Economic and Business Research Center

Economic and Business Research Center

The premier source for information on Arizona’s economy since 1949.

The Economic and Business Research Center (EBRC) focuses on applied economic research and community education for Arizona.

Through the Forecasting Project, events such as the Economic Outlook Luncheon, funded research projects and online resources Arizona’s Economy, Arizona-Mexico Economic Indicators and the MAP Dashboard, EBRC makes the latest data and analysis available to Arizona's citizens and decision makers.

  

playing we drums

Arizona’s Economy Is Back on the Beat

Third Quarter 2023 Forecast Update

September 6, 2023 - The Arizona economy continued to churn out solid gains through the first half of 2023. Jobs, wages, and sales all increased, although at a somewhat slower pace than earlier in the pandemic recovery, and the unemployment rate remained very low. Arizona jobs were essentially back on their pre-pandemic trend, if we take that trend to be EBRC forecasts generated just before the pandemic began.

READ forecast analysis

CORONAVIRUS DAILY AND WEEKLY ECONOMIC INDICATORS

As the impacts of reduced household wealth and social distancing work through the economy due to the spread of COVID-19, tracking the economic performance of the travel and tourism sector can help to get an early read and provide insight into the size and scope of these impacts on the overall economy. Going forward we will be tracking key indicators: daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Arizona, its counties, and the U.S., initial claims for unemployment insurance in Arizona and the U.S., Hotel occupancy rates, movie ticket sales, number of movie releases. Check back often for updates and as we add new indicators.

Just scroll down the page to review and download the indicators. Use your cursor as a tooltip on the charts to view the numbers.

As of March 23, 2020, all Arizona and U.S. daily confirmed coronavirus case data is extracted, recorded, and updated on the site between 9am and 10am PST. It is possible for these numbers to change throughout the day. 




Note: The official initial claims for unemployment insurance numbers for the U.S. are released every Thursday morning covering the week ending on the previous Saturday.







These data show year-over-year seated diners at restaurants on the OpenTable network across all channels: online reservations, phone reservations, and walk-ins. For year-over-year comparisons by day, we compare the week ending Saturday to the same week in the previous year. this dataset is based on a sample of approximately 20,000 restaurants that provide OpenTable with information on all of their inventory. 


High-Propensity Business Applications are a subset of total weekly business applications in Arizona and measures the number of applications with a high-propensity of turning into a business with a payroll, based on various factor. These data reflect weekly applications for Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) in Arizona and include applications: (a) from a corporate entity, (b) that indicate they are hiring employees, purchasing a business or changing organizational type, (c) that provide a first wages-paid date (planned wages); or (d) that have a NAICS industry code in manufacturing (31-33), retail stores (44), health care (62), or restaurants/food service (72). Applications for EINs occur before the jobs and wages are added, so this is a leading indicator.  Read more about the Business Applications dataset. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

 

Explore EBRC's Community Sponsored Projects

Image
George W. Hammond

The Forecasting Project

EBRC’s Forecasting Project team produces the most in-depth economic analyses and forecasts available for Arizona and its communities. These quarterly forecasts aid our community sponsors around the state in their pursuit of the next level of business success. - George Hammond, Forecasting Project director

"Maricopa Association of Governments uses the data, analysis and forecasts from EBRC’s Forecasting Project to add to our understanding of emerging trends in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It gives us another valuable way to view the future of the region."
  - Anubhav Bagley, Regional Analytics Director, Maricopa Association of Governments

"EBRC’s Forecasting Project provides the RTA with high-quality data, analysis, and forecasts for the Tucson region that add significantly to our understanding of local economic trends and implications for the future.  The economic data we receive is critical to our organization."
  - Robert Samuelsen, Chief Financial Officer, Regional Transportation Authority

Learn About Forecasting Project Membership

Image

EBRC’s work on the MAP Dashboard website has helped to move the needle in several key areas. It has become the trusted source of information that Southern Arizona uses to benchmark progress and inspire action.

- Ron Shoopman, Chair, Arizona Board of Regents

2.8%

Arizona Payroll Job Growth in 2018
vs. 1.7% for the US

$25.63

Arizona Average Hourly Earnings 2018
Up 1.5% in 2018 vs. $27.53 for the US, up 3.3%

7,187,990

Arizona's Population as of July 1, 2019
1.7% annual growth vs. 0.6% for the US

View All EBRC Data

Contact Us

By Phone

520-621-2155 office

520-621-2150 fax

By Email

General Inquiries
ebrpublications@eller.arizona.edu

By Mail

McClelland Hall 103
The University of Arizona
P.O. Box 210108
Tucson, AZ 85721-0108

Directory

Staff Directory

  
The Economic and Business Research Center website is sponsored by:

Image
JPMorgan Chase & Co.