The Economic Opportunity Institute, Washington’s progressive economic policy center, has taken a look at recent trends affecting ordinary residents of the state. Their findings are similar to those of the Cascadia Scorecard’s economy indicator.
“The working age population of the state [of Washington] has grown by 280,000 over the past four years, but the economy has created only 10,000 more jobs than in July of 2000.”
Partly as a result, poverty and child poverty are both up in the state.
In good news, median incomes have risen a little since their low point in 2001, though they’re far below their 1998 peak.
Measured by conditions for regular folks, Washington’s economy hit the skids in the late 1990s and hasn’t recovered yet.
