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Despite low unemployment levels, easing inflation, and a robust stock market, many Americans continue to feel the squeeze of high costs—particularly when it comes to housing. Median rents for 2025 are expected to be 4.8% higher nationally than last year, with some areas seeing increases of 20% or more.

Construction Coverage’s latest report explores which areas are seeing the highest rent price increases—and where rents are actually declining.

Key Takeaways, With Data for Georgia

• Studios projected to see the largest increases: Nationally, rents for studio apartments are expected to rise 5.9% to a median of $1,384 in 2025. One-bedroom units follow closely with a 5.3% increase to $1,499.

• Larger rentals will fare slightly better: Median rents for two-, three- and four-bedroom homes are projected to grow by over 4% each, reaching median rents as high as $2,681 nationwide.

• Rent prices in Georgia: In 2024, the median rent in Georgia was $1,755. In 2025, it is expected to be $44 more expensive at $1,799, a year-over-year increase of 2.5%.

While, in many ways, the U.S. economy looks strong—with low unemployment levels, easing inflation, and a robust stock market—many Americans continue to feel the squeeze of high costs. The inflation rate has come down from its peak in mid-2022, but the effects of several years of record price increases still linger, leaving households struggling to make ends meet.

One of the most pressing financial challenges for many is the cost of housing. According to data from Zillow, median rents are approximately 35% higher today than they were before the pandemic. With high home prices and mortgage interest rates pricing many would-be buyers out of the real estate market, rentals have been highly competitive.

Underlying these trends is a long-term shortage of housing stock in the United States. Many builders were hard-hit by the Great Recession, and as a result, the U.S. dramatically underbuilt its housing stock throughout the 2010s. Renters are feeling the consequences: rental vacancy rates are near their lowest level on record. In short, this means that more renters are competing for fewer available units.

The full report includes data for nearly 400 U.S. metros and all 50 states.

US Tariff Impact on Canada

Trump and the Canada Tariffs US President Trump has expressed his enthusiasm for the use of large tariffs in international relations to correct trade imbalances. He believes they’re a marvelous tool to improve his country’s negotiating position and bolster the US economy. Currently, it’s rumored the Trump team is considering a gradual imposition of 2%…

KORE, a global leader in Internet of Things (“IoT”) Solutions and pioneering IoT hyperscaler, and provider of IoT Connectivity, Solutions and Analytics, today announced that their In-Vehicle Video solution has been selected as winner of the “Connected Car Product of the Year” award in the 9^th annual IoT Breakthrough Awards program conducted by IoT Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global Internet-of-Things (IoT) market today.

KORE offers a comprehensive set of solutions that deliver continuous and detailed visibility into fleet operations for fleet managers. KORE In-Vehicle Video (IVV), including IoT dash cams and supporting AI technology, leverages the latest in high-quality video technologies to improve driver behavior and increase driver productivity.

KORE IVV also empowers organizations to establish accident fault and facilitate timely and effective driver coaching via a centralized platform that tracks and visually monitors the fleet. Continuous video streams are captured for vehicles with live streaming from multiple cameras at once with infrared sensors for night vision, and event-based video snapshots are captured when triggered on a vehicle’s route. Videos can also be accessed remotely to either stream or download without having to physically access the vehicle.

The platform’s AI feature can monitor fatigue as well as distracting behaviors such as texting while driving, smoking, and cellphone usage, and alerts are sent out to headquarters upon detection. These alerts can then be used to coach drivers enabling them to make better, safer choices while operating company vehicles. Proof of an in-vehicle video system helps to reduce collision frequency and, as a result, insurance costs. KORE’s video-enabled safety features reduce the risk of an at-fault accident. Fleet managers can also measure how vehicles are being used and how drivers are performing against contextual data to plan targeted training.

“It’s an honor to receive this award from IoT Breakthrough, especially with all the work our team has put into developing solutions that fit the needs of fleets of all sizes. Our technology was built to help our customers improve driver behavior, reduce insurance costs, and enhance the safety of their fleets,” said Ron Totton, President and CEO of KORE.  “KORE’s In-Vehicle Video Solution also comes with connectivity offerings, and a full support team to help our customers defend innocent drivers, potentially reduce insurance premiums, and accelerate the insurance claims process with high-definition video evidence.”

The mission of the IoT Breakthrough Awards program is to conduct the industry’s most comprehensive analysis of the global Internet-of-Things industry and then recognize the ‘breakthrough’ innovators, leaders and visionaries in a broad range of IoT categories, including Industrial and Enterprise IoT, Smart City technology, IoT Security, Connected Home and Home Automation, Connected Car, and many more. This year’s program attracted thousands of nominations from companies all over the world.

“KORE is helping to save both lives and money. The annual accident rate for commercial fleets is approximately 20%, meaning one in five vehicles will be part of a collision, compromising safety and crippling businesses financially. Though in-vehicle video can help, adopting it has been a challenge due to the demands of multiple systems and requirements,” said Steve Johansson, managing director at IoT Breakthrough. “KORE IVV leverages the latest technology to improve driver behavior, increase productivity as well as empower organizations to establish accident fault and facilitate effective driver coaching. We’re so pleased to recognize KORE with the ‘Connected Car Product of the Year’ award!”

KORE’s turn-key solution simplifies remote tracking, monitoring, and management of vehicles and drivers by eliminating costly integrations and configurations. The solution includes a robust fleet management application, managed network connectivity from Tier 1 cellular operators, and support for advanced vehicle tracking devices from leading manufacturers.

The Atlanta Regional Commission today announced Rosalind “Roz” Tucker as the agency’s new Chief Human Resources Officer. She reports to Executive Director & CEO Anna Roach and becomes a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

Tucker has been serving as interim CHRO since October. She previously served as Managing Director of ARC’s Mobility Services department, where she led a team of transportation demand management professionals focused on promoting commute alternatives, such as teleworking, carpooling, transit, and walking/bicycling.

“Roz is a dynamic, results-oriented leader who has an exceptional track record of innovation and success,” said Roach. “She has brought exceptional leadership to this position during her interim tenure, demonstrating a deep expertise in human capital development, strategic HR practices, and employee engagement. Roz’s contributions have been instrumental in strengthening our HR initiatives and fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace.”

Among her achievements at ARC, Tucker spearheaded efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to help metro Atlanta employers establish or expand teleworking programs. This work included designing and implementing a groundbreaking initiative to compile teleworking data to provide business leaders with the data needed to manage through the crisis.

“I am honored to take on this new role,” Tucker said. “ARC is blessed with an incredibly talented staff who share a commitment to making our region a better place to live. It’s a truly inspiring place to work.”

Beyond her role at ARC, Roz extends her influence across professional organizations, serving as President for the Association for Commuter Transportation and as a member of the Society for Human Resources (SHRM).  She is also a graduate of Leadership Cobb and ARC’s Regional Leadership Institute.

For more information visit galogisticssummit.com/

With the New Year festivities out of the way, it’s time for us to settle down and get back to business.  For those in the political realm, that means it’s time for governing.  Much of the political press will be transfixed on the change of partisan power in the White House next week, but here at home, we have a new session of the Georgia General Assembly beginning.

All members of the Georgia House and Senate began their two year terms on Monday, January 13^th.  They’ll meet for forty business days of their choosing as is allowed under the Georgia Constitution.  

For those who want to get into the weeds of their schedule, check the General Assembly’s website for what is known as an “adjournment resolution”.  This is what the schedule the House and Senate agree upon for which days they’ll count towards their forty.  Sometimes they do this scheduling a week or so at a time.  

Last year they were able to agree on the path towards forty days pretty quickly.  For those of us that like some predictability of schedule for things like April vacation planning, let’s hope they’ll be able to do so again.  

When in doubt, look at the date of April 7^th. That’s the date for the first practice rounds at Augusta National for The Masters.  The General Assembly likes to have business finished before this event begins.  

It’s easy to chide politicians for appearing to have misplaced priorities for this, but the reason is deeper than wanting to watch the best golf in the world. This is one of the biggest economic development events that is hosted in Georgia. A lot of people with titles need their attention to be on future business, and not the myriad of bills that pile up for passage or failure the last couple of days of session.  

The Masters is a valid deadline.  But let’s hope for the end of March as a bogey.

The agenda is laid out during this first week.  On Tuesday, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Eggs & Issues breakfast. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House all get a speaking role, and typically use it to lay out their legislative priorities.  

We already know that Governor Kemp is interested in two major pieces of legislation.  At last year’s Eggs & Issues breakfast, the Governor indicated a major piece of tort reform legislation wasn’t quite ready for the heavy lift required for passage, but he wanted it done in the 2025 session.  And here we are.

He also recently outlined an overhaul of Georgia’s prison system. Hundreds of millions of dollars are needed for pay raises to increase employee retention, new facilities, and repair and reconfiguration of existing prisons.

House Speaker Jon Burns has indicated that another bite at the apple of K-12 scholarships – commonly called vouchers – may be needed, as there has been confusion between agencies as to which underperforming school districts have met the threshold of eligibility.   There is also discussion from both the Speaker and Lieutenant Governor about passing protections for In Vitro Fertilization procedures as a clarifying measure.

After Eggs & Issues, the Governor will get even more specific with his agenda at the State of the State address on Thursday, January 16^th.  Shortly thereafter, he’ll release his budget proposal for the next fiscal year.  That’s when the rubber meets the road, and the real work of the legislature begins.

Next week the General Assembly meets for budget hearings. House Appropriations Chairman Matt Hatchett of Dublin and Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery of Vidalia host a joint committee to hear from Commissioners and agency heads regarding budget proposals.  

Passing a balanced budget is the sole constitutional requirement of the legislature each session. While the budget hearings don’t usually count toward the 40 official working days, they are among the most significant.  It’s when and where the Governor’s budget proposal meets the priorities of the House and Senate.  

Much of the remaining 40 days involves a high level negotiation between both Chambers and with the Governor’s office to get to the final passage of the next budget. There is also the matter of amending the current budget with supplemental spending and/or cuts as revenues and priorities dictate.

And with that, we’re off for another year under the Gold Dome. I’ll do my best to update from time to time on specific issues as they develop and become relevant to those not able to watch the progress at the Capitol in real time.

President & CEO of the Westside Future Fund John Ahmann discusses their mission to helping revitalize Historic Westside neighborhoods and how companies like AT&T are making this possible.