This region's many micromarkets are riding out the recession with various degrees of success. With their more diverse business base, San Diego, Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California are faring better than their neighbors to the north in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, which rely much more heavily on tech industries.
The residential market continues to thrive in Southern California, and with office vacancy rates at or below 10 percent, San Diego has the region's healthiest office market. In contrast, downtown construction is dead in San Francisco, and its office vacancy rate is above 20 percent. Up the coast, Oregon's diversification from its historical base in wood products industries to semiconductors and other light industry has helped it weather the storm better than in past recessions. The Seattle market is still suffering from 19,000 layoffs at Boeing.
ELECTRICAL WHOLESALERS' SALES (in millions of dollars)
EW Estimates
Final 1998
Final 1999
Final 2000
Final 2001
Forecast 2002
Forecast 2003
Pacific
11,233.6
12,733.2
14,131.5
14,208.8
14,220.1
15,247.4
Alaska
106.4
119.0
132.1
132.8
132.9
142.5
California
9,441.5
10,789.4
11,974.2
12,039.8
12,049.3
12,919.8
Hawaii
132.1
147.7
163.9
164.8
164.9
176.8
Oregon
715.0
775.9
861.1
865.9
866.5
929.1
Washington
838.5
901.2
1,000.2
1,005.6
1,006.4
1,079.1
EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
Actual EC
in thousands
M
F/S/RT
G
Pacific
123,355
2,397.2
10,824.2
3,494.6
Alaska
2,244
12.9
146.8
79.5
Anchorage MSA
1,323
2.3
77.9
30.0
California
93,437
1,825.6
8,090.3
2,486.3
Bakersfield MSA
1,575
12.4
96.2
57.1
Fresno MSA
1,586
31.2
153.0
78.9
Los Angeles-Long Beach PMSA
18,723
588.7
2,228.4
613.2
Modesto MSA
1,058
26.2
78.2
25.0
Oakland PMSA
8,614
116.5
554.9
186.7
Orange County
10,544
219.0
814.3
159.5
Riverside-San Bernardino PMSA
10,160
124.5
528.0
214.3
Sacramento PMSA
5,253
46.6
385.3
196.3
Salinas MSA
595
10.1
71.1
32.6
San Diego MSA
8,475
128.3
722.8
222.0
San Francisco PMSA
5,844
61.1
690.2
134.0
San Jose PMSA
8,205
231.4
525.2
97.6
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc MSA
924
15.9
95.2
36.2
Santa Rosa PMSA
1,039
30.4
104.5
29.0
Stockton-Lodi MSA
1,356
22.9
96.1
40.5
Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa PMSA
1,412
21.9
95.1
36.7
Ventura PMSA
1,299
41.3
154.1
46.6
Hawaii
2,287
17.9
331.7
123.5
Honolulu MSA
1,744
14.1
238.0
99.3
Oregon
8,690
227.2
848.5
280.9
Eugene-Springfield MSA
795
21.6
78.6
27.4
Medford-Ashland MSA
392
8.6
44.1
11.8
Portland-Vancouver PMSA
6,237
136.9
517.8
131.1
Salem PMSA
697
15.5
66.4
40.2
Washington
16,856
313.6
1,406.9
524.4
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett PMSA
8,384
179.7
743.5
201.5
Spokane MSA
1,694
18.2
111.6
34.2
Tacoma PMSA
2,343
21.4
130.8
54.0
NA — Not available MSA—Metropolitan Statistical Area PMSA — Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area CMSA — Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area EC — Electrical contractor employees. Actual numbers. M — Manufacturing employees in thousands. F/S/RT — Commercial accounts (finance, services, retail trade) employees in thousands. G — Government employees in thousands.
