The Inland West is one of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the country. It has been hard to see only because state lines divide it. Equal Footing measures it whole, on federal data over 21 years, and sets it beside the region everyone already underwrites.
The Southeast has a decade of research behind it. The Inland West has almost none, in part because it does not appear in anyone’s data as a region – it is carved up by state lines drawn without regard to how its economy runs. Inland California is averaged into San Francisco; Spokane into Seattle. Equal Footing measures the region as a single economy, from the 100th meridian to the coastal ranges, using the same metrics and the same federal sources applied to the consensus Southeast.
Measured against the high-growth Southeast on the same data over the same 21 years, the Inland West matches or leads on population, income, output, and employment growth. It added about a million more jobs from a smaller population base, and on per-capita income relative to the national average the two regions traded places over the period. The paper is also candid about where the Southeast leads – recent population growth, and cost-adjusted income.
Every figure traces to a federal series and the model is formula-driven from source to headline. The benchmark was built to be demanding: the high-growth Southeast. The methodology is documented in full, and the underlying workbook is available so any figure can be checked against its source.
This research is provided for informational purposes only. It is not investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer or solicitation to buy any security or interest in any fund.
