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
This city is getting homes built twice as fast — and others want to copy it. Should every new house require a new permit for its design? Claremore, Oklahoma, does not think so. The city has a catalog of 29 preapproved architectural plans for houses, duplexes, and small apartment buildings. Anybody who wants to build a house can ask the city to use the preapproved plans for free, and the city will give the builder a permit in just a day or two. Claremore is one of just 21 cities or counties in the country offering preapproved plans for single-family homes, according to a recent Pew report. https://buff.ly/rESAadi
Yesterday, with much fanfare, the latest Iranian announcement arrived. a 60-day MOU to extend the ceasefire with a framework to discuss the larger nuclear issues, among others. The markets reacted - oil fell, bond prices dropped, and stocks rose. The Financial Times has a good summary of the contents of the agreement: https://buff.ly/VdSr9WX While we are optimistic, it is worth a reminder that stocks, bonds, and commodities such as oil are quick to rise or fall, and the overall situation remains very unsettled. The supply chain issues, increases in production costs, and more will continue in the economic data for multiple quarters ahead.
The past couple of years have seen a wave of big companies announcing plans to require employees to spend more time in the office. But across the broader economy, the evidence suggests that the return to the office has stalled out. The disconnect between the high-profile return-to-office mandates and the broader data could in part be because, big as they are, those companies account for just a portion of the 163-million-strong U.S. workforce. https://buff.ly/gh7A4ln
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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