Extension clientele often seek assistance from Community Development professionals in understanding how their local economies operate. Provision of local economic data has long been an important role for Extension. But many of the questions clientele raise require substantial analysis of this data. This article demonstrates how an input-output model (IMPLAN) can be used to describe a local economy with considerable precision. The model is appropriate for estimating the economic impacts of current or proposed activities. We include estimations of impacts of initial job losses stemming from the recent recession as well as impacts of a long-term plan for economic recovery
