Building Bridges: An Outreach Economist's Role in Connecting Data to Daily Life

Ryo Tashiro is the Philadelphia Fed's eyes and ears on the ground. The outreach economist crisscrosses the Third District, making sense of economic trends for businesses and communities — and capturing local insights to help inform national monetary policy discussions.

Featured Work

Regional Economics

Working Paper

The Impact of Early Investments in Urban School Systems in the United States

WP 26-15 – Urban schools increased per pupil expenditures by 70 percent from 1918 to 1924, and these resources led to greater educational attainment and higher wages for less advantaged children.

Regional Economics

Working Paper

Evaluating Transportation Improvements Within Cities Using Quantitative Spatial Models

WP 26-13 – Quantitative spatial models (QSMs) can assess the equilibrium impacts of transportation infrastructure within cities. I describe a simple QSM and identify common weaknesses and promising future directions for research.

Regional Economics

Working Paper

Strong Spatial Spillovers Determine Neighborhood Shape and Neighborhood Change

WP 26-11 – This paper explores how spatial spillovers — changes in the perceived value of a location as a result of the choices of others — affect how neighborhoods are shaped and how they change over time.

Featured Data

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Third District Beige Book

Qualitative assessment of economic conditions in the Third District released prior to each FOMC meeting

Updated: 04 Mar ’26

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Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey

Monthly survey of manufacturers in the Third District

Updated: 19 Mar ’26

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Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey

Monthly survey of nonmanufacturing businesses in the Third District

Updated: 24 Mar ’26

November 2019 Map

State Coincident Indexes

Monthly index of general economic conditions for each of the 50 states

Updated: 30 Jan ’26

Price and Inflation Expectations Survey

Quarterly survey of price and inflation expectations among manufacturing and nonmanufacturing firms in the Third District

Updated: 25 Feb ’26

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COVID-19 Business Outlook Survey

Special survey (now monthly, previously weekly) of firms in the Third District

Updated: 23 Dec ’20