The MBTA has made important strides. It increased its operating staff by 1,200 since June 2022 and has improved its handling of safety and service issues that have plagued the Authority for several years. However, it still has a long uphill climb....

Workforce challenges at the MBTA have received extensive reporting in recent years. Those challenges took on a new sense of urgency in 2022 when a safety management inspection by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found that the MBTA needed to...

The Healey administration filed its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget proposal on January 24th, totaling $58.13 billion. The spending plan includes critical investments in healthcare and education, as well as a notable funding increase for transportation...

On November 16, the MBTA presented an updated analysis of its State of Good Repair (SGR) Index, which measures the Authority’s capital asset needs, to the Board of Directors (here) in which it revised the SGR Index to $24.5 billion from the most...

Tax revenues for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and FY 2025 settle into a post-COVID pattern of lower growth as the economy slows, impacts from migration and an aging population emerge (Appendix A), and tax reforms take effect. Excluding revenues related to...

Workforce Changes Since 2019:The civilian labor force fell by ~130,000;120,000 residents turned 65150,000 left the workforce due to retirementIn sum - in September 2023, there were 150,000 more job openings than unemployed people in the...

As cities like Boston continue to navigate changes in urban economies resulting from the ongoing pandemic recovery, a new report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) details the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Urban...

Who’s LeavingU.S. Census: Suffolk and Middlesex residents, the two most expensive countiesIRS: Tax filers aged 26 to 35 dominate outflow; impairs talent pipelineWhy They’re LeavingCost and quality of living worsening; housing prices climb even faster...

Will MBTA Labor Shortages Impede its Future?Like transit agencies across the nation, the MBTA is struggling to find the talent it needs to deliver full bus and rapid transit services today, let alone the expanded services being planned or proposed....

Following a startling $11.5 billion surge in FY 2021 and FY 2022, tax revenues for this year and next settle into a lower and slower growth pattern as global risks escalate. MTF projects that FY 2023 revenues will top the $39.62 billion benchmark by ...