MOUNTAIN

An explosive brew of start-up businesses in the telecommunications and Web arenas, fast-track housing construction and glitzy Las Vegas construction numbers in the hotel and residential markets produced much of this region's unsustainable growth during the 1990s. While much of mountain west is just digging out from a good, old-fashioned recession, other regions of the United States would love to have its problems. Although housing construction has decreased in Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix, the rate is one that any other region would brag about. Phoenix is still seeing an enormous flow of new residents — the Valley of the Sun gained over 100,000 new residents from 2000 to 2001. Las Vegas will see several huge hotel/casino projects that will add over 8,000 hotel rooms, and a $1.4 billion job at McCarran International Airport.

ELECTRICAL WHOLESALERS' SALES
(in millions of dollars)EW Estimates Final
1999 Final
2000 Final
2001 Final
2002 Forecast
2003 Forecast
2004 Mountain 3,632.6 3,869.1 4,260.0 4,211.7 4,366.1 4,564.4 Arizona 978.8 1,042.6 1,147.9 1,134.9 1,176.5 1,229.9 Colorado 1,023.7 1,090.3 1,200.5 1,186.9 1,230.4 1,286.3 Idaho 201.4 214.5 236.2 233.5 242.0 253.0 Montana 142.1 151.4 166.7 164.8 170.8 178.6 Nevada 588.0 626.3 689.6 681.7 706.7 738.8 New Mexico 183.5 195.4 215.2 212.7 220.5 230.5 Utah 425.8 453.6 499.4 493.7 511.8 535.1 Wyoming 89.2 95.1 104.7 103.5 107.3 112.1 EMPLOYMENT STATISTICSActualin thousands EC M C G Mountain 63,430 598.4 4,537.8 1,313.4 Arizona 15,889 175.5 1,218.5 349.3 Phoenix MSA 12,535 130.2 891.7 189.1 Tucson MSA 1,651 29.2 177.3 68.8 Colorado 19,022 154.7 1,163.8 338.6 Boulder-Longmont PMSA 1,007* 21.6 78.9 25.0 Colorado Springs MSA 1,467* 20.9 127.1 38.3 Denver PMSA 12,344 72.8 623.7 157.0 Idaho 3,748 61.5 292.0 105.8 Boise City MSA 1,871* 30.1 119.0 34.1 Montana 2,059 18.8 216.1 79.4 Billings MSA NA 3.0 40.9 7.5 Missoula MSA NA 2.8 29.2 8.6 Nevada 8,376 43.1 669.7 126.5 Las Vegas MSA 6,876 24.5 524.4 83.6 Reno MSA 1,302 13.4 112.9 24.2 New Mexico 6,340 37.1 398.4 187.1 Albuquerque MSA 4,013* 24.4 199.4 70.9 Las Cruces MSA 443* 3.0 29.0 17.9 Santa Fe MSA 352* 1.2 40.5 26.9 Utah 6,249 111.1 538.1 183.9 Provo-Orem MSA 448* 16.4 84.4 19.5 Salt Lake City-Ogden MSA 4,716* 71.8 353.1 122.7 Wyoming 1,747 9.3 115.7 59.0 Casper MSA 401 1.5 17.8 4.9 NA — Not available
MSA — Metropolitan Statistical Area
PMSA — Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area
CMSA — Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area
^ — This regional electrical contractor employment number utilizes both 2002 and 2003 employment figures. For directional purposes only.
EC — Electrical contractor employees for March 2003. Actual numbers.
* — Electrical contractor employees for March 2002. Actual numbers.
M — Manufacturing employees for July 2003. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
C — Commercial account employees (professional and business services, retail trade, financial activities, educational and health services, and other services) for July 2003. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
G — Government employees for July 2003. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics