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 share of interns converted into employees last year was 63.1%, up from 50.6% two years ago. That jump underscores the role of internships as test drives for real jobs. As AI takes over more menial tasks, companies are entrusting interns with bigger responsibilities—from leading projects to business trips abroad. https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/forget-about-fetching-coffee-this-summer-the-interns-are-running-the-show-d1b54f99?mod=djem10point
The US government is about to sell 30-year bonds at the highest interest rate in a quarter of a century, with a projected yield of around 5.23% in the when-issued market. The Treasury will offer $25 billion of 30-year debt at its monthly auction, and lofty government financing costs are already feeding through to the broader economy. Interest on the public debt continues to be a key driver of the nation’s budget deficit, with the tally at $1.17 trillion for the fiscal year to date, a 15% increase due in part to higher yields on Treasuries. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/us-braces-for-30-year-bond-auction-at-highest-yield-since-2001?cmpid=BBD081326_NEF&utm_campaign=nef&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=260813&utm_c
Countless column inches have been devoted to Britain’s growth problem. But, if Thursday’s deluge of GDP figures are anything to go by, it certainly wasn’t an issue in the first half of 2026. Sizzling weather and World Cup fever helped the UK economy comfortably outperform expectations with growth of 0.3% in June. It meant that the economy expanded 0.4% in the second quarter and 1% in the first half as a whole. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/uk-economy-weathers-early-months-of-iran-war-with-0-4-growth?cmpid=BBD081326_NEF&utm_campaign=nef&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=260813&utm_c
As US employers brace for the largest price hikes on employee health plans in 15 years, a growing number are opting out of group insurance altogether. Instead of providing medical benefits directly, more than 20,000 companies entered Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA) in 2026. That’s an increase of 53% from last year, according to a new report by advocacy group the HRA Council. Under the HRA model, companies give their employees a stipend to purchase health insurance for themselves and their dependents on the Affordable Care Act marketplace or another exchange. The growing popularity of HRAs among corporations has garnered comparisons with the transition from defined-benefit pensions to the 401(k) savings plan as a default retirement option. The net impact of this can be lower household discretionary income and long-term health impacts.
US inflation edged lower to 3.4 per cent in July as petrol prices declined, even as the fallout from President Donald Trump’s war in Iran continued to reverberate across the economy. Wednesday’s consumer price index figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was down from an annual rate of 3.5 per cent in June and 4.2 per cent in May. It was in line with the expectations of economists polled by Bloomberg. https://www.ft.com/content/52727749-4360-4463-8822-dc3bfd8ef279?desktop=true&segmentId=7c8f09b9-9b61-4fbb-9430-9208a9e233c8&syn-25a6b1a6=1#myft:notification:daily-email:content
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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