Do you have any content about where the best places to go hiking are? Those pictures are stunningly beautiful. I would love to be there. Just look at the ocean view!
Yes, a blister can be very painful Staci. Hiking is just marvelous. If you are looking for places to go, check out my Places to Go category. It details a variety of wonderful national parks and hikes. Adventure is just outside your door step. I appreciate the question.
Thanks for this interesting and informative article. One thing you missed out is to buy the right kind of well fitting hiking boots. Perhaps another blog post?
I am glad to hear you enjoyed the article Wiebren. I briefly mentioned to choose boots that fit you, but I agree with you that it is a topic for another blog post. It is important to explore how to choose proper hiking boots in more detail. I appreciate your thoughts.
Good information on how to prevent blisters in the harsh environment of hiking in the mountains. It makes sense that cotton socks can make thing worse.
Working the chemical plants, we due a lot of walking and climbing which is similar to the conditions of a hike. When it's in the summer heat of the Houston area, it is harsh on every part of your body and more so to the feet!
We find that the best defense against foot problems is a very good pair of boots and the socks are just as important, best is the type of sock wicks the moisture away from your skin. Will have to try the darn tough brand you mentioned to see how they work here.
Liked your descriptions and really enjoyed the pics, it was like getting away for a few minutes.
I am glad to hear you found the information helpful. You would be surprised how many people do not know the downsides of cotton socks. It is staggering.
Wow! I am impressed you work at a chemical plant. It is good to know. Texas can get very hot in the Summer. I am glad to hear you have experience with blisters, so you know how to ward them off.
It is good to know you got away for a few minutes with this article. I am really happy to know that. I aim to do that with every article.


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Tag Archives: Economic development
July 3, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
For the Wichita metropolitan area in May 2019, the labor force is up, the number of unemployed persons is up, the unemployment rate is unchanged, and the number of people working is up when compared to the same month one year ago. Seasonal data shows declines in labor force and jobs from April.
Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a slowing employment situation for the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Click charts and tables for larger versions.
Total nonfarm employment rose from 300,000 last May to 303,200 this May. That's an increase of 3,200 jobs, or 1.1 percent. (This data is not seasonally adjusted, so month-to-month comparisons are not valid.) For the same period, employment in the nation grew by 1.5 percent. The unemployment rate in May 2019 was 3.5 percent, same as one year ago.
Considering seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, the labor force fell by 402 persons (0.1 percent) in May 2019 from April 2019, the number of unemployed persons fell by 57 (0.5 percent), and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent. The number of employed persons not working on farms fell to 299,023 in May from 299,368 the prior month, a decline of 345 persons, or 0.1 percent.
The following chart of the monthly change in labor force and employment shows a general decline over the past year, then two consecutive months of losses for both measures.
The following chart of changes from the same month one year ago shows six consecutive months of decline in the rate of growth of both employment and labor force. The values are growing, but at a slower pace each month.
Economic developmentEconomicsGreater Wichita PartnershipSedgwick county governmentWichita city government
The Wichita transit center application
June 27, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
The City of Wichita has made an application to the federal government for funding for a new transit center.
Breaking: The Wichita Eagle has reporting on the city's modification of plans today. Click on Wichita abandons parking garage plan, could buy developer's property west of stadium instead.
The City of Wichita has submitted an application to the Federal Transit Administration for a project described as "Delano Multimodal Center and Park-N-Ride." The application was supplied in several documents. I've combined them in what I hope is the correct order. Click here to view.
Map submitted with application. Click for larger.
The "Demonstration of Need" section starts with this: "The successful approval of the City of Wichita application will transform public transit in our city as we know it. Not only would a new, multi-modal center be key to the growth of the west bank area and mitigate increased traffic, it would replace our old and antiquated transit center."
Of note, the application mentions a partnership "consisting of private a sports complex." I had thought that the City of Wichita would own the new baseball stadium.
Following is more material from this section of the application:
This center is envisioned as containing transit amenities to handle connections from commuter service, connect-ability to the downtown circulator, transfer points to routes meeting education, employment and economic development key to the growth of the west bank area of the Arkansas River. Also integral to the boom in this area is a new multi-million dollar public-private economic partnership consisting of private a sports complex and other economic drivers slated to open in April of 2020. All of which presents countless public transit opportunities. Designed to rest in an urban setting, the development will have limited on-site parking and public transit will be key in providing accessibility for patrons.
With an evolving Wichita Transit and the growth of areas west and east of the city center, it is vital that services connect those areas to downtown employment (which exceeds 5,000 jobs) and to large employers (exceeding 11,000 people). The multi-modal transit center will provide vast opportunities that will meet and enhance Wichita's education, employment and economic development needs An increase in demand for this types of service could see a huge advantage in the existence of a multi-modal center that contains transit-oriented development (TOD) space, up to 543 parking spaces as well as connect-ability to transit. This also becomes a quick charge area for our electric bus fleet (11 on order and a new application for more), improves access to our bike share program as well as any potential autonomous circulators which become possible with this type of facility.
Wichita Transit continues to explore and adopt new and innovative modes of transportation. However, our aged and outdated transit center, located at William and Emporia Streets is an old design that doesn't always meet our ever increasing needs. Due to its inner city location, it requires constant policing and also sits less than 100 feet from Intrust Arena which hosts numerous events that necessitate closing the streets around the center; making bus operations next to impossible with foot traffic, cars and event activities so close. The land has also seen a significant increase in its value and will eventually be landlocked by future economic development by the private sector, further reducing accessibility. The multi-modal center will be a multi-functional transit center that works in today's modern world.
Without this funding, it will be extremely difficult to fund a multi-modal center. The funding mix utilized for capital purchases up to now (FTA sections 5307 & 5339, and FHWA's Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion, Mitigation, and Air Quality (CMAQ), etc.) is not sufficient to close the funding gap to replace the transit center, as they are earmarked for normal operations (preventive maintenance, planning, operations, and other capital needs such as fare-boxes, bus IT needs, lift systems, support vehicles, security projects and bus replacements). Possible future CMAQ or STP funding will not be available to Wichita Transit until after 2020, but planned uses of eligible funds in 2021 and 2022 is for para-transit van replacement.
In 2017, Wichita Transit forged many partnership initiatives to increase economic and mobility opportunities for the Wichita community, partnerships that resulted in a 9% increase in fixed route ridership in 2018. Our partners include USD259, Wichita State University (WSU), WSU Tech, Regional Economic Area Partnership (REAP) and Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas. In order for these minor accomplishments to become major successes it is essential that we create an impactful sustainable public transit system. This multi-modal facility would go a long way toward achieving that goal.
Above all, there is a latent demand for public transportation that is not met by the present system. While changing attitudes about automobile ownership and driving are evident among the younger population, schedules and route coverage limit expanded ridership. To date, the hub-and-spoke system has limited Wichita Transit from playing a role in adding jobs and residents downtown or creating links between employers and employees in the area workforce.
Wichita Transit has significant capital funding needs; needs that are also funded from the federal apportionment. Using the apportionment to fund operating costs is starving funding needed for capital replacements. The current transit service, system design, route configurations can be challenging for all but the most dedicated riders, who are most often transit-dependent. Providing a sustainable service level reflective of the results of citizen engagement efforts and generating improved outcomes. comparable to the local commitment to public transportation found in other communities.
Service improvement scenarios have been identified in addition to the current system – Introducing a modified grid system to improve connectivity, eliminate transfers, and shorten travel times, express bus services from Andover, Derby, Park City and West Wichita or Goddard would be introduced. Local service would also be extended to the City of Maize and Haysville.
Service enhancements would be expected to generate outcomes, including increased citizen satisfaction with the level of transit services, improved financial sustainability, and increased ridership, particularly ridership supporting downtown and economic development purposes.
Economic developmentWichita city councilWichita city government
Wichita population, according to Mayor Longwell
It is unfortunate that Wichita city and metro populations are falling. It is unimaginable that our city's top leader is not aware of the latest population trends.
In May, Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell told viewers of the KPTS Television program Call the Mayor that he was not aware of the latest United States Census Bureau estimates of population for Wichita. (A transcript of this portion of the program is below.)
Mayor Longwell said he wasn't aware of the estimate, telling the audience, "census estimates are different than the census." Absolutely correct. The census, which is an attempt to count the population, happens only once every ten years, while census estimates for population are produced annually. With only decennial data, we wouldn't know much about recent developments.
Estimates are important. We use them in numerous circumstances when producing a count would be expensive. Mayor Longwell said he hasn't seen estimates for population, but he knows the unemployment rate for Wichita. That is also an estimate produced by a different branch of the federal government. The city uses many estimates. The "City Overview" section of the budget document starts with: "Wichita, the largest city in Kansas with a population 389,965 …" The footnote gives the source of the data as "2015 Census population estimates."
On Call the Mayor, Longwell said, "our population in Wichita has grown from 2000 by nearly 40,000 people." Interestingly, if the mayor doesn't want to use estimates, he should have said the City of Wichita population grew by about 30,000, as that is the difference between the 2010 and 2000 census counts. Based on the estimate of city population for 2018, growth has been almost 37,000.
Wichita and top 100 city population, annual change, through 2018. Click for larger.
It's too bad that the mayor doesn't know the latest population estimates, because they don't hold good news. The City of Wichita proper lost 1,052 in population from 2017 to 2018, a decline of 0.27 percent. 1 For the same period, the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area population fell by 740 persons, or 0.11 percent. Net domestic migration for the Wichita metro area showed a loss of 3,023 persons, or 0.47 percent of the population. This change, on a proportional basis, was 301st among the 383 largest metro areas. 2
Wichita's unemployment rate is low, and has been declining
One of the reasons the Wichita unemployment rate is low is because of a declining labor force. As can be seen in the nearby chart, the unemployment rate (green line) has fallen — and by a lot — since the end of the last recession in 2009. (Click here for an interactive version of the chart.) But the unemployment rate depends on two things, one being the labor force as the denominator of a fraction, or ratio. If the denominator (labor force) falls at a greater rate than the numerator, the unemployment rate will fall. That is what has happened in Wichita.
Wichita labor force and employment. Click for larger.
For example, on January 1, 2010, the labor force in Wichita was 320,287 and the number of unemployed persons was 28,523, resulting in an unemployment rate of 8.9 percent. The number of employed persons was 291,764.
Then, on April 1, 2019, the labor force in Wichita was 311,114 (falling by 9,173 or 2.9 percent) and the number of unemployed persons was 11,576 (falling by 16,947 or 59.4 percent), resulting in an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent. The number of employed persons was 299,538 (rising by 7,774 or 2.7 percent).
If, for example, the current labor force was the same size as on January 1, 2010, and we have the same number of employed people as we do today, there would be 20,749 unemployed people, and the unemployment rate would be 6.5 percent instead of 3.7 percent. (We don't know what would have happened had the labor force not fallen, but this is an example of how the arithmetic works.)
This is unfortunate
It is unfortunate that the city and metro populations are falling. It is unimaginable that our city's top leader is not aware of the latest population trends. These numbers are easy to find. Until recently, they would be reported in local news media.
But the city has an economic development staff that ought to be aware of these numbers. There is the Greater Wichita Partnership, responsible for shepherding economic development. There is a city manager, assistant city manager, six city council members, and a fleet of bureaucrats. Didn't any of these people know the population has declined? If not, why not?
And if any knew the population was declining and didn't tell the mayor, well, that's another problem.
Transcript from Call the Mayor, May 30, 2019
Host: We have a Facebook question from Bob. Could you please comment on the recent US Census Bureau population estimates for the city of Wichita and Wichita metro stat area for the year ending July 1, 2018. It's very specific but the latest on the census for Wichita.
Longwell: So the census estimates are different than the census and so I'm not I haven't seen the census estimate data specifically. I know the region … Wichita is becoming a destination for health care and so you're starting to see many people in rural Kansas migrate to big cities and we're no different. I know that our population in Wichita has grown from 2000 by nearly 40,000 people and so we will continue to see that growth and right now we need more people. We need people to fill these jobs that are in Wichita. Our unemployment's at historic low right now.
To view the program on YouTube starting at the point of this question, click here.
Weeks, Bob. Wichita population, 2018. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/economics/wichita-city-population-2018/. ↩
Weeks, Bob. Wichita population falls; outmigration continues. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/wichita-government/wichita-population-falls-outmigration-continues/. ↩
Economic developmentGreater Wichita PartnershipJeff LongwellWichita city councilWichita city government
Wichita and other airports
How does the Wichita airport compare to others?
The nearby chart shows data starting in 2010 for Wichita and selected airports, as well as all U.S. airports. For all measures except load factor, Wichita is at or near the bottom. Often the trend for Wichita underperforms the other airports, too.
It is not too surprising that the Wichita airport lags others, as the Wichita economy has been underperforming, even losing jobs in 2017. Now we know that the metropolitan area and city proper have lost population.
Local business leaders have formed a campaign to promote using the airport. The statistics in this chart and the visualization end shortly before that campaign started.
This chart was created from a visualization holding data from TranStats, a service of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), which is the independent statistical agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). While monthly data is available, this visualization holds annual totals through 2018.
The visualization holds data for all U.S. airports with scheduled flights. To view and use the interactive visualization, click here.
Wichita and selected airports. Click for larger.
Economic developmentGreater Wichita PartnershipWichita city governmentWichita Regional Chamber of Commerce
New metropolitan rankings regarding knowledge-based industries and entrepreneurship
New research provides insight into the Wichita metropolitan area economy and dynamism.
The Walton Family Foundation has released a study titled "The Most Dynamic Metropolitans," saying it is new research ranking the economic performance of metropolitan areas in the Heartland and across the country. 1
Of the study, the authors write "Our Most Dynamic Metropolitan Index, and the analysis contained in this report provides objective insight into the communities providing economic opportunity for their residents, separating high performers from the low. Most Dynamic Metropolitans provides fact-based metrics on near-term and medium-term performance and prospects for long-term growth. The index allows economic development officials the ability to monitor their metro's vivacity relative to others on a national basis or within their region and state."
In the overall rankings, Wichita was number 319 of 379 metropolitan areas examined. Of note, this research recognizes the importance of young firms:
While most of our metrics are commonly used indicators of economic development, the young firm employment ratio is a relatively new measure. We use factor analysis to test our hypothesis that the ratio is an indicator of longer-term economic growth. Factor analysis is a statistical tool that can derive categories, called factors, from several variables by finding the ways clusters of variables move together. A factor analysis on all of our metrics tells us that we generally have the two factors we claimed to have above: one closely relating to variables such as 2016-2017 growth in average annual pay and 2017-2018 job growth. The second most closely relating to per-capita personal income, 2013-2017 growth in real GDP, 2013-2017 average annual pay growth and the young firm employment ratio. Thus, our hypothesis regarding the young firm employment ratio seems valid.
There have been some rankings showing Wichita doing well in jobs at young firms. 2 That's good, as young firms — which are different from small business — are vitally important to economic growth. 3
This study, however, shows Wichita lagging in young firm employment ratio. In these rankings, Wichita came in at position 247 of 379 metro areas. That is better than the overall ranking for Wichita, which is at number 319.
The young firm employment ratio is calculated using data from 2016. Perhaps newer data will show something different.
Walton Family Foundation. New Metropolitan Rankings Show Knowledge-Based Industries and Entrepreneurship Drive Success. June 10, 2019. Press release with links to documents available at https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/about-us/newsroom/new-metropolitan-rankings-show-knowledge-based-industries-and-entrepreneurship-drive-success. ↩
Weeks, Bob. Metro Monitor evaluates the Wichita economy. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/economics/metro-monitor-evaluates-wichita-economy-2018/. ↩
Jason Wiens and Chris Jackson. The Importance of Young Firms for Economic Growth. Available at https://www.kauffman.org/what-we-do/resources/entrepreneurship-policy-digest/the-importance-of-young-firms-for-economic-growth. ↩
Blueprint for Regional Economic GrowthEconomic developmentEconomicsGreater Wichita Economic Development CoalitionGreater Wichita PartnershipRegional Economic Area Partnership of South Central KansasSedgwick county governmentSouth Central Kansas Economic Development District.Wichita city governmentWichita Regional Chamber of Commerce
Wichita airport traffic
June 9, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
Traffic is rising at the Wichita airport. How does it compare to others?
Click for larger.
Passenger traffic at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport has been rising. We know that from news reports and social media. While rising activity is good, it's important to place Wichita in context with other airports.
(The Wichita airport has reported data through April 2019, while comprehensive national data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics is available through February, so these comparisons are through February.)
Media reporting on the Wichita airport often uses "passengers" as the measure. The industry, however, uses "enplanements" as the most important measure of airport traffic. When Bureau of Transportation Statistics uses the term passengers, the precise meaning of the data is enplanements. 1
Looking at passengers (that is, enplanements) for the Wichita airport, we see that monthly Wichita passenger counts are rising, generally. 2 But not for all months. Over the past year, there were three months when traffic fell, compared to the same month of the previous year.
Compared to the nation, there were seven months in the past year when the increase in passengers in Wichita was greater than the change for all airports, as shown in the bars for each month in the nearby chart. Because of several slow months in Wichita coupled with some the of good months in Wichita being only slightly better than the nation, the overall picture is not as good for Wichita. This can be seen by the lines in the same chart, where the change in passengers over the last year is always higher for the nation.
Besides the number of passengers, we should also consider the number of flights departing an airport. This is particularly important to business travelers, as for them, the availability of a flight today or tomorrow may be more important than a bargain-price fare. In this chart, there are some months where the number of flights fell from the year before. The 12-month trend for Wichita is falling while rising for the nation.
Is the reported rising passenger count at the Wichita airport good news? Of course it is. But a useful assessment requires placing the Wichita data in context. In that context, the Wichita airport is underperforming.
Click charts for larger versions.
In the following chart of passengers, Wichita counts are generally rising, but not as fast as the nation. This data is indexed with January 2011 representing 100. The thicker lines are the average of the prior 12 months in order the smooth the seasonality of the monthly data.
In the following chart of the number of flights, Wichita is on a downward trend generally, although in the last two years the value has increased slightly.
The government requires carriers to report enplanements, so it is a consistent measure across all airports. Further, airports generate revenue primarily from enplaned passengers rather than arriving passengers. The number of enplanements is almost exactly half the number of passengers. Over the last 15 years, enplanements in Wichita have accounted for 49.88 percent of passengers, with deplanements being 50.12 percent. ↩
Passenger traffic data is highly seasonal. It is not uncommon for passenger counts in the summer months to be 25 or 30 percent higher than winter counts. Therefore, comparisons are to the same month in the previous year. ↩
Economic developmentEconomicsGreater Wichita PartnershipWichita city governmentWichita news media
Wichita jobs and employment, April 2019
May 29, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
For the Wichita metropolitan area in April 2019, the labor force is up, the number of unemployed persons is down, the unemployment rate is down, and the number of people working is up when compared to the same month one year ago. Seasonal data shows small declines in labor force and jobs from March.
Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows an improving, but also mixed, employment situation for the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Total nonfarm employment rose from 298,500 last April to 303,400 this April. That's an increase of 4,900 jobs, or 1.64 percent. (This data is not seasonally adjusted, so month-to-month comparisons are not valid.) For the same period, jobs in the nation grew by 1.76 percent.
The unemployment rate in April 2019 was 3.3 percent, down from 3.5 percent one year ago.
Considering seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, the labor force fell by 227 persons (0.1 percent) in April 2019 from March 2019, the number of unemployed persons fell by 97 (0.8 percent), and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent. The number of employed persons not working on farms fell to 299,538 in April from 299,668 the prior month, a decline of 130 persons, or 0.0 percent.
The following chart of the monthly change in labor force and employment shows a general decline over the past year, with some recent months of losses for both measures.
The following chart of changes from the same month one year ago shows a general decline in the rate of growth.
Looking at the charts of changes in employment year-over-year, we see some months in the past year where Wichita outperformed the nation. That last happened in 2012.
This article has been updated to correct a mistake in the original version.
Wichita population, 2018
The City of Wichita lost 1,052 in population from 2017 to 2018, a decline of 0.27 percent.
Data released today by the United States Census Bureau shows the City of Wichita losing population from July 1, 2017, to July 1, 2018. 1
The bureau's estimate of city population on July 1, 2018 is 389,255. This is a decline of 1,052 (0.27 percent) from the year before. These are populations of cities, not metropolitan areas, although the Wichita metropolitan area also lost population. 2
The estimate of population on July 1, 2017 was revised from 390,591 to 390,317, meaning that for 2017, Wichita population declined by 242 from the July 1, 2016 population of 390,509.
With the revised 2017 figure, Wichita has had two years of declining population, as can be seen in the nearby chart.
While Wichita lost 0.27 percent of its population in one year, the top 100 cities gained 0.51 percent. Since 2010, Wichita has grown by 1.71 percent, while the top 100 cities grew by 7.57 percent.
Wichita is the fifty-first largest city, down from fiftieth the two prior years.
Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2018 Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division Release Date: May 2019 ↩
Economic developmentEconomicsGreater Wichita PartnershipWichita Chamber of CommerceWichita city government
Sedgwick County job growth continues strong pace
In the fourth quarter of 2018, Sedgwick County continued strong job growth.
Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, show a continuing strong jobs picture for Sedgwick County.
Data from the Bureau's Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program show that from December 2017 to December 2018, Sedgwick County gained 5,500 jobs, which is a rate of 2.2 percent, as calculated by BLS. For the nation, growth was 1.5 percent.
The job growth rate for Sedgwick County was 100th best among the nation's 350 largest counties.
While the job growth rate in Sedgwick County for the fourth quarter of 2018 exceeded the national rate, for the most recent four quarters the average rate for Sedgwick County was 1.3 percent, and 1.6 percent for the nation.
Average weekly wages in Sedgwick County increased by 3.8 percent over the year to $946. For the nation, wages rose by 3.2 percent to $1,144.
What could be done with WaterWalk
There is an opportunity for Wichita to break the logjam holding up development at WaterWalk.
Critics of city development projects point to WaterWalk as an example of a failed downtown development. Some $41 million of city funds were spent there with few positive results, With the closing of the Gander Mountain store, its fortunes were trending downwards until the King of Freight deal was announced. Although, it is debatable whether offices are a good use for this property, given its promotion as "Wichita's Next Great Gathering Place," a center of retail, entertainment, and residence. 1
The King of Freight deal might be a way to get something from a failed development, at least for now. But the city could do more.
The city has many excuses for the failure of WaterWalk. In a recent social media town hall concerning the new baseball stadium and surrounding development, the city's attitude was clear: WaterWalk is different, the city says. In the social media town hall, the city stated, "Waterwalk wasn't the deal we put together nor did it have the safeguards of this project. Waterwalk is not a city owned development." 2
(While the city criticizes the WaterWalk deal for not having safeguards, the protections built in the baseball deal aren't very strong. And while the city says "WaterWalk is not a city owned development," neither is the ballpark land development deal. Remember, the city is selling the land.)
What is the meaning of "we?" True, most current city officials weren't in office at the time of the WaterWalk deal. KFDI reported "Mayor Longwell said it was unfair to "armchair quarterback" the decision that led to the the Waterwalk, especially since everyone on the council, including the Mayor, were not there for the decisions that led to the Waterwalk."
Accountability belongs to others is the attitude of Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell and other city officials.
But there is a grain of truth in the city's answer. The city granted development rights for the WaterWalk property to a private development group, and there are about 85 years left in the agreement. That group is now headed by Jack P. DeBoer. He is in control of the land and its use.
That's troubling. Recently DeBoer confessed to being "confounded" by WaterWalk, telling the Wichita Eagle, "It's a business I don't know anything about." 3
DeBoer has had many years to produce development at WaterWalk. He has the ability to earn profit. But having produced very little and being "confounded" by WaterWalk, I think the key to moving forward is for the city to remove DeBoer and his group from the picture.
DeBoer has a long-term development deal with the city. Now he is asking the city to reconfigure a lease in which he is the tenant. Presumably, the changes he wants are worth something to him.
That's an opportunity for the city to get something in return. I don't know what that "something" might be, but this is an opportunity for the city to get some type of modification that might lead to progress at WaterWalk.
Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, 2008 State of the City Address. Available at https://www.wichita.gov/Council/CityCouncilDocument/2008%20State%20of%20the%20City%20Address.pdf. ↩
City of Wichita social media town hall on Facebook, March 7, 2019. See https://wichitaliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/City-of-Wichita-Facebook-Waterwalk-2019-03-07.png. ↩
Then, of course, there's his WaterWalk development downtown, which seems to be confounding him a bit.
"It's a business I don't know anything about," DeBoer says.
A Bass Pro Shop once was planned for the mixed-use development and a Gander Mountain opened instead and then closed last year.
"I've had opportunities to do, you know, a restaurant or something, and I've said, 'No.' "
DeBoer says he's willing to take more time to be sure he makes the right decisions.
"It's the key piece of land in all of Wichita," he says. "I don't want to spend my life screwing it up." Rengers, Carrie. Jack DeBoer talks life after Value Place and WoodSpring Suites. Wichita Eagle, November 2, 2018. Available at https://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/carrie-rengers/article220992720.html. ↩
Downtown Wichita revitalizationEconomic developmentWichita city government
King of Freight move a step sideways
May 19, 2019 Bob Weeks	1 Comment
A Wichita firm plans to move its offices to what was billed as the city's premier entertainment district.
King of Freight, a Wichita freight brokerage firm, is planning to move its operations to the vacant Gander Mountain building in WaterWalk. This requires a modification to the lease of the land.
It's important to recognize that King of Freight is not the tenant in the lease. The landlord is the City of Wichita. The tenant is WaterWalk LLC, a Kansas limited liability company, whose president is Jack P. DeBoer. The lease covers only the land, not the building. The city does not own the building. While the city rents the land to DeBoer, there is undoubtedly a deal between him and King of Freight. Details of that are unknown.
When WaterWalk was conceived, the goal was a destination of retail, entertainment, and residences, and some $41 million of tax money was spent. The original lease for the Gander Mountain ground reflected that. Now, that a non-retail firm will be using the ground, a change was needed.
The reason is that the original lease included a provision for "additional annual rent." If the business — Gander Mountain — exceeded certain financial parameters, the city could collect additional rent. The additional rent clause was never triggered. Other WaterWalk deals with similar provisions have never paid additional rent, either. 1)
The new lease abolishes the additional rent provision, although it could be reinstated if employment goals are not met. Since the additional rent clause is toothless, so there is no real penalty.
The tenant will continue to pay the city $1 per year in rent. King of Freight will pay $15 per month to use city parking spaces. This is perhaps half the market rate for long-term parking arrangements.
Is the move of King of Freight a good deal for the city and its citizens? King of Freight anticipates adding jobs in the future, and the new lease with the city requires certain job goals to be met. But immediately, the effect is simply moving employees from one downtown office to another. When King of Freight occupies new space, empty space will be left behind.
While putting the Gander Mountain building to use is good, its use as office space moves away from the original concept for WaterWalk, once touted as "Wichita's Next Great Gathering Place." 2
Will retail and entertainment establishments wish to locate near an office building? They didn't want to locate in WaterWalk anyway, so maybe there is no change.
Of interest is DeBoer's confession of being "confounded" by WaterWalk, recently telling the Wichita Eagle, "It's a business I don't know anything about." 3
Before that, he told the Eagle that whatever becomes of the Gander Mountain building, it will be "something fun and good for the city." 4
I don't think that goal has been realized.
Of note: DeBoer told the Eagle he's had opportunities to "do a restaurant or something," but he declined. Former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, in State of the City addresses, promised specific named restaurants would be opening in WaterWalk. 5
In more detail
Excerpts from the city's agenda packet for this item:
"The lease's current rent requirement, which was drafted for a retail use, would be suspended if the job requirement is met, and would terminate in 10 years if KOF and its entities maintains the presence of 400 net new jobs in Wichita through the 10-year period."
"KOF has also agreed to pay for parking spaces at an initial rate of $15/month per space. Revenue from KOF's employee parking is estimated at approximately $70,000/year."
From the lease agreement: "Section 5.01. Minimum Rent. As of the date first written above, Tenant has paid Landlord a minimum fixed annual rent ("Minimum Rent") of One Dollar ($1) in one (1) installment covering the Term of this Lease as defined in Article I above."
"Section 5.02. Additional Rent. The Tenant will also pay, without notice, and without abatement, deduction, or setoff, except as otherwise specifically allowed herein, as additional rent, all sums, taxes, assessments, costs, expenses, and other payments which the Tenant in any of the provisions of this Lease assumes or agrees to pay, and, in the event of any nonpayment thereof, the Landlord shall have (in addition to all other rights and remedies) all the rights and remedies provided herein or by law in the case of nonpayment of rent."
This section then describes the mechanism of calculating "Additional Annual Rent." This mechanism was crafted for a retail store so that if "Adjusted Net Cash Flow" was ever positive, the city would be paid 25 percent of that. But the activity of the retail store, Gander Mountain, never triggered the payment of additional rent. 6
The section goes on to modify the additional rent provision for uses other than retail, like an office: "No Additional Retail Rent and no Additional Rent involving any payment of any portion of the Adjusted Net Cash Flow shall be owed for any use of the Premises that is not a Retail Use under codes 4400 through 454390 of the 2017 NAICS."
The property will be paying property taxes: "Section 6.01. Taxes. Tenant shall pay as additional rent during the Term and any extensions thereof, all ad valorem taxes, and all other governmental taxes or charges that may be levied against the Premises."
Since the property is within a tax increment financing (TIF) district, the taxes flow to that, not to fund the general operations of government.
"Section 9.03. Parking. The parties agree that Tenant's employees will have nonexclusive access to the 430-space Parking Garage and the 60 spaces of surface parking under U.S. 400 ("Kellogg") for an initial rate of $15/month per employee for parking between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mondays-Fridays. Tenant shall be responsible for providing a monthly report of the number of employees who are parking in Parking Garage and on surface parking lot under Kellogg, and shall remit $15.00 per employee on a monthly basis. At each one-year anniversary of this agreement, the parking rate shall increase 3%."
"Section 16.06. Assignment; Sublease. Tenant may freely assign or sublease all or any portion of the Premises without Landlord's consent."
Weeks, Bob. Wichita WaterWalk contract not followed, again. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/wichita-government/wichita-waterwalk-contract-not-followed/. ↩
"It's a great building," DeBoer says.
"It's just scratch your head, now what the hell's going to happen?" he says. "We will come up with a plan."
The "we" includes George Laham of Laham Development and J.P. Weigand & Sons.
"George and his team are the best," DeBoer says.
"Everything's on the table."
That includes potential office, retail or entertainment uses – and a possible redesign for the building to make better use of the river behind it.
"We just have to be sure of the direction," DeBoer says. "We're going to be very careful and think it through."
Whatever it is, he says that it will be "something fun and good for the city."
"We don't have to depend on a guy who's not as interested as we are." 3. Rengers, Carrie. WaterWalk owner to make new plans for Gander Mountain building. Wichita Eagle, September 11, 2017. Available at https://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/carrie-rengers/article172482736.html. ↩
In his 2008 address, Brewer promised specific development at the struggling Waterfront development, which is heavily subsidized. Beaming with pride, Brewer said to the audience: "And, great strides are being made at Wichita Waterwalk. The topping out ceremony for Waterwalk Place is scheduled for this Thursday and I invite everyone to this event. I am pleased to announce two more national tenants that will be a part of the WaterWalk restaurant and entertainment development. … I am pleased to announce two more national tenants that will be a part of the WaterWalk restaurant and entertainment development. Joining Saddle Ranch Chop House will be Funny Bone Comedy Club and Wet Willies restaurant and daiquiri bar. These are just a couple of the fun and exciting tenants that will help make WaterWalk — Wichita's Next Great Gathering Place." This address was delivered a year before DoBoer took full control over WaterWalk, although he was involved before that. ↩
Email with Wichita City Manager Layton, May 10, 2019. ↩
Carl BrewerDowntown Wichita revitalizationEconomic developmentTax increment financingTIFwichitaWichita city government
Wichita personal income growing, but slowly
Among the nation's 383 metropolitan areas, Wichita ranked 347th for personal income growth.
Statistics released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, show personal income in the Wichita metro area growing at a slow rate.
The figures released today are through calendar year 2017. For that year, personal income in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area was $30,801 million, up 2.3 percent from $30,103 million the previous year. These are current dollars.
Using inflation-adjusted dollars, income growth was 0.7 percent.
Of 383 metropolitan areas, Wichita ranked 347 for growth from 2016 to 2017.
Per capita personal income in the Wichita MSA for 2017 was $47,708 in current dollars, up 2.2 percent from $46,696 in 2016. In inflation-adjusted dollars, per capita personal income grew by 0.5 percent from 2016 to 2017. This growth rate ranked at position 327 among 383 metropolitan areas.
BEA offers these definitions:
Personal income is the income received by, or on behalf of, all persons from all sources: from participation as laborers in production, from owning a home or business, from the ownership of financial assets, and from government and business in the form of transfers. It includes income from domestic sources as well as the rest of world. It does not include realized or unrealized capital gains or losses.
Personal income is measured before the deduction of personal income taxes and other personal taxes and is reported in current dollars (no adjustment is made for price changes). Comparisons for different regions and time periods reflect changes in both the price and quantity components of regional personal income.
The estimate of personal income for the United States is the sum of the state estimates and the estimate for the District of Columbia; it differs slightly from the estimate of personal income in the national income and product accounts (NIPAs) because of differences in coverage, in the methodologies used to prepare the estimates, and in the timing of the availability of source data.
Per capita personal income is calculated as the total personal income of the residents of a given area divided by the population of the area. In computing per capita personal income, BEA uses Census Bureau mid-year population estimates.
More Wichita planning on tap
May 5, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
We should be wary of government planning in general. But when those who have been managing and planning the foundering Wichita-area economy want to step up their management of resources, we risk compounding our problems.
As announced by the City of Wichita, "In response to recent recommendations from Project Wichita and the Century II Citizens Advisory Committee, community organizations and their leadership are stepping forward to take the next step to create a comprehensive master plan and vision that connects projects and both banks of the Arkansas River."
The city says these organizations will be involved:
Downtown Wichita
Greater Wichita Partnership
Wichita Community Foundation
Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce
Visit Wichita
with input from Project Wichita
We should note that these organizations have been responsible for developing the Wichita-area economy for many years. Despite recent developments like Cargill and Spirit Aerosystems, the Wichita economy has performed below the nation. While improving, our economic growth is perhaps half the national rate, and just two years ago Wichita lost jobs and population, and economic output fell.
Thus, the question is this: Why these organizations?
Then, recent behavior by the city, specifically surrounding the new ballpark, has resulted in a loss of credibility. Few seem happy with the city's conduct. To this day, we still do not know the identities of the partners except for one.
In the future, can we trust the city and its partners are telling us the truth, and the whole truth?
Then, there are the problems with government planning. Randal O'Toole is an expert on the problems with government planning. His book The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future
Planning seems like a good thing. But O'Toole tells us the problem with government plans: "Everybody plans. But private plans are flexible, and we happily change them when new information arises. In contrast, special interest groups ensure that the government plans benefiting them do not change — no matter how costly."
He continues: "Like any other organization, government agencies need to plan their budgets and short-term projects. But they fail when they write comprehensive plans (which try to account for all side effects), long-range plans (two to 50 years or more), or plans that attempt to control other people's land and resources. Many plans try to do all three."
Other problems with government planning as identified by O'Toole (and many others):
Planners have no better insight into the future than anyone else
Planners will not pay the costs they impose on other people
Unlike planners, markets can cope with complexity
Some will argue that the organizations listed above are not government entities and shouldn't exhibit the problems inherent with government planning. But their plans will undoubtedly need to be approved by, and enforced by, government.
Further, some of these organizations are funded substantially or nearly entirely by government, are in favor of more government (such as higher taxation and regulation), and campaign vigorously for candidates who support more taxes and planning.
Following, from Randal O'Toole as published in 2007.
Government Plans Don't Work
By Randal O'Toole
Unlike planners, markets can cope with complexity and change.
After more than 30 years of reviewing government plans, including forest plans, park plans, watershed plans, wildlife plans, energy plans, urban plans, and transportation plans, I've concluded that government planning almost always does more harm than good.
Most government plans are so full of fabrications and unsupportable assumptions that they aren't worth the paper they are printed on, much less the millions of dollars taxpayers spend to have them written. Federal, state, and local governments should repeal planning laws and shut down planning offices.
Everybody plans. But private plans are flexible, and we happily change them when new information arises. In contrast, special interest groups ensure that the government plans benefiting them do not change — no matter how costly.
Like any other organization, government agencies need to plan their budgets and short-term projects. But they fail when they write comprehensive plans (which try to account for all side effects), long-range plans (two to 50 years or more), or plans that attempt to control other people's land and resources. Many plans try to do all three.
Comprehensive plans fail because forests, watersheds, and cities are simply too complicated for anyone to understand. Chaos science reveals that very tiny differences in initial conditions can lead to huge differences in outcomes — that's why megaprojects such as Boston's Big Dig go so far over budget.
Long-range plans fail because planners have no better insight into the future than anyone else, so their plans will be as wrong as their predictions are.
Planning of other people's land and resources fails because planners will not pay the costs they impose on other people, so they have no incentive to find the best answers.
Most of the nation's 32,000 professional planners graduated from schools that are closely affiliated with colleges of architecture, giving them an undue faith in design. This means many plans put enormous efforts into trying to control urban design while they neglect other tools that could solve social problems at a much lower cost.
For example, planners propose to reduce automotive air pollution by increasing population densities to reduce driving. Yet the nation's densest urban area, Los Angeles, which is seven times as dense as the least dense areas, has only 8 percent less commuting by auto. In contrast, technological improvements over the past 40 years, which planners often ignore, have reduced the pollution caused by some cars by 99 percent.
Some of the worst plans today are so-called growth-management plans prepared by states and metropolitan areas. They try to control who gets to develop their land and exactly what those developments should look like, including their population densities and mixtures of residential, retail, commercial, and other uses. "The most effective plans are drawn with such precision that only the architectural detail is left to future designers," says a popular planning book.
About a dozen states require or encourage urban areas to write such plans. Those states have some of the nation's least affordable housing, while most states and regions that haven't written such plans mostly have very affordable housing. The reason is simple: planning limits the supply of new housing, which drives up the price of all housing and leads to housing bubbles.
In states with growth-management laws, median housing prices in 2006 were typically 4 to 8 times median family incomes. In most states without such laws, median home prices are only 2 to 3 times median family incomes.
Few people realize that the recent housing bubble, which affected mainly regions with growth-management planning, was caused by planners trying to socially engineer cities. Yet it has done little to protect open space, reduce driving, or do any of the other things promised.
Politicians use government planning to allocate scarce resources on a large scale. Instead, they should make sure that markets — based on prices, incentives, and property rights — work.
Private ownership of wildlife could save endangered species such as the black-footed ferret, North America's most-endangered mammal. Variably priced toll roads have helped reduce congestion. Pollution markets do far more to clean the air than exhortations to drive less. Giving people freedom to use their property, and ensuring only that their use does not harm others, will keep housing affordable.
Unlike planners, markets can cope with complexity. Futures markets cushion the results of unexpected changes. Markets do not preclude government ownership, but the best-managed government programs are funded out of user fees that effectively make government managers act like private owners. Rather than passing the buck by turning sticky problems over to government planners, policymakers should make sure markets give people what they want.
Downtown Wichita revitalizationEconomic developmentEconomic freedomEconomicsGovernment planningGreater Wichita Economic Development CoalitionGreater Wichita PartnershipInterventionismRegulationSedgwick county governmentWichita Chamber of CommerceWichita city governmentWichita Convention and Visitors BureauWichita Downtown Development Corporation
State of the City, Wichita: Employment strength
Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell's State of the City video relies on flimsy evidence and plucks scant good news from a sea of bad. This is a problem.
Recently Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell delivered the State of the City video. It was posted to YouTube on March 28, 2019, and may be viewed here.
In this video, the mayor said, "The recent Livability.com study measured employment rates strength over time, affordability, and community amenities." This isn't the first time the mayor and other city officials have mentioned this study, if we can even call it that. 1 In January, a tweet from the official @CityofWichita Twitter account contained: "We have been named one of the top two recession-proof cities in the nation by @Livability. Wichita was praised for its ability to withstand turbulence in the national economy, steady job growth and the state's low income-to-debt ratio." 2
What does the data tell us? The nearby chart illustrates that since the end of the last recession, job growth in Wichita has been below job growth in the nation as a whole. Generally, job growth in Wichita has been at about half the rate of the nation. In 2017, Wichita lost jobs. Yet, City of Wichita officials, including Mayor Longwell, tout "steady job growth," relying on a study that obviously isn't based on evidence.
The mayor also said: "Wichita's unemployment rate is at a historically low 3.5%, and WSU forecasts that Wichita is expected to see an across-the-board increase in overall jobs this year."
Look at the data. In this table, we see that the unemployment rate (monthly average) for 2018 is nearly unchanged from 1999. Also nearly unchanged for these 19 years are the civilian labor force and number of jobs. Both values are slightly lower now. This is not "steady job growth," as Wichita officials proclaim. It is stagnation.
It's not only employment that has been bad news. In 2017 the Wichita economy contracted, which is the definition of a recession. 3 Personal income has grown only slowly. 4
Regarding jobs, the mayor accurately reports what the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University forecast said: Jobs are forecast to rise in Wichita for 2019. 5 Specifically, the report said: "Wichita is estimated to add approximately 2,500 jobs in 2018, and growth is projected to increase modestly to 0.9 percent in 2019, with more than 2,700 new jobs added."
Is 0.9 percent job growth good? Nationally, the economy is expected to continue strong growth, although perhaps slightly slower than in 2018. 6 Nationally, job growth is forecast at 1.7 percent for 2019. 7 Wichita's forecast rate of 0.9 percent is 53 percent of the national rate.
It's good news that jobs are set to grow rather than shrink. But in a surging national economy, that's setting a low standard for success.
What's unfortunate is the mayor and city promote things like this as good news. But when we use readily accessible data from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics (part of the United States Department of Labor) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (a division of the United States Department of Commerce), we easily see that we're not being told the entire story. "Recession-proof" glosses over recent years of declining production. "Historically low" unemployment rates ignore a stagnant and declining labor force. "An across-the-board increase in overall jobs this year" doesn't contextualize that the forecast rate of growth for Wichita is anemic compared to the nation.
What we need to know is this: Are the mayor and city officials aware of the actual statistics, or are they ignorant?
Weeks, Bob. Wichita, a recession-proof city. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/wichita-government/wichita-recession-proof-city/. ↩
Twitter, January 22, 2019. https://twitter.com/CityofWichita/status/1087832893274157059. ↩
"For 2017, the Wichita metropolitan area GDP, in real dollars, fell by 1.4 percent. Revised statistics for 2016 indicate growth of 3.8 percent for that year. Last year BEA reported growth of -1.4 percent." Weeks, Bob. Wichita economy shrinks, and a revision. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/economics/wichita-economy-shrinks-and-revision/. ↩
"For all metropolitan areas in the United States, personal income rose by 4.5 percent. For the Wichita metro area, the increase was 2.3 percent. Of 383 metropolitan areas, Wichita's growth rate was at position 342." Weeks, Bob. *Personal income in Wichita rises, but slowly. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/economics/personal-income-in-wichita-rises-but-slowly/. ↩
Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University. Wichita Employment Forecast. January 8, 2019. Available at http://www.cedbr.org/forecast-blog/forecasts-wichita/1558-economic-outlook-wichita-2019-january-revision. ↩
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee. December 18-19, 2018. Available at https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20181219.htm. ↩
Yandle, Bruce. Block out the noise: Here's the 2019 economic outlook. Available at https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/block-out-the-noise-heres-the-2019-economic-outlook. ↩
Economic developmentEconomicsGreater Wichita PartnershipJeff LongwellSedgwick county governmentWichita city government
Wichita jobs and employment, March 2019
For the Wichita metropolitan area in March 2019, jobs are up, the labor force is up, and the unemployment rate is unchanged when compared to the same month one year ago. Seasonal data shows a small decline in jobs from February.
Total nonfarm employment rose from 296,000 last March to 300,700 this March. That's an increase of 4,700 jobs, or 1.6 percent. (This data is not seasonally adjusted, so month-to-month comparisons are not valid.) For the same period, jobs in the nation grew by 1.7 percent.
The unemployment rate in March 2019 was 3.9 percent, the same as one year ago.
Considering seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, the labor force rose by persons (0.0 percent) in March 2019 from February 2019, the number of unemployed persons rose by 149 (1.3 percent), and the unemployment rate rose from 3.7 percent to 3.8 percent. The number of employed persons not working on farms fell to 299,597 in March from 299,738 the prior month, a decline of 141 persons, or 0.0 percent.
The following chart of changes from the same month one year ago shows recent declines in the rate of growth.
Wichita aerospace manufacturing concentration
April 25, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
Wichita leaders want to diversify the area economy. Has there been progress?
One way to measure concentration of an industry in a location is by the proportion of employment in that industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides employment by industry for metropolitan areas. I've gathered the data for the Wichita MSA for two industries: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (NAICS code 3364) and all manufacturing. I've gathered this data for the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area and compare it to total private sector employment. This data is not adjusted for seasonality, as some is available only in that manner.
As the charts illustrate, there was a large shift in the two industry's share of employment around the time of the Great Recession. Since then, the ratios have been more stable, with a slow decline until a small reversal of that trend over the last year.
The chart of employment ratio changes from the same month one year ago confirms: Manufacturing and aerospace employment has grown faster than total private employment in the recent year or so.
Another way to measure concentration of an industry is through location quotients. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides these, most notably for counties as part of the Quarterly of Census and Wages. 1 As described by BLS, "Location quotients are useful for studying the composition of jobs in an area relative to the average, or for finding areas that have high concentrations of jobs in certain occupations. As measured here, a location quotient shows the occupation's share of an area's employment relative to the national average." 2
Further: "For example, a location quotient of 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally, and a location quotient of 0.5 indicates the area's share of employment in the occupation is half the national share."
This data is available by industry. I've gathered data for Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (NAICS code 3364) for Sedgwick County and present it in a nearby chart.
First, note that the location quotient is large, 30 or more. This means the concentration of workers in this industry in Sedgwick county is over 30 times the concentration nationwide.
Second, the location quotient fell from 2007 through 2014. Since then, it has been steady.
Has the Wichita area diversified its economy? Based on these two measures, the answer is yes. That increased in diversity happened at the same time as a large decline in aviation-related employment, that decline being larger than the decline in all Wichita-area private-sector employment. That was not planned or desired. It was a result of worldwide trends. But since then, concentration in aviation-related employment has changed little, and shows signs of increasing concentration.
From General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Available at https://www.bls.gov/cew/datatoc.htm. ↩
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Using Location Quotients to Analyze Occupational Data. Available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/highlight_location_quotients.htm. ↩
Wichita population falls; outmigration continues
The population of the Wichita MSA fell from 2017 to 2018, and net domestic migration continues at a high level.
New data from the United States Census Bureau shows the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area losing population from July 1, 2017, to July 1, 2018.
The population estimate for 2017 was 645,628, and for 2018, 644,888. This is a decline of 740 persons, or -0.11 percent. Population changes in the seven years before 2018 averaged 0.30 percent each year.
The Wichita MSA ranked 89th largest among 383 metro areas, falling from rank 82 as recently as 2011.
Net domestic migration for the Wichita metro area showed a loss of 3,023 persons, or 0.47 percent of the population. This change, on a proportional basis, was 301st among the 383 metro areas. It is less than the loss of 3,235 persons the year before.
Wichita MSA population and change from prior year.
Wichita MSA population, percent change from prior year.
Rank of Wichita MSA population.
Rank of Wichita MSA population one-year change.
Wichita MSA net domestic migration.
Economic developmentEconomicsGreater Wichita PartnershipSedgwick county governmentWichita Chamber of CommerceWichita city government
Wichita jobs and employment, February 2019
April 3, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
For the Wichita metropolitan area in February 2019, jobs are up, the labor force is up, and the unemployment rate is down when compared to the same month one year ago. Seasonal data shows a return to job growth.
Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows an improving employment situation for the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Total nonfarm employment rose from 295,400 last February to 300,700 this February. That's an increase of 5,300 jobs, or 1.8 percent. (This data is not seasonally adjusted, so month-to-month comparisons are not valid.) For the same period, jobs in the nation grew by 1.7 percent.
The unemployment rate in February 2019 was 3.9 percent, down from 4.2 percent from one year ago.
Considering seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, the labor force rose by 1,115 persons (0.4 percent) in February 2019 from January 2019, the number of unemployed persons fell by 64 (-0.5 percent), and the unemployment rate fell from 3.9 percent to 3.8 percent. The number of employed persons not working on farms rose to 300,080 in February from 298,01 the prior month, an increase of 1,179 persons, or 0.4 percent.
Pay no attention to the Ferris wheel on the riverbank
March 27, 2019 Bob Weeks	Leave a comment
When the City of Wichita shows architectural renderings, are we to treat them as promises, or as someone's unrealizable dream?
A rendering of the new Wichita baseball stadium and environs shows — prominently — a large Ferris wheel. Is this something Wichitans and visitors can look forward to?
No, as Wichita City Council Member Cindy Claycomb (district 6, north central Wichita) found out when she asked, there will be no Ferris wheel on the banks of the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita.
Or maybe not. On Facebook, Council Member Bryan Frye (district 5, west and northwest Wichita) wrote, "Doesn't mean that a Ferris Wheel can't happen somewhere else in the footprint."
Of course, there could also be a roller coaster and a petting zoo with unicorns.
So what is the value of architectural renderings like this? Does the existence of a Ferris wheel constitute a promise to deliver?
It's not like the city showed a Ferris wheel that's 100 feet tall but delivered one just 75 feet tall. Maybe we could excuse that.
But there will be no Ferris wheel.
I don't know who created the illustration with the Ferris wheel, but someone in authority at Wichita city hall included it in a presentation to the city council and people of Wichita.
Things like this are meant to generate excitement and enthusiasm. But this is done by making false promises.
Since we know there is no Ferris wheel, what else in the illustration is just sizzle without substance?
And when the city shows renderings of the next project (performing arts center, convention center, etc.), will we have to figure out what is real, and what is only vaportecture?
In Wichita, we don't know who we're dealing with
Wichita takes a big risk entering in a public-private partnership without knowing its partners.
When entering a public-private partnership, the City of Wichita tells us it vets its partners thoroughly. But this can't be the case for the partners in the new Wichita baseball stadium and surrounding land.
That's because we don't know the identities of all the partners. All we know is that one Lou Schwechheimer is a majority owner. When asked what proportion of the team he owns, the city replied, "Over 50%." Either the city does not know the number, or is not willing to tell us. 1 There's a big difference between owning 51 percent of something and, say, 95 percent.
We are supposed to learn these names at some time. The development agreement passed by the city council on March 19, 2019 holds this:
Section 2.03 Conditions to the Effectiveness of this Agreement. Contemporaneously with the execution of this Agreement, and as a precondition to the effectiveness of this Agreement, to the extent they have not already done so, the Developer will submit the following documents to the City:
(c) the identity of the manager of the general partner of the Developer;
(d) a list of the Principals of the Developer
I've asked the city when the agreement might be executed and become effective.
Once the city receives the names, will it release them to the public? If we've learned anything lately, we know the city withholds information from the public. Even when it does not need to.
Will the list of principals reveal the share of ownership of each of the principals?
Is the list of principals that own the team the same as the owners of the surrounding land the city is selling?
What if we don't like principals? What if they have unsavory reputations or a poor business and credit history? What do we do then?
City of Wichita social media town hall on Facebook, March 7, 2019. See https://wichitaliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/City-of-Wichita-Facebook-2019-03-07-c.png. Also https://wichitaliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/City-of-Wichita-Facebook-2019-03-07.png. ↩
Economic developmentWichita city government

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Municipality between the hills of the province of Rome, situated in a dominant position over the Tiber Valley, the area of Monterotondo was inhabited since ancient times, as confirmed by the excavation of exhibits of the Upper and Middle Paleolithic Ages. In pre-Roman times this area served as a trading point between the Latin centers of Numentum and Crustumerium and further south with the Sabine settlement of Eretum and to the north, the right of the Tiber, with other settlements inhabited by Etruscans, Capenati and Falisci. Although the current town was founded during the Middle Ages, the name has clear Latin origins and derives from "Campum Rutundum," referring to the rounded shape of the hill, where the first settlement was built. Despite the recent archaeological discoveries confine the ancient city of Eretum in the district of Colle del Forno (municipality of Montelibretti), the historical memories continue to assign its location near to Monterotondo and for this reason its inhabitants are called Eretini.
From the XIII century, Monterotondo shared the historical vicissitudes of the noble Roman families who held the lordship, precisely, the Orsini up until the early XVII century, the Barberini, the Grillo and, finally, the Boncompagni.
- the Nature Reserve of Macchia della Gattaceca and Macchia del Barco.
This town web page has been visited 28,036 times.


An ongoing concern in Alberta for some time, particularly since the economic crash of 2014, has been rural crime. Those who live outside urban areas are faced with little options when rural police forces are overstretched and slow to respond, and with property crimes on the rise, the United Conservative Party (UCP) has seen an opportunity to advocate for their traditional constituent base in an area the government has been too slow to respond.
But this week, a selfish need to be partisan and try to grasp power put the UCP in an odd position where they voted against helping their constituents, with the government offering tangible resources that would address their needs.
Now, it's hard to argue with any of these provisions being a good idea.
This case is a clear demonstration of what is wrong with the UCP under Jason Kenney.
They are so focused on power, and so against the NDP, that even when the NDP takes a line that would enrich the lives of the UCP represented constituents, they can't bring themselves to collaborate. And that's bad for Alberta, and for Albertans. It's a symptom of party-based politics gone sour.
The UCP has failed in their role of providing constructive opposition. This is just another example of that. But what's worse is that if they form government, are they going to be willing to collaborate with opposition to ensure the best legislation and policy are put forward?
In my corporate career, I've always held the belief that the best indicator of future performance will be past performance. And on that front, the UCP just isn't up to the task of governing in the best interests of Albertans.