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Newport and Bristol County, RI: Connect Greater Newport released its August monthly Regional  Economic Data which shows the following: 

● Regional unemployment sits at 2.4% – a slight increase from the prior month due to more  workers looking for employment 

● An estimated 1,779 more people are in the regional labor force than in February 2020. ● 2,799 more people were employed in July 2022 than before the pandemic  

● Newport Pell Bridge Traffic is still tracking slightly behind pre-pandemic levels – August  saw 97% of the traffic as compared to August 2019  

● Job growth in Newport and Bristol County is in the Middle Wage job band (annual  

earnings between $29,000 and $73,000) with increases of 16.1% and 13.2% respectively  as of June 2022, according to data from the Opportunity Insights: Economic Tracker.1 Connect Greater Newport’s Economic Pulse is a monthly publication that tracks the region’s  economic data to help inform regional leaders and investors. Additional information and data  visualization can be found at https://www.connectgreaternewport.com/regional-economic-data

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...