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Booming

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A weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Cover art by Alicia Villa.

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Episodes

  • Seattle's to do list isn't penciling out

    The Trump administration has used executive orders to cut funding for cities that don’t cooperate with its immigration enforcement agenda. So how does Seattle spend its federal money? And if that money goes away, what can we do to replace it? 

  • How much does it cost to live comfortably in Seattle?

    On today's episode, we ask more than 300 Seattleites: How much money would it really take to live comfortably in this city of millionaires? And if you can't make enough, what can you do to feel more comfortable here? 

  • ICE fears turn sweet cherry season sour

    To supply the world with cherries, Washington farmers need a lot of workers to show up for a very short harvesting window. Usually they do, but not this year. Today, how a culture of fear is pushing Washington cherry growers to the brink.

  • The real threat to trees isn't housing

    After years of heated arguments, Seattle just passed a law allowing more homes per residential lot. But to gain more housing, we’re going to lose something else people care about: trees. Could there be a way to have both? 

  • Pharmacies are sick. Is there a cure?

    Bartell Drugs, CVS, Walgreens, and independent pharmacies everywhere are struggling to stay afloat. So what’s making pharmacies sick... and is there a cure? 

  • Will AI collapse the career ladder?

    It's graduation season. But it's a tough time to be looking for your first job. On today's episode, entry-level jobs are supposed to be the first rung of the career ladder. So why is that ladder breaking? And what can new grads do about it?

  • Whiplash at the Port of Seattle

    We visit the gateway to the Pacific to find out what the Port of Seattle really tells us about the chaotic state of international trade. And now that China and the US are trying to work things out, will trade bounce back? 

  • The plan to boost Black homeownership

    Across Seattle, less than half as many Black households own homes as white families. But there's a new law that could help turn that around by expanding the Covenant Home Ownership program. Joshua explains why Black homeownership has plummeted and what lawmakers are doing to boost it.