Seattle

Economy

The Greater Seattle area is a leader in high-technology fields including computer software, electronics, environmental engineering, and biotechnology. Among its advantages as a business center are a well-educated and skilled work force, high-quality transportation and infrastructure resources, and strong manufacturing capabilities. The 469,802 full-time equivalent positions recorded for Seattle in the 1990 census are expected to grow to 521,878

by 2000 and 597,836 by 2010. Seattle has a strong service-sector economy. Services account for 29 percent of Seattle's jobs, wholesale and retail trade for 24 percent, and government for 16 percent, the same percentage as manufacturing. Top industrial fields are wood products, transportation equipment, food products, fish processing, and apparel design.

Seattle is home to Microsoft, the world's largest personal computer software company, and the region is also home to over 2,000 other software development companies. Also headquartered in Seattle is Boeing, the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer. Other major companies located in Seattle include Costco, Weyerhaeuser, Paccar, Safeco, Nordstrom, Airborne Freight, and Starbucks. Seattle's biotechnology enterprises generate revenue of over $2 billion a year, a figure that is expected to more than double by 2005.

The median family income for metropolitan Seattle in 1998 was $59,000.