MOUNTAIN

2005 SALES FORECAST +7.6% MOUNTAIN

It's the same old song in the Mountain States: low unemployment, massive in-state migration and a residential construction scene that never seems to slow down. Only the largest housing markets in the United States see building permits hit 10,000 annually; many states never see that much construction. But in this region, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix regularly see that level of activity. The Mountain States are also home to many military bases, and the increases in defense spending are having a positive impact on local economies in this region. Unemployment rates in this region's major cities are well under the national average, and are generally less than 5 percent. The office markets aren't too strong in the region's largest cities, Denver and Phoenix, though. Both metropolitan areas are still trying to absorb excess space.

ELECTRICAL WHOLESALERS' SALES
(in millions of dollars)EW Estimates Final Final Final Final Forecast Forecast 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005Mountain 3,869.1 4,260.0 4,211.7 4,598.6 4,811.6 5,176.5Arizona 1,042.6 1,147.9 1,134.9 1,239.1 1,296.5 1,394.9Colorado 1,090.3 1,200.5 1,186.9 1,295.9 1,355.9 1,458.8Idaho 214.5 236.2 233.5 254.9 266.7 287.0Montana 151.4 166.7 164.8 179.9 188.2 202.5Nevada 626.3 689.6 681.7 744.4 778.8 837.9New Mexico 195.4 215.2 212.7 232.3 243.0 261.5Utah 453.6 499.4 493.7 539.1 564.1 606.8Wyoming 95.1 104.7 103.5 113.0 118.2 127.2EMPLOYMENT STATISTICSActualin thousands EC M C GMountain 69,371 613.7 5,088.1 1,480.3Arizona 17,953 171.9 1,348.1 385.5Phoenix MSA 14,693 128.1 984.7 213.7Tucson MSA 1,774 28.4 195.5 72.7Colorado 18,614 154.0 1,268.6 340.1Boulder-Longmont PMSA 798 19.2 85.6 25.1Colorado Springs MSA 1,648 20.3 145.4 39.5Denver PMSA 10,733 69.3 677.4 158.5Idaho 4,471 61.7 322.4 106.5Boise City MSA 1,825 30.5 134.7 33.0Montana 2,618 19.3 239.3 80.2Billings MSA 356 3.5 45.6 7.8Missoula MSA 205 2.9 33.1 8.2Nevada 9,949 45.8 746.0 129.9Las Vegas MSA 8,158 27.0 588.1 86.2Reno MSA 1,664 14.1 124.6 25.5New Mexico 7,131 37.3 437.4 192.4Albuquerque MSA 4,633 22.7 214.5 71.5Las Cruces MSA 551 3.5 31.7 19.4Santa Fe MSA NA 1.2 44.9 27.1Utah 6,750 114.1 599.7 185.8Provo-Orem MSA 464 16.7 93.6 20.0Salt Lake City-Ogden MSA 4,761 72.7 392.1 120.4Wyoming 1,885 9.6 126.6 59.9Casper MSA 459 1.6 19.6 5.2

NA — Not available

MSA — Metropolitan Statistical Area

PMSA — Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area

CMSA — Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area

EC — Electrical contractor employees for April 2004. Electrical Wholesaling estimates these numbers based on Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.

M — Manufacturing employees for August 2004. Source: Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

C — Commercial account employees (professional and business services, retail trade, financial activities, educational and health services, leisure and hospitality, and other services) for August 2004.

Source: Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

G — Government employees for August 2004. Source: Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics