Project

Chicago Region Socioeconomic Forecast

For the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, EBP (then EDR Group) developed baseline employment forecasts for their 2040 long range plan, and then again for their 2050 plan. The 2040 forecasts include alternative scenarios incorporating specific workforce development and transportation investment objectives. The 2050 forecasts looked specifically at remote workers and temp workers using a novel, research-based approach. 

For both forecasts, EBP developed the methodologies, models, and analytical tools needed to apply the forecasts to a wide range of long-range regional planning and travel modeling applications. For the 2040 Forecast, EBP's work supported the development of a population and household growth model that based its projections in part on job creation and the demand for workers from outside Greater Chicago. This work relied on numerous economic and demographic datasets and was delivered in the form of a reproducible code that CMAP staff can use to update future years.