The D.C. area's economy will record a growth rate of more than 1 percent for 2012, the U.S. Conference of Mayors predicted Thursday.
The organization predicted the area's gross metropolitan product would jump 1.2 percent, which lagged behind the national average of 1.8 percent growth but still represented a recovering economy.
The estimate makes the D.C. region one of the 300 metro areas the conference expects to grow this year. The group predicted that only 63 metro economies will see their economies contract as the country continues to emerge from the Great Recession.
Although the D.C. area was behind the national growth average, the figure reported Thursday was an improvement from 2011, when the area's GMP grew by less than 1 percent.
The D.C. area also has a bright future, the organization said, with a forecasted growth rate of 2 percent in 2013.
