Executive Summary
- The District had the five fastest-growing states in the nation over the past twelve months.
- The Intermountain states of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah were the three fastest-growing states over this year-long period. In recent months, job growth in Nevada continued at a torrid 6 percent average annual pace, and Utah continued to post about a 4 percent gain. However, employment growth in Arizona slowed this summer.
- Washington now is the fourth-fastest growing state in the nation, owing largely to a pickup in aerospace industry employment.
- Oregons economy continued to expand rapidly, albeit slightly slower than in 1996.
- In the first half of 1997, exports from the District continued to grow rapidly, with a pickup in aircraft exports from Washington state largely offsetting slowed growth in California exports of high-tech products to Asia.