As a group, America's 56 major metro areas experienced an absolute population loss from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021. During this same period, non-metropolitan America had its greatest annual population gain in over a decade. Are these population shifts just a one-year blip or a sign of things to come? William Frey explores in a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Also in this week's newsletter, we look at the pandemic's impact on well-being in the United States, challenges for women-owned businesses globally, the firms that will benefit most from U.S. government support, and more. 

More research and commentary

Public funding for COVID-19 treatments. The benefits of federal investment in COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics go far beyond U.S. public health. Recent research from the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy examines the economic angle.

The state of U.S. mental health. In a review of several nationally-representative datasets, Emily Dobson, Carol Graham, Tim Hua, and Sergio Pinto find a variety of contrasting stories about society's well-being and mental health during the pandemic. 

Struggles for women-owned businesses. The COVID-19 crisis had disproportionately severe labor market effects on female workers and entrepreneurs globally. Sound health policies can help reduce the gender gap in performance, Addisu Lashitew, Addis Birhanu, and Yamlaksira Getachew argue. 

The differing fates of large and small firms. At first glance, small businesses appear to have benefited more than large ones from the U.S. government's pandemic-support programs. But a closer inspection of the range of government programs implemented and their longer term impact reveals a very different picture, Todd Baker, Kathryn Judge, and Aaron Klein write.