Bypassed East - Seattle's Economy

Aerospace has long been a huge part of Seattle's economy. Boeing employs over 4500 people in the Seattle region and is a significant part of its economy. The city's largest employer is the University of Washington, however. The university contributes more than 3 billion to the economy on an annual basis. Not only playing a major role financially, the university also contributes to the healthcare, science, information technology, and biotechnology sectors.

While Seattle has felt the effects of the recession, its economy has still remained strong in comparison to most US states. It's still a breeding place for start up companies, especially within the field of green technologies.

Total Employment

Number of full-time and part-time positions (not including resource or construction)

Year	Seattle	King County	Greater Seattle Area*
1980	386,684	697,401	1,033,407
1990	469,802	972,567	1,445,243
2000	536,471	1,188,577	1,748,243
2006	470,698	1,125,197	1,615,507
2020 (projection)	653,514	1,498,043	2,224,597

Source: Puget Sound Regional Council
*King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap Counties

references:

http://www.cityofseattle.net/oir/datasheet/economy.htm

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Seattle-Economy.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle