25 Years of Community Engagement and Partnerships The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City established the Community Development Advisory Council in 2001 to ensure all communities had a voice in national economic conversations.

For 25 years our #CommunityDevelopment Advisory Council has informed us on economic conditions & community needs. Their perspectives have led to many initiatives, such as a financial disaster preparedness toolkit that was developed after devastating tornadoes in Okla. https://bit.ly/4cm6Sln

Uncovering where #stablecoins are held and how they're used provides 3 key insights:

🔘 Stablecoins are rarely used for payments.

🔘 Stablecoin infrastructure lacks interoperability.

🔘 Stablecoins' ecosystem is predominantly tied to crypto finance.

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4eeZmeL

Kansas City Fed Economist Emily Pollard examined why enrollment has been declining at community colleges. She found that a strong job marke may be keeping workers in the labor force. Decreased returns to an associate degree may also be a factor. https://bit.ly/4bEjpSO #EconSky #EducationalResearch

An oil pumpjack under a clear sky with a notice in the foreground stating, "Energy Survey Results Now Available, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City."

What do our Q1 Energy Survey results show?

◻️ Energy activity in our region was unchanged in Q1, based on firms contacted between March 16-31.

◻️ Drilling activity was flat from this time last year.

◻️ 6-month expectations rose.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4cjq5V5 #EconSky

Text reads: "Catching Up or Falling Behind? The Pace of Income Convergence in Rural and Urban America," accompanied by headshots of Jason Brown and Bobby Beckemeyer, against a light blue background.

Economic Review from Kansas City Fed Researchers Jason P. Brown & Bobby Beckemeyer:

With recent declines in business and population turnover, income convergence in rural & urban America has slowed but slowed more in rural areas.

Full article is available at https://bit.ly/4s5CO4f #Economy

Make a splash today, #KansasCity...happy fountain day! ⛲#KCsky

Diane Stinton in a navy blue blouse smiles at the camera.

We're pleased to welcome Diane Stinton, chief executive officer of TMCO in Lincoln, Neb. to our #Omaha Branch Board of Directors.

Our Directors oversee our operations and policies and confer on economic and banking developments.

Learn more about Diane here: https://bit.ly/4txKFYR

Hiring in Oklahoma Slows, but Unemployment Remains Low Job gains in the U.S. slowed in 2025, due to both supply and demand factors. Although employment is growing at a steady pace in Oklahoma, hiring has slowed recently to historic lows, reflecting reduce...

Most #Oklahoma firms reported they do not expect to increase employment in 2026, due, in large part, to uncertainty and an expected cyclical slowdown in sales growth. https://bit.ly/4s1F5gG

#EconSky

Katie Powell, president of Munro Companies, in a dark blazer over a gray turtleneck stands smiling at the camera with folded arms. Text laid over the image reads: Meet our New Directors. Katie Powell, President, Munro Companies, Inc., Grand Junction, Colorado. The Kansas City Fed logo is visible in the top right corner.

We're pleased to welcome Katie Powell, president of Munro Companies in Grand Junction, Colo. to our #Denver Branch Board of Directors.

Our Directors oversee our operations and policies and confer on economic and banking developments.

Learn more about Katie in this article: https://bit.ly/3OfMHxD

🍎 #Teachers → From lessons on monetary policy to tips for building a budget, you can find hundreds of free educational resources from the Federal Reserve at https://bit.ly/47gPIo5 #TeacherSky

Chart depicting the relationship between IT spending and bank profitability. A solid line shows the return on equity after increased IT spending, and a dashed line represents the baseline return on equity without increased IT spending. Federal Reserve bank of Kansas City logo appears at the bottom.

Kansas City Fed Researchers Jordan Pandolfo and Thomas Désiré find that increased spending on technology improves a bank’s profits. Higher spending on IT and data processing is associated with increased income from deposit accounts and lower loan default rates. https://bit.ly/47jpUaF

David Campbell, chairman, president and CEO of Evergy, in a business suit smiles for the camera as he leans on a dark wood railing. Text laid over the image reads: Meet Our New Directors. David Campbell, Chairman, President and CEO, Evergy, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City logo appears in the top left corner.

We're pleased to welcome David Campbell, chairman, president & CEO of @evergypower.bsky.social to our Kansas City Board of Directors.

Our Directors oversee our operations and policies and confer on economic and banking developments.

Learn more about David here: https://bit.ly/48teGka #KCSky

Defining vague terms clearly, using data purposefully and prioritizing workforce wellness are just a few of the ways #CommunityDevelopment practitioners can make meaningful progress. https://bit.ly/4lvguib

A line chart shows median interest rates for new term small business loans from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025.

In our Small Business Lending Survey for Q4 2025, banks reported lower interest rates and higher outstanding loan balances. Learn what banks told us about credit standards, loan demand and application approval rates in our report: https://bit.ly/4uUz7QA #SmallBiz #Finance

From factory floors to economic policy: How Denver businesses help inform the Federal Reserve Real economic insight starts on the ground. In Denver, the Kansas City Fed is listening to businesses and communities to better understand housing, innovation, and regional economic trends.

📰 Kansas City Fed President and CEO Jeff Schmid heard from Denver business and community leaders on their economy and housing challenges. https://bit.ly/4sjkFPJ

Jeff Schmid, Kansas City Fed's President and CEO, stands at a podium speaking in front of a banner for the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.

Jeff Schmid, Kansas City Fed President and CEO, in a business suit, poses for the camera with a man and woman, both in business suits. In the background is a banner for the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.

A. Lee Smith, Kansas City Fed's Senior Vice President in Economic Research, in a business suit speaking to a woman in business attire.

Kansas City Fed President and CEO Jeff Schmid and Research team members visited #OklahomaCity this week. Jeff spoke at the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City, where he shared his views on the #economy and spoke with business and community leaders. Read his speech here: https://bit.ly/4bKSggE

Nebraska community development assessment: Uncovering needs, highlighting strengths It was no surprise that Nebraskans mentioned issues like affordable housing, childcare, and jobs. But people did surprise us with other thoughts during nearly a year of meetings and more than 3,000 ro...

A year on the road. 3,000 miles. 100+ community voices.

Our Community Development team heard what’s working, and what’s not, for lower income Nebraskans. This article captures those insights; read it and pass it along: https://bit.ly/46Zr3Ut

A line chart shows rising peak average oil well production in the Permian Basin through 2024, with initial output often reaching 700–800 barrels per day. However, production declines sharply in the first year—by around 50–70 percent—suggesting technology has lifted peaks more than flattened decline rates.

Kansas City Fed Vice President & Economist Jason P. Brown finds that higher initial well output in the Permian Basin has not slowed oil production declines. https://bit.ly/4s13t1t #EconSky

Today President and CEO Jeff Schmid spoke to the #OklahomaCity Rotary about his outlook for the economy and monetary policy. You can read his full remarks here: https://bit.ly/4bKSggE #EconSky

Kansas City Fed Researchers Cortney Cowley and Chase Farha find that natural amenities account for nearly 1/3 of #housing affordability differences across counties. https://bit.ly/4lW98Eh #EconSky

Text reads: "Catching Up or Falling Behind? The Pace of Income Convergence in Rural and Urban America," accompanied by headshots of Jason Brown and Bobby Beckemeyer, against a light blue background.

Economic Review from Kansas City Fed Researchers Jason P. Brown & Bobby Beckemeyer:

With recent declines in business and population turnover, income convergence in rural & urban America has slowed but slowed more in rural areas.

Full article is available at https://bit.ly/4s5CO4f #Economy

🍎 #Teachers → From lessons on monetary policy to tips for building a budget, you can find hundreds of free educational resources from the Federal Reserve at https://bit.ly/47gPIo5 #TeacherSky

Navy Cash program keeps money moving at sea Working on behalf of the U.S. Navy and the U.S Treasury, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Omaha Branch is responsible for sustaining the Stored Value Card program.

Did you know Navy ships have their own onboard economy? The Kansas City Fed supports it through the Navy Cash program, serving 138 ships and almost 192,000 cardholders worldwide. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bEctDg

Interest Rates Decrease for Small Business Lending In the fourth quarter, interest rates decreased for all small business lending, consistent with the declining rate environment. Outstanding loan balances increased when compared to the same period in ...

🔔 New small business lending data:

In our 4th quarter Small Business Lending Survey, respondents indicated the most likely factors to have an impact on loan demand over the next 12 months are cost of labor, interest rates, and inflation. https://bit.ly/4uUz7QA #EconSky

A line graph titled "Manufacturing Composite Indexes" from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The graph displays two lines: one comparing data from a month ago and another from a year ago, spanning from March 2020 to March 2023.

📈 New data release - Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Survey:

Regional manufacturing activity rose. (Highest reading since July 2022)

Most firms expect higher demand relative to last year.

A slight majority of firms expect lower profit margins due to cost pressures. https://bit.ly/319NaZm #EconSky

New from the Kansas City Fed: interactive LMI Data Books offering county-level insights on demographics, wages, housing, and more. Designed for quick, easy exploration. Check them out ➜ https://bit.ly/4sSLNpj

Defining vague terms clearly, using data purposefully and prioritizing workforce wellness are just a few of the ways #CommunityDevelopment practitioners can make meaningful progress. https://bit.ly/4lvguib

Chart depicting the relationship between IT spending and bank profitability. A solid line shows the return on equity after increased IT spending, and a dashed line represents the baseline return on equity without increased IT spending. Federal Reserve bank of Kansas City logo appears at the bottom.

Kansas City Fed Researchers Jordan Pandolfo and Thomas Désiré find that increased spending on technology improves a bank’s profits. Higher spending on IT and data processing is associated with increased income from deposit accounts and lower loan default rates. https://bit.ly/47jpUaF #FinTech

Kansas City Fed Economist Emily Pollard examined why enrollment has been declining at community colleges. She found that a strong job marke may be keeping workers in the labor force. Decreased returns to an associate degree may also be a factor. https://bit.ly/4bEjpSO #EconSky #EducationalResearch

Our President and CEO Jeff Schmid, Denver Branch Executive and Economist Nick Sly, and some of our regional employees gained a ground-level view of northern New Mexico’s economy during a recent visit to #Albuquerque. https://bit.ly/4ucLLdq

#EconSky