StimCities

How effective has the Obama economic stimulus spending been? As one informal measure, we are taking a monthly snapshot of indicators in eight cities of varying size in different parts of the country. As stimulus dollars roll out in coming months, we’ll also visit many of the cities for a firsthand report. So far, we’ve been to Elkhart and St. Cloud.

Local views: What our 40 respondents say about the economy.

Seattle

Population: 565,809
Full census data for Seattle (State Stimulus Page)

8.2,7.7 9.5,9.4 Loading... 8.2 Jun '09 7.7 Jul '09	Unemployment Rate Jobs are the bottom line measure of stimulus success. This indicator tracks the city’s unemployment rate calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
3301.0,474.0 Loading... 3,301 Jul '08 474 Jul '09	New Building Permits Year-to-date construction permits for new residential units, as tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.
-2207.0,3141.0 Loading... -2,207 Jun '09 3,141 Jul '09	JOBS GAINED/LOST (NET) Jobs gained or lost, month to month
7.2 7.2 Out of 10	POLL ON LOCAL ECONOMY (June 2009) Average from five local residents (see who) who rate the economy on a 1-10 (bad-good) scale.
2737.0,3185.0 Loading... 2,737 Jun '09 3,185 Jul '09	Food Bank Activity Number of families, individuals or meals served at one local food bank (see list).

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, Craigslist, ProPublica Survey, and Various Food Banks.

Credits: Sarah Slobin, Scott Klein, Jason Das, Chris Flavelle, Michael Grabell, Jennifer LaFleur, David Epstein and Jeff Larson, ProPublica, and Mary C. Curtis, Politics Daily