Wyoming remains on course for continued economic growth in the months ahead.

That's the conclusion of an August survey of supply managers conducted by Creighton University in Omaha.

In August, the state's business condition index stood at 66.1, down from August of last year but still relatively strong.

The index ranges between 0 and 100. An index greater than 50 indicates an expansionary economy over the next three to six months.

Individual components of the index were new orders at 64.3, production at 72.3, delivery lead time at 77.8, inventories at 60.0 and employment at 56.3.

"The state's large mining and natural resources industry growth has been brisk even in relation to a strong August 2007 [when the index was 76.2]. This expansion has more than offset weakness in the state's durable goods sector. Even so, I expect the state's unemployment rate to grow by another 0.2 percent by the end of the year," said Economics Professor Ernie Goss in a press release.

For the Mountain States Region overall, composed of Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, the index was 56.4, compared to 77.7 a year earlier.

Despite the drop, "there is scant evidence that the downturn in the national economy is spilling over into the Mountain States economy," Goss said.

"While there has been fallout from the downturn in housing, it has been, to a large extent, limited to metropolitan areas of the region. Growth in the region's large mining and natural resources sector continues to boost the regional economy, especially for industries with close ties to this sector such as transportation," he said.

Business Editor Tom Mast can be reached at tom.mast@trib.com, or call 307-266-0574.