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MuniNet Medley: Timely Points of Interest from the Editor’s Desk

Is there a personality profile for states with low mobility levels?  Maybe so, according to a recent article entitled, The Makeup of Stuck America, posted on The Atlantic Cities website.  Richard Florida and colleagues examined key social, economic and other factors that contribute to “stuck states,” defined as those having a high percentage of residents born in their current state.  The article also suggests that the divergence between “mobile” and “stuck” states may significantly contribute to America’s cultural and economic divide.  A great read ....

... The National Association of State Budget Officers has some good news to report:  “The overall fiscal situation of states has improved from the depths of the recent recession,” according to the recently released Fall2011 Fiscal Survey of States.  While aggregate state revenues are improving, it’s not quite time to crack open the champagne.  Revenues and spending levels are still below pre-recession levels.  

... One state, America’s Dairyland, is enjoying record-level exports in agricultural products, according to a Wisconsin State Journal article.  Through September 2011, Wisconsin exported $2.1 billion in agricultural products to over 140 countries - a 24 percent increase from the same period a year ago ... 

... Solar power fuels job growth, with solar manufacturing jobs leading the way. The top five states for solar power jobs are California, Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New York, according to the Solar Foundation’s 2011 National Solar Jobs Census.  The report cites a 25 percent increase in solar manufacturing jobs for the nine months of 2011, compared to the same period a year ago.