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
One of the most-read stories on Bloomberg this week was an announcement that Amazon and Lidl would start selling plug-in solar panels in the UK “within months.” These types of panels are already available in other parts of Europe and the US, and could help cut electricity costs at a time when energy prices are expected to surge. https://buff.ly/KyTctk5
Meta Platforms Inc.’s announcement this week that it would cut hundreds of jobs internationally was already its second 2026 layoff notice, following news of around 1,000 jobs cuts in January (and 11,000 last November). The company is one of the most aggressive investors in AI at the moment, with projected capital expenditures of $135 billion expected this year. There have been about 40,000 tech employees laid off in the US this year already, according to the tracker Layoffs [dot] fyi. And traders on Kalshi are confident that this year will be worse than last year. Traders there currently put an 83% chance that cuts will exceed the 447,000 jobs lost in 2025 in the broader information sector (which includes tech, media, telecoms, and data) according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Forecast as of 11:20 am on Friday, March 27). The good news for tech, such as it is? We’re nowhere near the level of layoffs seen at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stagflation alarm bells are ringing in the Euro-Zone. The outlook depends on the duration of the war and any potential lasting impact on energy and supply chains, but the flash PMI data underscore how the ECB is no longer in a ‘good place’ with respect to growth and inflation. https://buff.ly/FhfHKKh
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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