OuR Story
To build the future of business you need to know what will happen tomorrow, and you need to know it yesterday.
Give Your Organization the Forecasting Project Edge
Founded in 1972, the Forecasting Project is a community sponsored research unit within the Economic and Business Research Center in the Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona providing comprehensive economic forecasting services to participating organizations.
Forecasting Project Director George Hammond uses custom-built state-of-the-art econometric models to generate forecasts for Arizona's economy statewide, the greater Phoenix metro area and the Tucson metro area. These forecasts are recognized as among the most accurate in the Western states. Forecasts cover key indicators such as jobs by industry, earnings, unemployment, population, income, sales, tax revenues, and residential construction activity. Project clients include private corporations, banks, public utilities, city and county governments, and a range of state governmental units. These organizations find Forecasting Project services invaluable in understanding current economic trends and planning for the future of our region. Your organization will too.
Interested? Contact the Director
About the Director
George W. Hammond spearheads the Forecasting Project. A specialist in econometric forecasting for more than two decades, Hammond has designed, built and used economic models to produce more than 100 forecasts for state and local economies, and completed more than 50 regional economic studies on topics including economic and workforce development, energy forecasting and the impact of higher education on human capital accumulation.
These forecasts and reports reach thousands of business leaders, policymakers and citizens each year through conferences, public presentations, publications, EBRC’s websites and social and traditional media. Hammond is a frequent contributor to local and national news services. His analysis and commentary have been featured on NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg Businessweek and The New York Times.
Hammond also directs the Economic and Business Research Center in the Eller College of Management where he is a research professor.
Sponsoring Organizations
Forecasting Project Sponsor Benefits
With sponsorship, everyone in your organization can access these resources and services:
Comprehensive economic forecast databases are updated quarterly for Arizona, Phoenix, and Tucson metros and can be downloaded from this website. A wide array of measures are estimated such as employment by sector, population, retail sales, and construction activity.
FP Members can download Forecasting Project structural economic models and supporting data in EViews databanks and EXCEL spreadsheets in order to run further simulations. EViews is a product of IHS Markit, a national leader in economic consulting and forecasting.
Meet with Eller College economists, invited speakers and other FP members to examine the outlook and current business conditions. Meetings are held in both Tucson and Phoenix each quarter.
The Economic Outlook report provides in-depth analysis of Arizona's economy each quarter, tables of forecasted variables, current indicators, and extensive charts tracking important trends.
FP membership allows you to log into this website to view and download a wide array of current economic indicators for Arizona, its metro areas, and counties.
Membership allows everyone in your organization to log into this website a read Director George Hammond's blog on current topics affecting the outlook and Arizona's economy.
Custom Forecasting and Consulting Services
The Forecasting Project also builds and estimates custom forecasts on a per contract basis. Recent projects include population cohort, revenue, and residential construction forecasts.
"The 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