Strategic Research

The Office of Strategic Research consolidates Arizona’s economic research under one department – providing more efficient and accurate economic analysis and forecasting to Arizona communities, businesses, planners, lawmakers, economists and others.

The Arizona Department of Commerce is home to the two economic research functions previously at both Commerce and the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). The consolidation is part of Governor Janet Napolitano’s mandate to modernize state government, improve the quality of services provided to the public, and enable the two agencies to focus on their core missions:  DES on social services, and Commerce on economic development.  For more information about the move, click on this link to see the press release on Arizona Governor's Web site.

Arizona Workforce Informer (AWI) is among the tools available, and provides a wide variety of state, region and local labor market, demographic and economic data, including: employment statistics, occupation and industry estimates and projections, wage and price indices, and population/demographic statistics.  Access AWI at http://www.workforce.az.gov/.