Robert D. Niehaus, Inc.

10/14/2021

Practitioners across the County rely on the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program to estimate the total state and local population levels between Census years. Now that the 2020 Census population counts are out, RDN analysts looked back to ask: How accurate were the estimates?

Our analysis shows that overall the estimates are remarkably accurate. However, there were large deviations between the two distributions in the tails, meaning the Vintage population estimates tend to significantly over- and under-estimate the actual population change for the counties that gained or lost the most population over the 2010 to 2020 period.

This article explores what might explain these outliers and summarizes the analysis in interactive figures. Take a look at the county-level map and tell us which County's population change surprises you the most?

Synopsis: A variety of practitioners use the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program to estimate total state and local population levels between decennial census years. Now that the 2020 Census population counts are out, we look back and ask: how accurate were the estimates? RDN examined...

09/27/2021

RDN's water team helps water agencies throughout California evaluate water and wastewater rates. In each project, we prioritize keeping rates affordable, especially for marginalized or disadvantaged communities. To accurately evaluate the financial impact of rate adjustments, we've developed a Bill Impact Calculator that models each customer's water bill in various scenarios. This methodology is significantly more accurate than the industry-standard tool and offers an opportunity for water agencies to better serve their customers.

Read more about RDN's Bill Impact Calculator here:

https://www.rdniehaus.com/water-bill-impact-calculator-an-improved-methodology-for-evaluating-financial-impacts-of-water-rate-adjustments-on-customers/

For Californians, water is a precious commodity. This is evident in our growing water bills, which were already among the highest in the country. Water rate design in California is highly regulated, not only to ensure equitable cost recovery from ratepayers, but also to keep the rates for reasonable...

08/24/2021

As workers begin to return to offices across the country, many are left wondering if WFH was a temporary solution to a temporary problem, or if the pandemic has prompted a permanent shift in how we work. RDN economists provide four possible scenarios for the future of work. Which one do you think is the right direction?

https://www.rdniehaus.com/trends-in-remote-work-will-we-still-work-from-home-after-the-pandemic/

In the first half of 2020, remote work emerged as a common solution to companies’ desire to remain productive while minimizing employees’ exposure to COVID-19. However, amid rising vaccination rates, the share of employees working from home is regressing towards pre-pandemic levels. Was the s**k...

07/20/2021

We are hiring a Housing Analyst / Economist to join the RDN team! This position will contribute to RDN's housing market analysis program and has some great travel opportunities. Tag someone who might be interested or visit our website to learn more:

https://rdniehaus.applytojob.com/apply/vt2qDwbTnI/Housing-Analyst-Economist

06/29/2021

As California enters into another drought, California water agencies are called upon to ramp up their conservation efforts. This can be a challenge for many agencies that rely heavily on revenue from consumption to maintain operations. To help agencies overcome this challenge, RDN's economists analyzed changes in consumption patterns during California's last extreme drought in 2015. Based on that analysis, we prepared five recommendations for California Water Agencies to prepare for future conservation mandates.

Read the analysis and recommendations on our website:

Facing another severe drought in California, water agencies across the state are re-thinking how to equitably curb customer usage to meet target reductions. To help, RDN analyzed water consumption from the last state-wide extreme drought (2015) to understand which types of customers are more likely....

06/08/2021

As California home prices continue to soar, the economists at RDN wanted to know which counties are seeing the most significant change in home sale prices. We summarized what we found in an interactive map that shows the change in home prices during the COVID-19 pandemic relative to the previous five years.

How much have home prices changed in your county?

California’s home prices are soaring, fueled chiefly by low interest rates and pent-up demand. But the growth has been geographically uneven. Many real estate analysts have proposed that, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, homebuyers’ preferences have shifted away from high-density urban ...

05/04/2021

California home prices are off to a hot start in 2021, setting a record high in March. The question for many potential buyers, sellers, and investors is: will the boom continue? RDN's economists weigh in on what you can expect in California real estate.

California saw a record high in the median price of an existing single-family home in March of 2021, according to the latest sales statistics from the California Association of Realtors (CAR), up nearly 24 percent from a year earlier. California has seen considerable growth in the median sales price...

08/18/2020

This Friday, RDN's own Bjørn Kallerud will be speaking at the online conference!

Bjørn will be speaking as part of a panel titled "Financial Resiliency: Planning for the Unknown" with other speakers from Fitch Ratings, Moulton Niguel Water District, University of California, Irvine, UC Riverside and others!

To learn more or RSVP visit: bit.ly/SFWR-Registration

07/04/2020

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day!

06/11/2020

Around this time of year RDN analysts and economists usually take a break from their work to spend time with students who participate in United Way of Santa Barbara County's Fun in the Sun Program.

Unfortunately due to COVID-19, we are unable to participate this year so we are taking a look back on some of our favorite photos from last year.

We look forward to our next opportunity to spend time with these amazing students!

05/27/2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the US has focused most US health care on COVID-19 as a priority over other non-emergency health problems. But how has this impacted the health-sector? By conducting interviews with health care professionals and relating our findings to Macro US data, we estimated the total economic impact of this shift on the US health-sector.

Read the full report on our website:

This report was written by Anthony Elowsky (Analyst) and Robert Niehaus (Managing Director). For further information about this report, please contact Anthony Elowsky.