Tracking America's recovery

From your job to your home to your groceries, Covid-19 has disrupted nearly every aspect of life. This dashboard shows how the economy continues to change as we grapple with life during the pandemic.

Check back regularly to see how America is recovering and adapting to a new normal.

More bad news for the job market: Another 885,000 people filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week. It marked an increase from the prior week and was higher than economists had expected.
Congressional leaders — after months of a bitter stalemate, and with millions of Americans eager for relief — have indicated they're nearing a deal on a new rescue package that could pass both chambers within days.
The deal is expected to include a new round of stimulus checks at $600 per individual, but no money for state and local aid, a priority Democrats had pushed for, and no lawsuit protections, which Republicans wanted.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

What you need to know

From your job to your home to your groceries, Covid-19 has disrupted nearly every aspect of life. This dashboard shows how the economy continues to change as we grapple with life during the pandemic.

Check back regularly to see how America is recovering and adapting to a new normal.

More bad news for the job market: Another 885,000 people filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week. It marked an increase from the prior week and was higher than economists had expected.
Congressional leaders — after months of a bitter stalemate, and with millions of Americans eager for relief — have indicated they're nearing a deal on a new rescue package that could pass both chambers within days.
The deal is expected to include a new round of stimulus checks at $600 per individual, but no money for state and local aid, a priority Democrats had pushed for, and no lawsuit protections, which Republicans wanted.

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The Back-to-Normal Index

The pandemic economy is far from normal. So Moody’s Analytics and CNN Business have partnered to create a proprietary Back-to-Normal Index, comprised of 37 national and seven state-level indicators. The index ranges from zero, representing no economic activity, to 100%, representing the economy returning to its pre-pandemic level in March.

80%

The economy in the United States is operating at 80% of where it was in early March.

New coronavirus
cases in the last 7 days1,149,922

25% higher than the prior week, updated daily

Number of states with improved Index since last week40

Back-to-Normal state rankings list

as of December 9, 2020

1Florida90.2%

2Alabama88.9%

3Mississippi88.9%

4South Dakota88.6%

5West Virginia87.9%

6Georgia87.8%

7Idaho87.8%

8Nebraska87.2%

9Arkansas86.9%

10South Carolina85.8%

11Louisiana85.7%

12Maine85.5%

13Utah85.5%

14Tennessee85.2%

15Montana84.4%

16Oklahoma84.4%

17Texas84.4%

18Iowa84.1%

19Missouri83.8%

20Ohio83.5%

21Indiana82.9%

22Rhode Island82.8%

23Arizona82.5%

24North Carolina82.0%

25New Hampshire81.3%

26Connecticut80.9%

27Kansas80.8%

28Kentucky80.8%

29Virginia80.5%

30Wisconsin80.2%

31Nevada79.3%

32Washington78.8%

33Wyoming78.1%

34Vermont77.5%

35Maryland77.2%

36New Jersey77.2%

37Delaware76.7%

38Pennsylvania76.4%

39Hawaii75.8%

40North Dakota75.7%

41Michigan75.3%

42California74.6%

43Alaska73.9%

44Colorado73.4%

45New York73.0%

46Massachusetts71.8%

47Oregon70.4%

48Minnesota70.1%

49Illinois69.7%

50New Mexico68.2%

Learn how we created the Back-to-Normal Index

Source: Moody's Analytics, JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data Data as of December 11, 2020

The job market is still weak

Meanwhile, the housing market is on fire

And stocks are near all-time highs

Americans are saving more and spending less

The shift to online shopping has accelerated

Restaurants and movie theaters are still hurting

And travel has slowed to a crawl