Urban Investment Strategies Center
Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
Urban Investment Strategies Center

Research

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Key U.S. Population And Household Challenges: The First Four Months of Trump 2.0

Jul 1, 2026 • Publication

Census Bureau Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey data covering the first four months of Trump 2.0 reveal a sharp decline in confidence in The Presidency as an institution; and a significant increase in the levels of U.S. household distress over job loss, escalating prices, caregiver constraints, transportation barriers, food insecurity, and threats of foreclosure and eviction. Policies, programs, and practices to address these issues are outlined.

A Profile of America’s Underutilized Talent Pool

Apr 1, 2026 • Publication

Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal a significant uptick in the underutilized American talent pool in 2025 despite the Trump Administration’s America First workforce policy, which includes accelerated deportations of unauthorized workers and restrictions on foreign labor. After defining the underutilized talent pool, the demographic groups experiencing the most difficulty in the U.S. labor market in the first year of President Trump’s second term in office are identified and policy prescriptions to rectify the problem are advanced.
Globe with continents made from stacked cubes

International Migration: A Strategic Imperative to Maintain U.S. Global Competitiveness

Mar 1, 2026 • Publication

A fair and just immigration policy is necessary for the U.S. to avoid absolute population decline and maintain economic viability and competitiveness in domestic and international markets. The negative externalities of failing to develop such a policy are far-ranging, adversely impacting on our social, economic, and political institutions, as well as the communities in which we live, work, play, and do business.
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Perilous Times for Black Women in the U.S. Workforce

Feb 13, 2026 • Publication

Despite rapid growth and reportedly some of the highest labor force participation rates, Black women have experienced the brunt of recent job loss in the U.S. economy. Between January and December 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Black women surged from 5.4 percent to 7.5 percent while the jobless rate for White women remained relatively stable, hovering between 3.2 percent and 3.7 percent. In absolute numbers, more than 350,000 Black women were forced out of the U.S. labor market in 2025.

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Preserving U.S. Demography in 2026

Jan 20, 2026 • Publication

Carefully crafted policies that address threats to our nation’s demography are urgently needed in 2026. Following slowing rates of annual growth over the past several decades, the U.S. is now facing impending absolute population decline—a first in the nation’s history. Declining fertility, population aging, age-related mortality, premature deaths of despair, constraints imposed on international migration, and heightened deportation of immigrants are among the major forces responsible for this unprecedented demographic transformation.

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Recent Demographic Shifts in The U.S. Working Age College Educated Population

Jan 1, 2026 • Publication

Major workforce and workplace challenges undergird four forces shaping the size and composition of nation’s future working age population—growing anti-immigrant sentiment, the long-standing sex ratio imbalance in post-secondary education, White male disenchantment with college, and the declining fortunes of college-educated Black females. Current Population Survey data are utilized to demonstrate the gravity of these forces on the U.S. college educated working age population over the past four years (2020-2024). Recommendations are offered to address the underlying, demographically driven human resource management challenges.
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Perilous Times for College Educated Black Women

Jan 1, 2026 • Publication

One of the fastest-growing group of college educated women in the United States is also among the most economically vulnerable. Black women were responsible for one fifth of the nation’s college educated female population growth between 2020 and 2024. Among women between the ages of 25 and 64 with a four-year degree or higher, Black women ranked second behind Hispanic women, who accounted for almost half the net growth (45%), and above Asian and non-Hispanic White women, who were responsible for 18% and 14% of absolute growth, respectively. And while the population of all college educated women increased by 4.7 percent, the college educated Black female population increased by 9.2 percent between 2020 and 2024 (Table 1).