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
More bad news for the US labor market. Applications for US unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest since October, the latest in recent signs that the job market is slowing. Initial claims increased to 247,000 in the week ended May 31. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 235,000 applications. Recent data and surveys point to a slowdown in economic activity, and sustained jumps in benefit filings in the coming weeks could be a sign more Americans will soon be fired from their jobs.Read moreRead less
China is considering placing an order for hundreds of Airbus planes as soon as next month, people familiar with the matter said. A deal would allow Xi to send a message to Trump over trade. Airbus shares are surging 4% while Boeing is down 0.2%. https://buff.ly/Lbr4rDvRead moreRead less
For all the angst US consumers appear to be emanating in surveys, the fundamental income and wealth stockpiles of American households augurs for resilient spending in coming months, Barclays economists wrote in a note Tuesday. The problem with this is a matter of distribution. Which households have excess spending has been slowly shrinking and those with the savings spend it differently than those without would. The details matter.Read moreRead less
Central banks have emerged as a driving force behind the record-breaking bull market for gold. And nobody expects them to stop. According to Goldman Sachs, central banks are acquiring about $8.5 billion of gold each month. https://buff.ly/TZ5cjGTRead moreRead less
Dollar General, the largest dollar-store chain in the U.S., has seen an increase in sales. This rise is partly due to shoppers opting for less expensive options. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/03/nx-s1-5422266/dollar-general-earnings-prices-tariffs?utm_source=npr_newsletter&;utm_medium=email&utm_content=20250604&utm_term=10176192&utm_campaign=news&utm_id=68303402&orgid=148&uniquet=r4tuhOQIJSp6ycdnD9PCeg&utm_att1=Read moreRead less
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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