A chamber of commerce in northern Wisconsin expects winter tourism to be 15 percent to 20 percent lower than last year. While snowmobiling was stifled in northern Minnesota, a downhill ski resort expects a 10 percent increase for the season. Recent snowfall in South Dakota has boosted snowmobile traffic and inquiries to a local tourism office. With unemployment rates at or near record lows, most urban businesses in the district feel labor market tightness in one way or another. Paul hourly earnings in manufacturing are about 2 percent above year-earlier levels.
Energy prices remain well below year-earlier levels.
With such prices and with warm weather, household heating costs in most areas are the lowest in many years. Gasoline prices are down as much as 20 cents per gallon from early 1997. Commodity and intermediate good prices are down or quiescent. Increased prices at the consumer level are relatively rare. To comment on this site, please fill out our feedback form.