Economic Development Activity Down Slightly in First Quarter 2005

Economic development activity decreased slightly in the first quarter of 2005, with the overall index falling five points to 128. This marks a reverse for the overall index, which had increased 18 points in the fourth quarter of 2004. The overall score has however remained above 100(indicating positive overall sentiment) for more than a year. The business attraction portion of the index experienced the largest point gain, up 10 points to 136. Project quality and size was down 22 points.

The National Survey of Economic Development Professionals is an online survey conducted by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and it is completed quarterly by metro-level economic development representatives nationwide. Survey results are calculated into index scores ranging from 0 to 200. An index value of over 100 indicates a positive overall reaction to the
question(s) posed, while a value below 100 suggests a negative overall reaction.