COVID-19 Impact

Austin poised to lose 260,000 jobs and millions in revenue due to COVID-19

Austin City Council met on Tuesday to discuss economic impact of COVID-19 on the city.

Austin, Texas - Your CIty Government/Facebook

KVUE — The Austin City Council met Tuesday, April 7, to discuss some of the economic impacts COVID-19 has had so far on city finances, as well as projections for the future.

According to the council's presentation, Austin stands to see 261,275 potential job losses. Estimates also put the city at a revenue loss between $38.3 million and $57.6 million.

Experts said consumer activity (retail and personal services) and hospitality are the two sectors hit first and hardest by the virus. And the City of Austin is seeing the impacts strongest in sales, lodging, and mixed beverage taxes.

One figure provided by the city suggests hotel occupancy is down 95 percent compared to the previous year.

Some of the city enterprise funds severely impacted by the coronavirus include:

Hotel occupancy taxes: The virus has impacted programs at the Convention Center, Historic Preservation, Cultural Arts and Music Funds.
Airport revenue: There has been sharp declines in parking and landing fees, as well as concession revenue.
City parking fees: Fewer people are paying to park in Downtown Austin.

Meanwhile, Austin Energy and Austin Water have seen a moderate impact from COVID-19. Reductions in commercial usage has been partially offset by increased residential usage. Rate reductions and tier changes for residential customers are also being put in place.

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To read the full story, head to KVUE.

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keep austin healthy

Austin is the 2nd 'healthiest' city in America, Forbes says

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

There are plenty of places for Austinites of varying abilities to be active.

The city's abundance of yoga studios, health-conscious restaurants, and run clubs is paying off: Austin was just named the second healthiest city in the nation in a new study by Forbes Advisor.

The report, "Cities With The Least Healthy (And Healthiest) Populations, Ranked" examined 2021 health data from the City Health Dashboard for 46 of the most populated cities in America. Eight metrics were analyzed for each city, such as the number of heart disease or opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, the percentage of adults with diabetes or high blood pressure, among others.

The study focuses exclusively on physical health, and leans on broad risk factors more than the actual occurrence of specific diseases or conditions.

Austin ranked second to San Jose, California, which was dubbed the No. 1 healthiest city in America.

Forbes found that Austin has the lowest percentage of adult high blood pressure out of all 46 cities in the report, at just 22.5 percent. Only 7.4 percent of Austin residents have diabetes, which is the fourth-lowest rate nationwide. The city also boasts the fifth-lowest percentage of adults who smoke (11.3 percent).

Here's how the report ranked four other metrics for Austin:

Eighth-lowest number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 residents (175.5)
Eighth-lowest number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents (9.6)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report having obesity (28.2 percent)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report being physically inactive (18.5)

Austin has a reputation for being an accommodating city, whether it's through restaurants expanding their culinary offerings for vegans and vegetarians, or through local organizations adding exercise equipment to outdoor trails. And you can't forget about all the new gyms and country clubs opening around the city.

At the opposite end of the study, Detroit, Michigan landed as the most unhealthy city in the country.

Elsewhere in Texas
Though Austin is one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., and the healthiest in the state, several other Texas cities fell far behind. Houston appeared as the No. 12 most unhealthy American city on the list, and unhealthiest in Texas. The report attributes this to a high percentage of adults who report binge drinking (18.2 percent), smoking (17.2 percent), and more.

"Houston has the seventh-highest percentage of adults who report having obesity (37.7 percent) and the eighth-highest percentage of adults with diabetes (12 percent)," the report said.

San Antonio ranked as the 15th unhealthiest U.S. city, followed by Dallas (No. 18), El Paso (No. 22) and Fort Worth (No. 25). Arlington appeared as No. 30, technically making it the No. 18 healthiest city in the U.S.

The top 10 cities with the most healthy populations are:

No. 1 – San Jose, California
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 10 – Minneapolis

The full report can be found on forbes.com.

austin healthy reports rankings