Washtenaw County’s economy is expected to continue to grow, but at a slower pace than recent years. That’s the analysis from the annual economic forecast presented Thursday at Washtenaw Community College.
In their report, University of Michigan economists Gabriel Ehrlich and Donald Grimes said Washtenaw County will be facing some serious headwinds over the next few years. The uncertainty surrounding tariffs and threats to federal research funding will produce challenges.
Ehlirch says there is a lot of concern about how cuts in research dollars will affect aligned businesses.
“The university research corridor sponsored a study that estimated that basically every dollar in research spending contributes about three dollars of economic activity in the state, so there are spillovers outside of just the direct effect of the research activity that goes on in the higher education sector.”
Ehrlich says tariff policy under President Trump is expected to continue to evolve, but tariffs are expected to remain elevated for at least the next few years.
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