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
WaPo is reporting that Aides to US President-elect Donald Trump are considering tariffs on all countries that would be limited to specific critical imports potentially reducing the overall risk to the US economy. No details as of yet. buff.ly/403ASfO
The main event is the US jobs report on Friday. It’s predicted to show companies tempered their hiring last month with payrolls increasing 160,000. That would put average monthly job growth near 180,000 for 2024 — lower than the prior three years but consistent with a firm labor market.
US 30-year bond yields rose to the highest since 2023. The uptick in yields adds further pressure to US debt, which has come under scrutiny over concerns the Trump administration will reignite inflation.
China’s currency dropped to a 15-month low and its stock markets extended their poor start to the year as investors worried about the impact of the incoming Trump administration on the world’s second-largest economy. Weak manufacturing data added to the sense of unease. The falls prompted authorities to intervene. buff.ly/3DJ0VBA
It takes the average person six months to find a job, roughly a month longer than it did during the postpandemic hiring boom in early 2023, according to the Labor Department. The U.S. economy has added more jobs over the past year, but unemployed Americans are having a harder time getting back into the workforce. The pain is largely in high-paying white-collar jobs, where businesses grew fast when the economy reopened from the pandemic but now have less need for new hires. buff.ly/427ZcA1
This week:![]()
Tuesday: The Commerce Department reports November trade data, the Labor Department will report on November job openings![]()
Tuesday-Friday: The Consumer Technology Association's tech trade show![]()
Thursday: The funeral of former President Jimmy Carter
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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