Adam Scavette
About Me

I am an economic advisor in the community development group at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
As an applied microeconomist, I study topics within urban, public, labor, and housing economics. My research has been published in the Journal of Urban Economics, Economics Letters and Regional Science and Urban Economics, and covered by major media outlets including The New York Times and Bloomberg. John O'Trakoun and I developed the SOS weekly recession indicator using unemployment insurance claims data.
I earned my PhD in public policy from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in 2024, where I received the Susan S. Fainstein award for best dissertation. I also hold advanced degrees in engineering and economics from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Edinburgh, respectively.
The views here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia or the Federal Reserve System.
CV
Google Scholar
IDEAS/RePEc
Email: adam.scavette@phil.frb.org
X (Twitter): @adamscavette
Working Papers
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Works in Progress
Federal Reserve Publications: Long Articles & Reports
- Understanding SNAP’s Role
with Carrie Cook, Stephanie Norris and Alvaro Sánchez
FRB Richmond: Econ Focus, 2024.
- Measuring Social Capital Across the Fifth District
with Stephanie Norris
FRB Richmond: Econ Focus, 2023.
- Regional Spotlight: Making Ends Meet
FRB Philadelphia: Economic Insights, 2022.
- Broadband Subscription, Computer Use, and Labor Market Attachment across U.S. Metros
with Alvaro Sánchez
FRB Philadelphia: Community Development Report, 2021.
- Regional Spotlight: Evaluating Metro Unemployment Rates Throughout the Business Cycle
FRB Philadelphia: Economic Insights, 2019.
- Exploring the Economic Effects of the Opioid Epidemic
FRB Philadelphia: Economic Insights, 2019.
- Regional Spotlight: Purchasing Power Across the U.S.
with Elif Sen
FRB Philadelphia: Economic Insights, 2017.
Federal Reserve Publications: Briefs & Blog Posts (By Topic)
Workforce and Economic Development
- How to Make It in Philadelphia: Policy Takeaways from the Survey of Economic Mobility
FRB Philadelphia: Community Development Brief, 2025.
- Boeing South Carolina's Economic Impact: Ten Years After Opening
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2024.
- Who is Supplying the Labor for Recent Employment Growth in the Rural Fifth District?
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2024.
- The Impact of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse on Fifth District Firms
with Jason Kosakow
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2024.
- Parsing the Slow Post-Pandemic Labor Market Recovery of Maryland’s Capital Suburbs
with Keith Waters
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2023.
- The Rural Reach of ARPA’s Development Grants in the Fifth District
with Andy Bauer
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2023.
- How the CHIPS and Science Act Will Target Economic Development in Distressed Labor Markets
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2022.
- Casinos and Regional Economies: Has the Game Changed?
FRB Richmond: Economic Brief, 2022.
- The Role of Manufacturing in the Rural Fifth District
FRB Richmond: Regional Matters, 2022.
- Is Urban Cool Cooling New Jersey’s Job Market?
with Ethan Haswell
FRB Philadelphia: Research Brief, 2016.
The Business Cycle and Inflation
Housing and Demographics
Broadband