IMPACT Seattle Area Survey

Greater Seattle Area Survey of Current Business Conditions

The Impact Center in the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University and the Seattle Executives Association began their inaugural survey of current business conditions in July 2008. The survey was designed to gather detailed and reliable information on general business conditions specific to the Greater Seattle Area and the Pacific Northwest, including:

Measures of economic optimism
Labor forecasts
Financial conditions
Output markets

The survey results are intended to provide local businesses, government officials, and the media with information about current and potential future business issues. To insure the information is relevant, the survey will be conducted quarterly, and the results will be posted on the website of the IMPACT Center (www.impact.wsu.edu) located in the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University.

This survey is the result of a cooperative effort between the School of Economic Sciences and Seattle Executives Association (SEA), and particular acknowledgement is owed to Glenna Thomas and Jack Goldberg of SEA for coordinating the survey. Furthermore, everyone involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of the survey would like to thank the members of the SEA for their willingness to participate in this survey. Authors contributing to this report include:

Justin Taylor Economic Impact Analyst, WSU School of Economic Sciences
Ron Mittelhammer Regents Professor and Director, WSU School of Economic Sciences
Dan Friesner Associate Professor, North Dakota State University and Adjunct Professor, WSU School of Economic Sciences