Spokane economy on an upswing after Great Recession

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) _ Spokane was slow to recover from the Great Recession, but its economy is making up for lost ground.

More than 20,000 new jobs have been created in Spokane County since 2010. A majority of those jobs pay more than the average wage for the county, which is $21.17 per hour.

Doug Tweedy, regional economist for the Washington Employment Security Department, says the new jobs are in construction and manufacturing, science, research and technology.

He tells The Spokesman-Review that hospitals, dental offices and medical clinics are also adding workers, as is higher education.

Spokane is attracting some growth as a ``second-tier'' city, where people want to live and companies want to relocate for quality of life and lower housing costs.