Associate Professor of Economics Nathan Perry Presents Economic Forecast for the Community
“Mesa County has experienced two strong years of employment growth ending 2018 with a total of 72,878 people employed,” said CMU Professor of Economics Nathan Perry in the CMU Business Departments’ latest economic analysis. The report was released in February 2019. According to his findings, Perry said that Mesa County’s economy grew at 4.2 percent for the quarter which is strong, but Perry warns unemployment rates have begun to rise.
The CMU economic report is an ongoing university analysis meant to track economic trends on a quarterly basis with the intent of supporting the needs business, government, communities and university partners in planning for the future.
The report identified that average employment in 2016 was 68,263. This figure increased in 2017 to 70,937 and ended 2018 with 72,723 average people employment in Mesa County. Perry said this trend represents a "strong increase in jobs."
The report identifies that health care is performing as the number one economic driver with oil and gas and mining representing the primary vehicles of the region's economic recovery since 2016.
CMU President Tim Foster is one of the people who followed Dr. Perry’s quarterly economic analysis reports.
“Dr. Perry is the only person on the West Slope doing unique economic analysis, at the academic level, that is truly specific to the local economy,” said Foster. “We are investing a lot in our health care related programs at CMU and Dr. Perry's findings reinforce the wisdom in training future health care practitioners in the community. I am pleased this kind of economic research can be a service to CMU and the community.”
The full Mesa County reports can be reviewed at ColoradoMesa.Edu/Report.