Real-Time Insights

A new December 2025 report from the American Statistical Association warns that the U.S. federal statistical system is facing a severe erosion of capacity at a moment when demand for trustworthy data is growing. Staff losses, declining purchasing power, leadership instability, and weakening public trust are limiting agencies’ ability to deliver the objective, timely statistics that underpin economic policy, democratic accountability, and public understanding.

Key findings:

• Most federal statistical agencies have lost 20–30% of their staff since FY2009, and 8 of 13 have seen purchasing power fall by at least 16%, leading to data delays, cancellations, and reduced detail.

• Public confidence in federal statistics declined between June and September 2025, including trust in data accuracy, privacy protections, and data-sharing for decision-making.

• Cuts to funding and innovation capacity are weakening coordination across agencies, impairing the production of interconnected datasets like GDP and slowing modernization efforts needed to meet future data needs.

Read the full report here.

Housing affordability has emerged as the top concern for metro Atlanta residents in the 2025 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey. Nearly one in three respondents cited housing costs as the region’s biggest problem, surpassing traffic, crime, and the economy. The survey also highlights growing financial strain, pessimism about the region’s future, and new concerns around technology and economic opportunity.

Metro Atlanta Speaks is the Atlanta Regional Commission’s annual survey tracking residents’ top concerns and priorities across 11 metro counties.

Key takeaways:

• 28% of residents said housing affordability is the region’s biggest problem, followed by traffic (24%) and crime and the economy (13% each).

• 62% of respondents reported they couldn’t afford to move within their own neighborhood.

• 44% blame developers for building homes that are too expensive; 35% point to investors buying up properties to rent.

• 61% believe AI will increase productivity, but 73% worry it will reduce available jobs.

• 53% say it’s a bad time to find a well-paying job, up from 41% last year.

• Nearly 47% expect living conditions in metro Atlanta to worsen over the next 3–4 years.

Read more about the survey and results here.

A new state analysis from the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2025 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey reveals both the resilience and strain within Georgia’s nonprofit community. Drawing on responses from 323 organizations statewide, the report offers a snapshot of how nonprofits are navigating inflation, workforce shortages, and delayed funding, while continuing to anchor local economies and community well-being.

Nonprofits in Georgia are serving as critical infrastructure across rural, suburban, and urban regions. However, many are doing so on increasingly fragile financial footing, underscoring the need for stronger, more reliable investment from both public and private funders.

Key takeaways:

• 85% of Georgia nonprofits saw rising service demand in 2024 and expect another increase in 2025.

• 38% ended 2024 with an operating deficit, and 56% had three months or less of cash on hand.

• 71% rely on government funding, and many report late payments and low indirect rates, with one-third (33%) able to charge only 0–5%.

• 79% receive foundation funding, but fewer Georgia nonprofits than the national average reported seeing more flexible or supportive grant practices since 2022.

• Workforce strain is high: only 35% of organizations can pay full-time staff a living wage, and many report burnout, hiring challenges, and limited benefits offerings.

Read the full Georgia report here.

A new Urban Institute article warns that a prolonged federal government shutdown could compound existing financial instability among nonprofits nationwide. When federal grants, payments, and reimbursements pause, nonprofits may have to scale back or suspend essential community programs.

The post highlights that even before the shutdown, many nonprofits were already facing significant funding disruptions and rising demand, leaving little room to absorb additional shocks.

Key takeaways:

• Two-thirds of U.S. service-providing nonprofits receive at least one government grant or contract, making them highly vulnerable to federal funding pauses.

• On average, 28% of nonprofit funding comes from government sources (9% federal, 11% state, and 6% local).

• Without government funding, 60–80% of affected nonprofits would be unable to cover their expenses.

• In early 2025, one-third of nonprofits experienced funding cuts, freezes, or stop-work orders, leading to staff and program reductions.

• Two in three nonprofits anticipated higher demand for services in the next year, a trend likely to accelerate as 620,000 federal workers face missed paychecks during the shutdown.

Read original post here.

A new report from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) highlights how gentrification has reshaped parts of Atlanta over the last four decades. Among major U.S. metro areas, Atlanta saw the second highest number of Census tracts transition from majority-Black to majority-white between 1980 and 2020—reflecting broader patterns of demographic and economic change driven by rising incomes, property values, and education levels.

Key takeaways:

• Second in the nation: Atlanta had the second-highest number of Census tracts shift from majority-Black to majority-white between 1980 and 2020—only Washington, D.C., saw more.

• Most intense gentrification (2000–2012): By NCRC metrics, Atlanta experienced the most intense gentrification of any U.S. city during this 12-year span.

• Neighborhood shifts: Nine tracts flipped to majority-white, including parts of Old Fourth Ward, East Atlanta, Reynoldstown, Kirkwood, Edgewood, and Grant Park; four others became racially mixed.

• Population impact: Atlanta lost approximately 22,000 Black residents between 1980 and 2020—the fifth-highest loss among U.S. metro areas.

Read more about the report here.

Urban Institute’s new interactive tool provides insights into the financial stability of nonprofits by allowing users to explore funding reliance and risks at the state, county, and congressional district levels.

The tool highlights where nonprofits are most reliant on government funding and which areas would experience the biggest funding gaps, helping stakeholders assess potential risks and advocate for sustained investment.

In 2021 alone, Georgia nonprofits received $5.2 billion in government grants. With ongoing federal funding cuts, many now face growing financial strain.

Key Insights:

• Nonprofits in Georgia received $5.2 billion in government grants.
• Two-thirds of Georgia nonprofits are at risk of losing government grants (this does not include contracts).
• Health and Human Services agencies have the highest risk.
• Significant cuts to federal grants in Georgia could wipe out the sector’s operating surpluses (~9% on average) and put them into the negative (~-12%).

Explore the data here.

Last year’s Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey (MAS) continued to find that crime was the #1 concern for Atlanta residents. However, data from the Atlanta Police Department’s (APD) Open Data Portal helps understand the city’s crime statistics.

Here are the key takeaways from the most recent update of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) crime Tableau dashboard:

• The violent crime rate hasn’t exceeded its 2017 level and has since dropped to a new historic low in 2023 – violent crime rates are at or near their historic lows in almost every NPU.
• The rate of homicide incidents has dropped sharply year over year and is now at a level we have not seen since before the start of the pandemic – the homicide incident rate dropped in 19 of Atlanta’s 25 NPUs.
• Despite the significant year-on-year decline, the homicide rate for 2023 was still higher than that observed during the 2010s.
• While violent crimes were becoming less frequent over time, it was increasingly likely that a violent crime would turn deadly—likely a function of the type of weapon used.
• Property crime, which had been in steady decline until 2021, had a larger uptick in 2023 than in 2022 – the reason was a sharp rise in auto theft rates, while burglary and larceny rates were basically flat.

Read the full post here.

Through June 2022, an Urban Institute analysis found significant racial and geographic disparities in debt—a factor that contributes to the wealth gap. According to the data, debt and the racial gap are higher in Georgia than the national average. The disparity is significantly higher in several Metro Atlanta counties.