• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Headwaters Economics

Headwaters Economics

Independent Nonpartisan Research

  • Research
    • Economic Development
    • Equity
    • Natural Hazards
    • Public Lands
    • Outdoor Recreation
    • Tax Policy
  • Tools
  • About Us
  • Search
Commentary

The West Today: What Sectors Drive the Economy?

Authored by Chris Mehl on October 23, 2015

It took a while, but the presidential roadshow has arrived out West. The Democrats recently held a debate in Nevada. Next week the Republicans will meet in Colorado.

In the West today, what sectors drive the economy? The four charts below review job growth and current employment Colorado and the West (eleven continental western states).

The results may be surprising. Both job growth and overall employment is driven by the services sectors (health care, finance, accommodation, etc.) rather than goods producing sectors (construction, mining, manufacturing).

See the charts below, the research tools in the right column, or links at the end of this blog. Given this information, what policies should presidential candidates advocate to help the region grow further?

Change in Employment, Colorado, 2005-2014

Graphic: Change in Employment, Colorado, 2005-2014

Employment by Industry, Percent of Total, Colorado, 2014

Graphic: Employment by Industry, Percent of Total, Colorado, 2014

Change in Employment, the West, 2005-2014

Graphic: Change in Employment, the West, 2005-2014

Employment by Industry, Percent of Total, West, 2014

Graphic: Employment by Industry, Percent of Total, West, 2014

Do Your Own Socioeconomic Research

See this blog comparing political rhetoric to West’s real economy.

To look at a state or county in more detail, see our West-Wide Economic Atlas.

For detailed analysis, the Economic Profile System provides socioeconomic data for communities, counties, states or aggregations.

Related Visualization

Related data visualizationDataViz
Published on October 23, 2015Posted under Economic DevelopmentTags: Trends & Performance
Author:
Chris Mehl

For more information about this topic contact:

Kelly Pohl
  • 406.599.7841
  • kelly@headwaterseconomics.org

Related Research

Across the West, Non-Labor Income Is Large and Growing
Migration & Population Trends in the West Vary by County Type
Montana’s Economy, Public Lands, and Competitive Advantage
featured-image-dataviz-three-wests Three Wests

Footer

Independent Nonpartisan Research

Contact

© 2021 Headwaters Economics, all rights reserved

  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Photo Credits
  • Media Coverage
  • Slides
  • Contact
  • Twitter