Economic Basics

Population  |  Educational Attainment  |  Income & Cost of Living  |  Industries & Trade | Largest Employers in King County

Population

King County, Washington is located in the northwest corner of the United States in the heart of the Puget Sound region. The region is the thirteenth largest metropolitan area in the country. King County is home to more than 1.9 million people, living in 39 cities and unincorporated areas. King County has a varied topography from sea level to 6,270 feet. To the west is the Puget Sound and to the east are the Cascade Mountains. The City of Seattle is the King County seat and the Northwest’s largest city. Seattle is 100 miles south of the Canadian border and 165 miles north of the Oregon border.

King County had over 789,232 households in 2010. According to the county’s planning policies, this number is expected to increase by nearly ten percent, bringing the total households to 868,000 in the year 2022. The county currently has 18 cities with populations greater than 20,000.

Educational Attainment

Welcome to Seattle, one of the most educated cities in the United States. Over 54% of Seattle’s adult residents have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, nearly twice the national average. An educated city means an educated workforce—a solid backbone for the innovative, knowledge-based industries that drive Seattle’s economy. Eleven colleges and universities call King County home, including University of Washington, home of the nation’s top medical school and recipient of more federal research funds than any other public university in the United States.

Income & Cost of Living

Roughly 28% of King County residents are in professional business/managerial positions. As a result, median household income in King County is well above the U.S. average. Cost of living is generally higher than the U.S. average, but it is in line with other metropolitan areas with similar income levels.

Industries & Trade

Approximately 8.7% of Washington State’s private sector jobs are linked to export manufacturing. Foreign investment accounts for another 3.7% of the state’s private-industry employment with foreign-controlled businesses employing over 91,000 Washington workers.

Seattle is the closest seaport in the United States to both Asia and Alaska. Its location makes the city a prime gateway for shipping, cruise passengers and tourists. In addition to Asia, many other countries are found among the list of Seattle’s top twenty trade partners. A recent study by the Brookings Institution ranks the Seattle metropolitan region 10th among the 100 largest US metropolitan areas with $24.16 billion in total exports produced for 2008.

The value of the state’s exported merchandise totaled approximately $53.4 billion in 2010, 19% of which went to the state’s largest market, China. Eighty-one percent of Washington’s exports come from the Seattle metro area (Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue).

About 70% of the port’s containerized cargo originates in or destined for regions or country outside the Pacific Northwest. Thus, while the state represents 2% of the nation’s population, its ports handle 7% of all U.S. exports and receive a 6% share of the nation’s imports.

Largest Employers in King County

Coming soon!

• Top import/export industries

• Top Ten Trading Partners

• Top 20 Largest Employers