Facts & Figures

Washington’s businesses are some of the most successful and recognizable in the entire world, from Boeing to Microsoft to Starbucks. While these companies have the global reach, there is even more to Washington. With major timber exports and enviable agricultural production, as well as one of the most trafficked ports on the West Coast in Seattle, Washington exports touch every part of the global economy, earning billions in profits and creating thousands of jobs in the process.

Job Creation

• Trade supported 842,800 jobs in Washington in 2008, or 21.5% of total jobs, up from 10.1% in 1992.¹

Over two-fifths (41.4%) of all manufacturing workers in Washington depended on exports for their jobs.²

In 2008, 91,200 people in Washington were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

• Washington exported $51.9 billion in merchandise to 208 foreign markets in 2009. Washington’s largest market in 2009 was China ($9.1 billion) followed by Canada ($6.8 billion), Japan ($5.6 billion), the United Arab Emirates ($2.9 billion), and South Korea ($2.0 billion).⁴
• In 2008, 8,480 companies exported goods from Washington. Of these, 90% were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.⁵
• Agricultural exports are important to Washington’s economy, totaling $3.1 billion and supporting about 35,907 jobs in 2008.⁶
• Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $37.7 billion in exports from 125 companies in 49 communities in Washington.⁷

Education and Research

• In 2008-2009, 6,433 Washington students studied abroad.⁸
• During 2009-2010, 16,449 international students were enrolled in Washington colleges and universities and contributed $412.1 million to the Washington economy.⁹

Global Engagement

• Since 1961, 8,087 Peace Corps volunteers from Washington have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹⁰
• Support from U.S. government grants and contracts to private voluntary organizations engaged in foreign assistance and development in Washington totaled $237,956,540 million (USAID only) in 2008.¹¹

Download the Fact Sheet

1. http://businessroundtable.org/uploads/studies-reports/downloads/Trade_and_American_Jobs.pdf
2. http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/
3. Anderson, Thomas and William J. Zeile. “U.S. Affiliates of Foreign Companies Operations in 2008”. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce. http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2010/11%20November/1110_us_ops.pdf
4. http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/
5. http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/index.html
6. http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/WTO/states.html
7. https://webappsprod01.exim.gov/apps/usmap/usmap.nsf
8. Institute of International Education. “Open Doors 2010 Report on International Educational Exchange Institute of International Education”. STUDY ABROAD BY U.S. STATE, http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/Fact-Sheets-by-US-State
9. http://www.nafsa.org/publicpolicy/default.aspx?id=23158
10. http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/homestates.pdf
11. http://www.pvo.net/usaid/