OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The final 2021 report on a monthly survey of business leaders in nine Midwest and Plains states shows the region’s economy continues to improve going into the new year, with confidence in the economy over the next six months soaring.
The overall index for December of the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions released Monday grew to 64.6 from November’s 60.2. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth.
The survey’s business confidence index, which looks ahead six months, rocketed from a weak 46.2 in November to 64.0 in December.
The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
South Dakota: The December Business Conditions Index for South Dakota climbed to 60.5 from 55.0 in November. Components of the overall index from the December survey of supply managers in the state were: new orders at 65.4, production or sales at 49.5, delivery lead time at 73.8, inventories at 65.7, and employment at 47.9. Since the beginning of the pandemic, South Dakota nondurablegoods manufacturing experienced much stronger growth than nondurablegoods producers in the state. Average hourly wages have advanced by 7.7% during this same period of time, all data non-seasonally adjusted.
