Study: Mesa County economy getting stronger

GRAND JUNCTION – Mesa County’s economy is looking strong with a declining unemployment rate, steady workforce in growing industries and a strong real estate market, according to a study released by the business department at Colorado Mesa University.

The Grand Junction Sentinel reports that during the second quarter of 2017 Mesa County posted an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent, down significantly from the end of the same quarter in 2016, when the rate was at 5.7 percent. The county still trails the statewide average of 2.3 percent, but has gained significantly on that average and is a full point below the national average of 4.4 percent. These numbers come in spite of a continuing decline in employment in the oil and gas industry as numbers remain far below what they were in 2008.

“I think it’s a real success story that we’ve been hit that hard in one of our biggest industries and we still have all these economic indicators,” said Nathan Perry, associate economics professor at CMU. “I think it’s amazing. I think if natural gas prices pick up in these good economic times, that can really push that industry forward and push our economy forward.”

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