Table 7 Table 8 Table 9 Table 10 Table 11 Table 12 Table 13 Table 14

     The performance of the Wausau economy during first quarter 1990 was surprisingly strong. Activity at the local level was similar to that at the national level and was better than most analysts had expected. Almost all of the data for first quarter indicated a high degree of activity in the Marathon County area. Perhaps one of the strongest pieces of information concerns the nearly 9 percent jump in nonfarm employment. This factor bodes well for the entire region because of the degree and extent of worker commuting.
 

     Good news for the local area is presented in Table 7. The local economy added jobs at a brisk pace during first quarter 1990. Manufacturing, services, and trade established record levels of employment regardless of the time of year. Overall, nonfarm employment grew by an estimated 4.4 thousand or by nearly 9 percent from a year ago. It now stands at 53.5 thousand. As a point of general interest, government employment, as a percent of total nonfarm employment, has declined from 14.8 percent to 11.9 percent over the past five years in Marathon County.
 

     Local merchants expressed the opinion that store traffic and sales are noticeably higher than a year ago at this time, Table 8. This panel, which is interviewed each quarter, also holds the belief that store sales and traffic will likely be higher when compared to this time last year. This information is important because retail activity represents the culmination of the production process and gives us valuable insight into the health and condition of the local economy. The positive impressions of the merchants are consistent with other economic indicators for first quarter.
 

     Help wanted advertising is another technique employed to gauge conditions in the local labor market and economy (Table 9). For the fourth quarter in a row the index has contracted when compared with the year before. The drop of 10 percent locally was almost exactly matched by the decline at the national level. Similar events have also taken place in several of the other major communities of Central Wisconsin. However, the index still remains at a level 1.9 times higher than in 1980.

     Local family financial distress is measured in Table 10 and Table 11. Improvement was evident in the number of new public assistance claims. The monthly average dropped from 24 to 21. The monthly average for total claims also declined, falling from 114 to 106. A somewhat different story is told in the area of unemployment claims. Here the data show that weekly average initial unemployment claims have risen from 345 to 367 from a year ago. Likewise the weekly average foF total unemployment claims rose from 2913 to 2998 for a gain of 3 percent. Much improvement has taken place in the area of family financial distress over the past several years, but an expanding economy may not be able to reach all individuals due to their personal circumstances.
 

     Residential construction activity in the local area continues to be robust, with almost all categories of activity registering solid increases from a year ago
(Table 12). Residential permits issued and their estimated value increased by approximately 18 percent from 1989. The number of new housing units and residential alteration permits expanded by 9.8 percent and 38.4 percent respectively. This indicator of economic performance is important because it is often a precursor to broader based activity.

     Another leading economic indicator is nonresidential construction, presented in Table 13. Several large business alterations are in the offing for the local area. they include projects at the Marathon County Health Care Facility, for $617.5 thousand, a $600.0 thousand project at the Wausau Medical Center, and a $1.2 million alteration to facilities in the Wausau School District.
 

     Financial statistics for Wausau are given in Table 14. The data indicate that local liquidity increased by 11.7 percent or $68 million from a year ago, to establish an all-time record for the sample, regardless of the time of year. Bank lending activity also posted an impressive gain of nearly $40 million or 8.5 percent and now stands at approximately $500 million dollars, a record for this time of year. These data strongly suggest that the economy was in an expansive mode during first quarter 1990.