Overall, moderate to strong economic growth continues to prevail in the Ninth District. Construction, retailing and manufacturing are robust.
Tourism shows increasing strength.
As in the previous report, areas where agriculture, mining or forestry predominate have much slower economies than the rest of the region. Crop farmers in particular are under financial stress due to low prices, and there are fears about possible drought in wheat-growing regions. Reports of increases in wages and in nonwage compensation are becoming more prevalent. Labor markets remain extremely tight in most areas. In May, such sales were 23 percent above year-earlier levels.