Expectations can shift a market in the short term, but reality often will right the ship. The expectation heading into 2024 was that borrowing rates would decrease, but the reality is there hasn’t been much of a shift.

At midyear, it appears the Tri-Cities economy is holding steady.

The regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration has been making trips to communities within his vast territory since he was appointed in January and recently made a stop in the Tri-Cities.

Total manufacturing employment in Benton County grew by 16%, and by 23% in Franklin County. In the combined two counties, the gain amounted to 19%.

The road to a high school diploma, postsecondary education and ultimately a flourishing career doesn’t start in high school. The evidence points to pre-K education.

 We expect the numbers of people of color to exceed 200,000. This would make the entire two county area “majority minority.”

Visitors are back in the greater Tri-Cities. And so is their spending. 

Nurses appear near the top of “occupations in demand” here and elsewhere. That doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

About 2,700 engineers work in Benton and Franklin counties, or about 2.3% of the workforce, according to analysis from Benton-Franklin Trends.