Washington

Washington Exports & Foreign Investment

 

In 2023, Washington exported not a record $61.2 billion of goods to the world.  In 2021, exports from Washington supported an estimated 147 thousand jobs.

 

Exports from Washington and Jobs

• Washington was the 8^th largest state exporter of goods in 2023.
• In 2023, Washington goods exports were $61.2 billion, a decrease of 25 percent ($20 billion) from its export level in 2013 (latest data available).
• Goods exports accounted for 7.6 percent of Washington GDP in 2023 (latest data available).
• Washington goods exports in 2021 (latest data available) supported an estimated 147 thousand jobs. Nationally, jobs supported by goods exports pay up to an estimated 18 percent above the national average.

Manufacturing Exports from Washington and Jobs

• In 2023, Washington exported $44.1 billion of manufactured products.
• Washington exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 119 thousand jobs in 2021 (latest data available).
• The state's largest manufacturing export category is transportation equipment, which accounted for $21.4 billion of Washington's total goods exports in 2023.
• Other top manufacturing exports are food and kindred products ($4.8 billion), computer and electronic products ($4.3 billion), petroleum and coal products ($3.0 billion), and machinery, except electrical ($2.8 billion).

 

Exports Sustain Thousands of Washington Businesses many of which are SMEs

• A total of 11,272 companies exported from Washington locations in 2022 (latest data available). Of those, 9,971 (89 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
•  Small and medium-sized firms generated 31.7 percent of Washington's total exports of goods in 2022.

 

Washington Depends on World Markets

• The state’s largest market was China. Washington exported $11.0 billion in goods to China in 2023, representing 18 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
• China was followed by Canada ($9.6 billion), Japan ($4.3 billion), Mexico ($3.5 billion), and Korea, South ($3.1 billion).
• Washington’s exports to major world areas included:

 

 

• 35 percent of Washington’s goods exports ($21.1 billion) in 2023 went to current FTA partners. 

Agriculture in Washington depends on Exports

• Washington is the country’s 17^th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $4.1 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2022 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).^[1]
• Top Agricultural exports were:

 

 

International Investment Creates Jobs in Washington

• In 2021 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 143,700 Washington workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Washington included Canada, Germany and Germany. 
• Foreign investment in Washington was responsible for 5.0 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2021.

Washington’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

In 2022 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Washington recorded goods exports: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue ($34.2 billion), Bellingham ($2.2 billion), Yakima ($1.2 billion), Spokane-Spokane Valley ($815.7 million), Mount Vernon-Anacortes ($724.3 million), Kennewick-Richland ($712.9 million), Wenatchee ($476.6 million), Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater ($447.4 million), Walla Walla ($250.5 million), and Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard ($91.4 million).