Insightful Observations

Economic forecasts,
for the greater Seattle area.

Consider us your research center, providing you answers in easy to understand language and charts.

Established in 1993, The Puget Sound Economic Forecaster is a quarterly report published by the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University which acquired the publication in 2017 from its founders, Conway Pedersen Economics, Inc.

The report and website are designed for business executives, marketing directors, investors, government managers, and researchers who need a professional and objective view on the economic prospects for the Puget Sound region (King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County, and Snohomish County).

Our goal is to provide accurate and well-reasoned forecasts for the region as well as clear and insightful observations on important developments in the economy.

In-Depth Regional Economic Outlook

The first issue of the
Puget Sound Economic Forecaster,
a quarterly report,
was published in December 1993.

Each report contains a summary forecast, in-depth discussion of the regional outlook, forecasts and analyses of retail sales and construction and real estate, a special topic (e.g., China and Population Change), a detailed forecast table, and the Puget Sound Index of Leading Economic Indicators.

To facilitate research and analysis on the regional economy, every issue of the regional economic report is archived as a downloadable PDF file in the Subscriber Area. A comprehensive Subject Index of the archived reports has been developed to aid in the retrieval of information.

Reports are posted to the web site one to two weeks before the printed copy is mailed.

Sample Report – Data, Trade and Trends [Volume 27, Number 2, June 2019]

With thoughts of the long warm days of summer on our minds, we have found ourselves interrupted pondering about the price of avocados and how the latest round of tariff threats that may impact retail sales and the general economy overall. Thoughts of spending time at the lake or river have found us considering stream flows and how the change in our climate may impact all of the people and businesses that rely on water in one way or another. Daydreams of patio and deck BBQs have caused us to reflect on changes in house prices and the sudden growth in sales outside of the King County – is it more commuters or are jobs moving? Will the Seattle to Everett corridor retain its worst traffic in the nation ranking? Evidently, economists are bad at not thinking about things. All of the above is ahead in this edition of the Forecaster plus a better understanding of workforce participation and the state forecast. We will just call it the beach edition.

Additional Features

In addition to the Quarterly Report,
we regularly publish
Additional Feature Reports

Breaking News

What We Are Following in the News

The state minimum wage will rise 2.8%, from $16.66 per hour to $17.13, on Jan. 1, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries announced Tuesday. Seattle’s minimum wage would increase 2.6%, from $20.76 to $21.30. https://buff.ly/O83hBst

The US labor force participation rate has been declining. What factors play a role in the decline? A FRB Atlanta post looks at recent data and trends to explain the phenomenon. https://buff.ly/UHSWKfJ

Pending sales of US existing homes rose in August to the highest level in five months as falling mortgage rates gave a lift to the sluggish housing market, according to National Association of Realtors data out Monday.

Boeing is planning a new single-aisle airplane that would succeed the 737 MAX, a long-term bid to recover business lost to rival Airbus during its series of safety and quality problems. https://buff.ly/jlHm1IQ

US job openings barely budged in August at 7.2 million. U.S. jobs openings were essentially unchanged million last month amid economic uncertainty arising from President Donald Trump’s trade policies and an impending government shutdown. https://buff.ly/reM98Gs

US consumer confidence declines again as Americans fret over prices, job market U.S. consumer confidence declines again in September as Americans’ pessimism over a inflation and weakening job market grew again. https://buff.ly/RwQuths

Questions? We Love Questions!

We receive a wide-range of questions every day and would love to hear yours.  Questions lead to data and data should lead to better questions.


Special Topics

Special topics in each report
intended to increase the
reader’s understanding of
how the Puget Sound economy works

Past topics include regional growth, labor productivity, demographic trends, inflation, multipliers, entrepreneurs, and state and local taxes.

Web site subscribers currently have access to more than fifty special topics. Here are four examples drawn from the Special Topic Archive:

Stream Flow [Volume 27, Number 2, June 2019]

Is Traffic Real? [Volume 27, Number 1, March 2019]

Labor Force and Population [Volume 26, Number 4, December 2018]

Forest Fires [Volume 26, Number 3, September 2018]

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