Economic Impacts of regional food trade on Detroit and Seattle regions

A report from Detroit, MI discussed the economic impact of a regional food economy. From the report:

” Just in the city of Detroit, shifting twenty percent of food spending would increase annual output by nearly half a billion dollars. More than 4,700 jobs would be created, paying $125 million more in earnings. The city would receive nearly $20 million more in business taxes each year.

” Were this spending shift to occur in the five counties surrounding Detroit – Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Wayne, and Washtenaw – the increase in regional output would be roughly $3.5 billion. Nearly 36,000 jobs in the region would be created, paying $900 million more in earnings. Government entities in the region would receive $155 million more in business taxes.”

Click here for the Shuman-Detroit report.

What is most intriguing is that the economic impact numbers align very closely to the numbers derived from a separate study by Sustainable Seattle. That 2008 report found that ” A shift of 20% of our food dollars into locally directed spending would result in a nearly half billion dollar annual income increase in King County alone and double that in the Central Puget Sound region.”