About IMPLAN

This article is designed to help you explain to key stakeholders what IMPLAN is, how it works from a high level, and the history and reputation of the IMPLAN data and software. Feel free to copy and paste these statements into your reports or presentations!

Option 1 - The Basics

IMPLAN is the leading provider of economic impact data and analytical applications. IMPLAN serves the economic data needs of researchers, policy makers, decision makers, advocates, business leaders, governments, and more. 

Option 2  - The History

IMPLAN was created by academics to serve the needs of the United States Forest Service in the 1970’s. It has been transformed today to serve as a solution-provider for anyone interested in better understanding their economy. IMPLAN is a regional economic analysis software and data application that is designed to estimate the impact or ripple effect of a given economic activity or the contribution of some existing activity within a specific geographic area.  

Option 3 - The Method

IMPLAN utilizes an economic modeling technique called Input-Output analysis, which is a type of applied economic analysis that tracks the interdependence among various producing and consuming industries of an economy. It measures the relationship between a given set of demands for final goods and services and the inputs required to satisfy those demands.

Option 4 - The Standard

IMPLAN has been a standard tool for academic and professional economists for decades. The methods used to produce IMPLAN’s economic data set and economic impact estimates have been widely published both in professional publications as well as peer-reviewed academic journals. Many of these methods are considered standard best practices in a wide variety of applied economic fields today.

Written March 13, 2020