Washington Trade Facts
- In 2018, Washington exported $78.0 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Washington supported an estimated 333 thousand jobs.
Exports from Washington and Jobs
- Washington was the 4th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
- In 2018, Washington goods exports were $78.0 billion, an increase of 43 percent ($23 billion) from its export level in 2008.
- Goods exports accounted for 13.8 percent of Washington GDP in 2018.
- Washington goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 333 thousand jobs. Nationally, jobs supported by goods exports pay up to an estimated 18 percent above the national average.
Made-in-America Manufacturing Exports from Washington and Jobs
- In 2018, Washington exported $63.4 billion of manufactured products.
- Washington exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 302 thousand jobs in 2016.
- The state's largest manufacturing export category is transportation equipment, which accounted for $42.8 billion of Washington's total goods exports in 2018.
- Other top manufacturing exports are computer & electronic products ($4.4 billion), food & kindred products ($3.6 billion), petroleum & coal products ($2.5 billion), and machinery, except electrical ($2.2 billion).
Exports Sustain Thousands of Washington Businesses many of which are SMEs
- A total of 12,147 companies exported from Washington locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 10,890 (90 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
- Small and medium-sized firms generated 17.3 percent of Washington's total exports of goods in 2016.
Washington Depends on World Markets
- The state’s largest market was China. Washington exported $15.9 billion in goods to China in 2018, representing 20 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
- China was followed by Canada ($9.3 billion), Japan ($6.1 billion), Korea ($4.6 billion), and United Kingdom ($4.0 billion).
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Washington’s exports (2018 Value) to major world areas included:
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APEC $50.2 billion
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Asia $44.1 billion
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European Union $12.2 billion
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South/Central America and Caribbean $2.3 billion
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Sub-Saharan Africa $1.3 billion
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29 percent of Washington’s exports ($22.9 billion) go to current FTA partners
Agriculture in Washington depends on Exports
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Washington is the country’s 11th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $4.0 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1
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Top Agricultural exports (2017 Rank) were:
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other plant products
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2017 Value: $947 million
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2017 State Rank: 4
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fruits, fresh
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2017 State Value: $761 million
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2017 State Rank: 2
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fruits, processed
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2017 State Value: $664 million
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2017 State Rank: 2
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wheat
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2017 State Value: $481 million
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2017 State Rank: 4
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vegetables, processed
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2017 State Value: $344 million
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2017 State Rank: 3
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International Investment Creates Jobs in Washington
- In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 115,500 Washington workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Washington included the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan.
- Foreign investment in Washington was responsible for 4.2 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.
Washington’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting
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In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Washington recorded goods exports: Seattle ($59 billion), Portland ($20.8 billion), Longview ($4.4 billion), Bellingham ($1.8 billion), Yakima ($1.3 billion), Spokane ($861.1 million), Wenatchee ($612.4 million), Kennewick ($604.5 million), Mount Vernon ($582.3 million), Olympia ($253.6 million), Walla Walla ($158.2 million), Lewiston ($147.7 million), Bremerton ($54.5 million).
[1] Estimates of state exports of agricultural products by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and goods exports by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce are based on different methodologies and are not directly comparable.
