Economic, demographic, and quality of life trends have been at the heart of The Institute's annual indicators report over the 21 years it has tracked data in Northeast Pennsylvania.
This year, major national issues are making their presence felt: Artificial Intelligence, data centers, federal Medicaid cuts and tariffs are among factors casting shadows on the region's economy.
MUCH TO READ AND LEARN
The Institute's 138-page 2026 Indicators Report covers a broad array of trends and topics — far more than can be discussed in a single news story — from the issues discussed here into demographics, education, transportation, law enforcement, health and much more.
● Read about The Institute and its findings here.
● WVIA News will bring you more stories about the report's findings in the weeks to come.
American exporters, including here, face the rising costs of selling their goods abroad as other countries impose tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump Administration tariffs on imports.
"A lot of our [region's] products are focused in the manufacturing sector — so plastics, metals, food products, things like that," said Ethan Van Gorden, a research analyst with The Institute.
"When we have countries and other organizations based outside the United States that want those products, [tariffs] will limit demand ... and it will consequently hurt those businesses or affect them adversely," Van Gorden said.
For the most part so far, though, it's been a case of wait and see as legal battles over the tariffs continue, creating uncertainty and volatility.
"I think those numbers are going to be changing a lot, and it's gonna be hard for those companies to predict what they're going to be seeing," Van Gorden said.
For the most part, however, Tuesday's presentation of the institute's annual indicators report followed familiar perennial themes — notably workforce and housing trends.
"The report is a compilation of data about Northeastern Pennsylvania from 14 different categories, 150 different metrics trended over time that tell the story not of just who we are now, but where we've been and where we're likely to go in the future," said Teri Ooms, founding CEO of The Institute.
Ooms and other contributors spoke about the report during Tuesday's annual indicators forum at Mohegan Pennsylvania in Plains Twp., Luzerne County.
Who, what, why?
The Institute is a partnership of 14 area colleges and universities and the business community.
Its first report, issued in 2006, covered approximately 40 indicators, with discussion divided into four key areas: housing; jobs and economy; education and workforce; and planning, land use, transportation and infrastructure.
Each year since, researchers have shared their findings on economic data and quality-of-life trends in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne and — as of this year — Wyoming counties.
More counties may follow, officials said Tuesday.
The Institute's "independent, non-biased research" is intended for entities across the region to make business and policy decisions.
"So we can better inform local governments, nonprofits, corporations, on how to improve their strength and resiliency, be more efficient and effective in their service delivery, and really hone in on enhancing the opportunities and mitigating regional challenges," Ooms said.
'We are really strong,' but housing lags
Ooms sees the region's strengths amid its challenges.
"I think what's important to remember is, if you look at many of the quality-of-life indicators, we are really strong, and I think people tend to take that for granted and don't recognize what we have here," she said.
She also sees how the report shows areas that need improvement.
"We are challenged, just like every region in the country, with a limited workforce, in part due to just shifting demographics across the country, and the need to train and build our pipeline from within and recruit from external (sources) will keep our businesses strong and our economy strong. So that's number one," Ooms said.
"But in order to be effective at all of those things, we need to improve some things about our region, like housing. We need to build houses faster. We need to make them more affordable," she said.
This year's report shows, for example, that a plurality of homes in Northeast Pennsylvania were built before 1940.
"And I'm not sorry saying 'subsidize' because everybody panics. But there are ways to make things more affordable, increase density, build faster to mitigate that," Ooms said. "So people want to live here, and then they will work here, and then our economy [will] stay strong."
Charles Kasko of Classic Properties, who serves as The Institute's board chair as well as chair of its Housing Task Force, said one of the stumbling blocks is Pennsylvania's lack of a consistent zoning framework, which has "a serious economic impact" on the state and the region when it comes to building new housing.
Among the report's recommendations:
● Modernize zoning and expand different housing types.
● Municipalities can update zoning codes to support infill development.
● Increase housing production as well as efforts to repair and maintain aging homes.
● Strengthen regional collaboration among municipalities, developers and community organizations.
● Promote affordability and support vulnerable populations through targeted programs.
● Integrate housing into broader community planning.
Medicaid impacts
Dr. Julie Byerly, president of the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, serves as the chair of the Institute's Health and Health Care task force.
This year's study looks at the critical role that Medicaid plays in community wellness, she said in a video presentation shown during Tuesday's forum.
"Medicaid is a foundational pillar of the American health care system. It provides essential coverage for individuals with low income, disabilities or other qualifying circumstances," Byerly said.
"It also provides more than health insurance. It stabilizes hospitals, reduces uncompensated care, and supports long-term care and rural health systems," she added.
Since Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid in 2015, "more than two and a half million residents have gained coverage at some point, and hospitals have seen uncompensated care costs fall by nearly 28% even as overall health care spending has risen," Byerly said.
But federal government cuts under the Trump Administration will be felt here, as in other states, she added.
President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' passed in 2025, introduced changes to Medicaid that will unfold over several years, Byerly said.
"These changes were designed to achieve substantial budgetary savings at the federal level nearly $1 trillion over the next decade by slowing the growth of Medicaid spending," Byerly said.
"Changes of this scale inevitably carry implications for states, for healthcare providers, for communities and for individuals who depend on the program," she said, and was quick to point out that The Institute's work is not designed to judge the policy itself.
"This report does not assess the merits of the federal fiscal objectives, but instead focuses on how the resulting policy changes may affect health coverage, access to care, and system capacity at the regional level by outlining anticipated changes and potential downstream effects," she said.
"This analysis is intended to support planning, informed decision making, and help stakeholders identify opportunities to mitigate unintended health and economic impacts associated with the re-prioritization of federal resources," Byerly said.
Among the potential factors: Mandatory work requirements for certain adults, shorter retroactive coverage periods, quarterly verification checks, reduced home equity thresholds and new copayments for certain expansion group adults, and reduced federal funding for many lawfully present non-citizens.
"These policy changes are projected to increase the number of uninsured people nationally by seven-and-a-half million by 2035 — that includes 310,000 Pennsylvanians," Byerly said.
"Policy makers and community leaders must take proactive steps to safeguard coverage and reduce disruption," she said.
Those steps could include embedding screening and referral protocols into clinical workflows to identify individuals at risk of losing their coverage, offering on-site assistance to help people meet the new reporting and eligibility requirements, and strengthening pathways to qualifying work and community engagement activities through partnerships with workforce agencies, employers and community colleges, she said.
Evidence suggests "that most coverage losses will stem not from unemployment but from administrative challenges such as missed deadlines, complex paperwork and confusion about reporting requirements," Byerly said.
AI and data centers
Don Brominski of UGI Utilities, who serves as The Institute's Energy Task Force chair, said this year's study took a look at the dynamics surrounding data centers in the region.
"Northeast Pennsylvania has several strategic advantages that have made the region attractive to data center developers, including abundant land resources and strong infrastructure potential," Brominski said. "Our temperate climate supports energy-efficient cooling [of data centers], and our region is seeing expanding fiber networks and is close to major East Coast markets."
That doesn't mean all the projects proposed and discussed will be built.
"Data centers are complex and resource-intensive, but their ultimate impact on Northeast Pennsylvania is not predetermined," Brominski said. "The impact on the surrounding community is not determined by the technology itself, but rather by the policies, standards and planning framework."
The report offers recommendations that can allow NEPA to "capitalize on the economic benefits of data centers while safeguarding long-term sustainability," he said, including legislative, regulatory and community engagement guidelines for projects.
Data centers generate "substantial short-term employment" during construction, he said, but "once operational, data centers support a smaller but highly skilled, high wage workforce, they can also provide stable tax revenue and attract related industries and additional investment in the region."
"The impact on the surrounding community is not determined by the technology itself, but rather by the policies, standards and planning framework," he added.
The Institute's Jobs, Economy and Economic Development Task Force, led by Robert Luciani of Empower, looked at how Artificial Intelligence is impacting the region's workforce and what steps should be taken to prepare for its growth.
"AI is already shaping how work gets done across our region," a trend that is only accelerating, Luciani said.
There is, however, a gap in AI-readiness that needs to be bridged.
"When used thoughtfully, AI can strengthen competitiveness," Luciani said, though he acknowledged that there are "early signs" of job displacement, cybersecurity concerns and use of AI to promote misinformation.
“This isn't about whether AI is bad or good. It’s about whether we are prepared,” he said.
The report offers suggestions, including embracing AI adoption, investing in AI training, and proposing legislation that will analyze AI's impact on Pennsylvania's workforce and mitigate the effects of job displacement.
The Institute's Van Gorden said the region hasn't seen direct AI-related job losses yet, "but the risk is real …"
"AI is accelerating change and pushing us to an inflection point," he said.
