State economic, demographic, and social trends are related to one another and, in turn, affect government policies on spending and taxation. A strong economy, for example, attracts more people to the state, which in turn boosts state tax collections. At the same time, however, increases in population also put additional pressure on such areas of state responsibility as public schools, prisons, and social services. Social developments, such as crime rates and the incidence of teenage pregnancies, also contribute to demands on public resources.
In 2006, seven state agencies and the legislative staff, under the direction of University of Washington Geography Professor, Dr. William Beyers, and the Office of Financial Management (OFM) Assistant Director of Forecasting Division, Dr. Irv Lefberg, initiated the estimation of a new version of the Washington State Input-Output model. OFM staff Dr. Ta-Win Lin served as the project coordinator.
This file contains long-term population, nonagricultural employment, and personal income projections for Washington state. In contrast to the short-term economic forecasts that focus on assessing business cycle conditions, these long-term projections examine structural changes in industries, changes in production factors such as labor supply and capital investment and technology/productivity advances. Data are now forecast to 2050.
Estimate of population with limited English proficiency for the state and counties
At the request of a cross-agency working group headed by the Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities, OFM has produced these estimates at both the state and county level.
