Center for Economic and Business Research
| Title | Authored on | Link to edit Content | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom retail sales hit all-time high in third quarter | Led by a jump in construction projects, Whatcom County posted its highest-ever total in retail sales during the third quarter of 2015. Retail sales were $994.3 million between July and September last year, a 5.8 percent increase compared to a year ago, according to new data from the… |
2016-02-10 | |
| Top 5 things made in Whatcom County, and why that’s changing | When it comes to making products, Whatcom County is reaching a crossroads: Traditional industries still dominate, but global market conditions are forcing change, creating opportunities for new ones to emerge. Whatcom County’s gross domestic product is around the middle of the pack… |
2016-01-25 | |
| Weak Canadian dollar sets new 11-year low | The tumble of oil and other commodity prices continues to weaken the Canadian dollar, which posted a new 11-year low on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The Canadian dollar finished the trading day at 73.6 cents compared to the U.S. dollar, its lowest level since June 2004. With oil prices bouncing… |
2015-12-09 | |
| Whatcom personal income rose 3.2 percent in 2014 | Personal income was on the rise last year for Whatcom residents, but at a slower rate than most of the other counties in the state. The per capita personal income average in Whatcom County was $40,840 in 2014, a 3.2 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to a new report… |
2015-11-20 | |
| Could Chinese investment return to Whatcom County? | In his office on Newmarket Street in the Barkley District, Patrick Starr entered search terms into an online real estate database and came up with a list of properties for sale for more than $4 million in King County. |
2015-11-18 | |
| Whatcom Economy: Job estimate studies can be useful | We at the Center for Economic and Business Research get asked frequently to prepare economic impact studies. We inevitably ask ourselves whether the resulting job estimates are useful (should anyone care about the job estimates?) and whether they tend to be accurate. We think the answer… |
2015-09-28 | |
| Haggen a harsh lesson in expanding too quickly | A year ago, Haggen was an 18-store grocer virtually unknown outside of Western Washington and Oregon. Today, after a botched expansion that added 146 former Albertsons and Safeway stores in five states, the Bellingham company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. It has sued… |
2015-09-25 | |
| More locals filling Bellingham shops as Canadians stay home | As the Canadian dollar continues to weaken and cross-border shopping traffic slows, Bellingham’s economy appears to be getting a boost from local shoppers. The number of people passing through the five border crossings southbound into Whatcom County totaled fewer than 1.3 million in June… |
2015-07-28 | |
| Could coal terminal could be net negative for local economy? | The week following the study’s release, a panel of export terminal proponents discussed lagging wages in Whatcom County. |
2015-07-15 | |
| Border towns enjoy bonanza: packages, tax revenue pile up | The Lone Jack Saloon was once among the many taverns in a border town that catered heavily to Canadian carousing. The stage where cancan girls used to dance is still there, adorned with a painting of a miner panning for gold. But the floor now serves as the warehouse for Ship Happens, the… |
2015-06-26 |