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Datasheet · economy

Seattle’s economy in the resource record.

A dated reference to employment, industry, regional commerce, and the economic assumptions recorded in an earlier Seattle datasheet.

Open office buildings and workspaces in a modern Seattle business district
Economy pages connect workplaces, infrastructure, research, and regional exchange.

resource overview

A technology-led regional economy

This page preserves the structure of a historical civic datasheet while clearly separating its dated claims from present-day economic information.

Original reference period · late 1990s and early 2000s

Industry, research, and regional connection

The source described the greater Seattle area as a center for aerospace, software, biotechnology, medical technology, electronics, environmental engineering, wood products, food processing, and apparel design.

It also emphasized the relationship between skilled employment, research institutions, transportation infrastructure, international markets, and the wider Puget Sound economy. These themes remain useful for understanding how the region presented its economic identity at the time.

Historical figures on this page are preserved as resource evidence. They should not be read as current employment, wage, projection, or industry statistics.

Glass office towers rising above a city street
Built space and employment were closely linked in the original regional account.

Recorded sectors

What the datasheet highlighted

The categories below summarize the source page’s emphasis without treating its old projections as current fact.

01 · Advanced technology

Software and digital work

The page identified software development as a major regional activity and associated it with a large cluster of firms and technical employment.

02 · Production

Aerospace and manufacturing

Aerospace was presented as a central employer, alongside transportation equipment, machinery, electronics, wood products, and food production.

03 · Research

Bio and medical technology

Biotechnology, medical equipment, genomics, and related research were described as important parts of the region’s emerging economic profile.

Historical table

Employment totals recorded by period

The figures below are reproduced as a concise historical reference from the source datasheet. “Greater Seattle Area” was the source’s own label and should not be assumed to match a modern statistical geography.

Full-time-equivalent positions, selected years
YearSeattleKing CountyGreater Seattle Area
1970310,286466,592740,927
1980386,684697,4011,033,407
1990469,802972,5671,445,243
2000 estimate527,3931,180,5641,804,503
2010 estimate608,1131,353,6642,075,592

Source named in the original page: Puget Sound Regional Council.

Historical distribution

Employment by economic sector

The source used a 2000 snapshot for the greater Seattle area, covering King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

SectorNumber employedShare of total
Manufacturing225,69013.1%
Durable goods170,3409.9%
Transportation, including aircraft93,2505.4%
Non-durable goods55,1503.2%
Non-manufacturing1,499,78086.9%
Services524,79030.4%
Wholesale and retail trade408,48023.7%
Government262,30015.2%
Finance, insurance, and real estate98,9805.7%
Construction103,3806.0%
Transportation and public utilities100,0505.8%
Total employment1,725,470100.0%

Source described in the original page: Washington State Employment Security, Labor Market and Economic Analysis Branch, Labor Area Summaries.

Regional frame

The Cascadia corridor

The original datasheet placed Seattle within a north–south corridor linking Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. It described regional cooperation around transportation, trade and tourism, border crossings, economic development, natural-resource management, and special events.

That framing is valuable as a snapshot of how civic materials once explained Seattle’s position within a larger Pacific Northwest network.

  1. Transportation planning

    Movement between metropolitan areas was treated as a shared regional concern.

  2. Trade and tourism

    Cross-border exchange and visitor activity were presented as connected economic themes.

  3. Economic development

    Local and state institutions were described as cooperating across jurisdictional boundaries.

  4. Resource stewardship

    Natural resources and regional events also appeared within the corridor’s civic agenda.

How to read it

A careful route through dated data

Economic numbers age quickly. This entry keeps the historical subject while providing enough context to prevent old projections, job counts, and institutional descriptions from being mistaken for current guidance.

  1. Check the period

    Most figures describe the late 1990s, 2000, or projections toward 2010.

  2. Keep the geography visible

    Seattle, King County, and the wider four-county area are different statistical frames.

  3. Separate record from forecast

    Projected employment and revenue figures are preserved only as historical claims.

  4. Use current sources for decisions

    For active economic programs or statistics, consult current official sources rather than this resource entry.

Reader’s desk

Questions about this economy page

Context for researchers following an older datasheet.

Are these current employment statistics?

No. The figures are historical material associated with the original datasheet and its cited period.

What does “greater Seattle area” mean here?

The source used that label for a regional grouping that included King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

Why are projections still shown?

They help document how the region’s future economy was presented in the source period. They are not current forecasts.

Which industries did the source emphasize?

It highlighted aerospace, software, biotechnology, medical technology, electronics, environmental engineering, manufacturing, services, trade, government, and utilities.

Can I request a correction or source note?

Yes. Send the relevant page reference and a concise explanation to the resource contact below.

Continue reading

Follow the original page structure to compare the economic record with neighboring topics.

Movement

Transportation

Infrastructure and connections across the region.