Economy of Washington (state)
The northwestern U.S. state of Washington's economy grew 3.7% in 2016, nearly two and a half times the national rate. Average income per head in 2009 was $41,751, 12th among states of the U.S.
The United States' largest concentration of
Washington does not levy a personal income tax, but raises revenue through sales tax, property tax, and a gross receipts tax on businesses.
Taxes
The state of Washington is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal
Washington's state base
An "ex" applies to certain select products such as
All
Personal income
The
Several notable billionaires, including
Trade
Significant amounts of trade with Asia pass through the ports of the Puget Sound. Washington is the fourth largest exporting state in the United States, after New York, California, and Texas.
The ports of Washington handle 8% of all American exports and receive 6% of the nation's imports.[7]
Industries
Washington industries by GDP value added 2011
Industry | GDP value added $ millions 2011 | % of total GDP |
---|---|---|
Government | 52,757 | 14.86% |
Real estate and rental leasing | 43,123 | 12.14% |
Information | 31,283 | 8.81% |
Durable good manufacturing | 30,372 | 8.55% |
Retail trade | 25,057 | 7.06% |
Healthcare and social assistance | 24,798 | 6.98% |
Finance and insurance | 17,317 | 4.88% |
Non-durable good manufacturing | 13,763 | 3.88% |
Construction | 12,883 | 3.63% |
Administrative and waste management | 10,403 | 2.93% |
Accommodation and food services | 10,104 | 2.84% |
Transportation and warehousing | 9,724 | 2.74% |
Other services, except government | 8,023 | 2.26% |
Arts, entertainment and recreation | 2,700 | 0.76% |
Educational services | 2,094 | 0.59% |
Mining | 710 | 0.19% |
Total | 355,083 | 100% |
Manufacturing and commercial
Key businesses within the state include the design and manufacture of jet
A Fortune magazine survey of the top 20 most admired companies in the US included four Washington-based companies: Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco and Nordstrom.[8]
Washington was one of eighteen states which had a
Agriculture
Washington is a leading
In 2004, Washington ranked first in the nation in production of red
Apples
The apple industry is of particular importance to Washington. Because of the favorable climate of dry, warm summers and cold winters of central Washington, the state has led the U.S. in apple production since the 1920s.[12] Two areas account for the vast majority of the state's apple crop: the Wenatchee–Okanogan region (comprising Chelan, Okanogan, Douglas, and Grant counties), and the Yakima region (Yakima, Benton and Kittitas counties).[13] The industry was developed by the railroads with the Northern Pacific Railway controlling the Yakima valley and the Great Northern Railway (U.S.) controlling the Wenatchee valley. Commercial apple farming was made possible by district irrigation projects.[14]
Significant early pests were the codling moth and San Jose scale.[14]
The apple industry in the Pacific Northwest distinguished itself from traditional apple growing regions in the east of the country by focusing on the quality of apples delivered to the market rather than the quantity. As a result of this growers in Washington delivered their apples to market packing in boxes as opposed to the barrels used by most established growers.[14]
The Great Depression hurt the industry greatly as widespread economic disruption caused consumers in market cities to decrease consumption. World War II saw most of the Washington apple industry's apples diverted to the war effort with only apples of secondary quality and culls left for the domestic market. This significantly hurt the reputation Washington's apple industry as apples of secondary quality and culls had not been sold on the domestic fresh fruit market before. Improvements and innovation in packaging technology during the war allowed apples to last longer in transit. The rise in commercial trucking after the war radically altered the industry as growers and packers were no longer dependent on the railroads to reach distant markets. Since World War II there has been a trend of consideration in the industry.[14]
Apple maggots are such a problem here that the state has erected the Apple Maggot Quarantine Area between the west and the east.
The Washington Apple Commission regulates the industry.
Energy
Washington is the leading producer of
Employment
Employment by industry in Washington[17]
Industry | Employment thousands March 2013 | Percent of total employment |
---|---|---|
Trade, transportation and utilities | 548.2 | 18.84% |
Government | 540.9 | 18.59% |
Education and health services | 392.2 | 13.4% |
Professional and business services | 352.0 | 12.10% |
Manufacturing | 288.0 | 9.90% |
Leisure and hospitality | 281.7 | 9.65% |
Financial activities | 142.3 | 4.89% |
Other services | 112.4 | 3.86% |
Information | 104.7 | 3.60% |
Mining, lodging and construction | 6.1 | 0.21% |
Total | 2,909.5 | 100% |
Real estate
At $43 billion, real estate and rental leasing forms 12.14% of total GDP in Washington. (see above)
On December 4, 2016 Bloomberg compared the cost of housing between
See also
References
- ^ "Local Sales and Use Tax Rates by City/County" (PDF). Washington State Department of Revenue. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ a b "Sound Transit 3 sales-tax increase takes effect Saturday". The Seattle Times. 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- ^ "Retail sales tax". Washington State Department of Revenue. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
- ^ https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/spi/2010/pdf/spi0310.pdf Archived 2012-09-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-17-7
- ^ Ahrens, Frank (September 22, 2006). "No news here ... Gates still richest". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
- ^ "Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates got even richer in 2017". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ http://www.washingtonports.org/issues_areas/economic_development/trade_statistics.asp Archived 2010-04-14 at the Wayback Machine Trade Statistics. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ^ "Top 20 Most Admired Companies". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
- ^ "Washington State Liquor Control Board". Washington State Liquor Control Board. Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
- ^ "Washington State Liquor Control Board". Washington State Liquor Control Board. Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ Dininny, Shannon (2011-10-24). "State ag sees a banner year in 2010, promises of more in 2011". Yakima Herald-Republic. Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
- ^ Schotzko, Thomas R.; Granatstein, David (2005), A Brief Look at the Washington Apple Industry: Past and Present (PDF), Pullman, WA: Washington State University, p. 1, retrieved 2008-05-09
- JSTOR 141294.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8061-9066-2.
- ^ a b c d
- Lucas, John A.; Hawkins, Nichola J.; Fraaije, Bart A. (2015). "The Evolution of Fungicide Resistance". Advances in Applied Microbiology. Vol. 90. S2CID 46385225.
- Lucas, John A.; Hawkins, Nichola J.; Fraaije, Bart A. (2015). "The Evolution of Fungicide Resistance". Advances in Applied Microbiology. Vol. 90.
- ^ "U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis". www.eia.doe.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ^ "Washington Economy at a Glance". www.bls.gov.
- ^ "Vancouver Tax Pushes Chinese to $1 Million Seattle Homes". Bloomberg.com. 4 December 2016 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ "Vancouver's housing mess: Could it happen here?". crosscut.com.
- ^ "Ruling expected on attempt to block Seattle's expansion of mother-in-law units". seattletimes.com. 9 December 2016.