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    Washington State Trade Facts

    • In 2017, Washington exported $76.4 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 2017.
    • In 2017, Washington goods exports were $76.4 billion, an increase of 47 percent ($24 billion) from its export level in 2007.
    • Goods exports accounted for 15.1 percent of Washington GDP in 2017.
    • 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 2017, Washington exported $62.2 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 $43.3 billion of Washington's total goods exports in 2017.
    • Other top manufacturing exports are computer & electronic products ($4.2 billion), food & kindred products ($3.2 billion), machinery, except electrical ($2.1 billion), and petroleum & coal products ($1.8 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 2015.

    Washington Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was China. Washington exported $18.0 billion in goods to China in 2017, representing 24 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
    • China was followed by Canada ($7.7 billion), Japan ($5.4 billion), United Arab Emirates ($4.1 billion), and Korea, South ($3.3 billion).
    • Washington’s exports to major world areas included:

     

    2017 Value

    APEC

    $49.3 billion

    Asia

    $36.8 billion

    European Union

    $9.2 billion

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $2.2 billion

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $781 million
    • 24 percent of Washington’s exports ($18.2 billion) go to current FTA partners. 

     

    Agriculture in Washington depends on Exports

    • Washington is the country’s 11th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $3.9 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2016 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).[1]
    • Top Agricultural exports were:

     

    2016 Value

     2016 State Rank

    other plant products

    $823 million

    5

    fruits, fresh

    $805 million

    2

    fruits, processed

    $761 million

    2

    wheat

    $384 million

    4

    vegetables, processed

    $330 million

    2

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Washington

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 112,700 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

    In 2016 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Washington recorded goods exports: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue ($61.9 billion), Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro ($20.3 billion), Longview ($3.7 billion), Bellingham ($1.8 billion), Yakima ($1.1 billion), Spokane-Spokane Valley ($836 million), Mount Vernon-Anacortes ($696 million), Kennewick-Richland ($671 million), Wenatchee ($510 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.