Economy
Retiring Baby Boomers Boost Washingtons Economy
State expected to fare better than most states as more seniors retire, study finds
Washington ranks 14th in the nation in a measure of the number of senior citizens who are having a net positive impact on states economy, according to a new study released by SeniorLiving.org. The study offers a snapshot of the impact of the so-called silver tsunami, or the wave of baby boomers heading into retirement,…
Seattles Overall Prosperity Could Help Lure Opportunity Zone Investment to the Area
Three counties in the Puget Sound region, including King, stand to benefit most, study shows
Three Washington counties rank among the Top 20 counties in the nation for opportunity-zone investment potential, according to a just-published study by Commercial Cafe, a national real estate listings platform that is part of Yardi Systems. Washington state is home to 139 opportunity zones, which are economically distressed census tracts that are within the scope…
UW Just May Win This Unique March Madness Tournament
Pitchbooks March Madness VC pool has UW advancing deep into the tourney
Dont scoff. The University of Washington could go all the way in this years NCAA VC Founders basketball tournament. Seattle-based Financial data analytics company Pitchbook has created a unique competition based on the current NCAA Tournament bracket with a decidedly different way of measuring wins and losses. Teams advance based on the number of graduates…
Only Two People in the World Are Worth $100B or More, and Both Live in the Seattle Area
A total of three billionaires with Puget Sound roots rank among the 20 richest people on the planet
Three of the 20 richest people in the world live or have roots in the Seattle area and collectively are worth nearly $300 billion, according data compiled by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and current as of March 20. All three of the individuals have seen their wealth expand since the beginning of the year, propelled…
Washington States Innovation Economy Again Ranks Near The Top
New study lauds state for STEM professionals, science and engineering grads
Washington state routinely ranks near the top for innovation, and 2019 is no exception. The state was ranked as the No. 2 most innovative state in the United States in WalletHubs annual innovation index. Massachusetts finished No. 1. Washington was recognized for its share of science and engineering graduates over the age of 25, its…
Booming Tourism Helps Seattle Hotels Set Q1 Record
Twelve conventions between January and March this year will have generated 130,000 confirmed hotel rooms in the city
This article appears in print in the March 2019 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Librarians and pharmacists are driving hotel occupancy records in Seattle. Tourism agency Visit Seattle says the 12 conventions between January and March this year will have generated 130,000 confirmed hotel rooms in the city, up from the previous record…
Thriving Seattle Convention Business Shows No Signs of Slowing
Visit Seattle says 2018 was a record-breaking year
Convention-goers are coming to Seattle in record numbers as the city builds new hotels and adds more than 440,000 square feet of event and office space to the Washington State Convention Center. Visit Seattle, the regions tourism marketing organization, says 2018 was a record-breaking year for the convention industry in King County. The Washington State…
King County Again Busts Tourism Record
Visitor count in 2018 reached nearly 41 million
Visitors descended on King County at record rates for the ninth consecutive year, according to statistics released at Visit Seattles annual meeting today. Preliminary estimates indicate that 40.9 million visitors came to King County last year, up 2.5 percent from 2017. Visitors last year spent $7.8 billion, a hike of 5.8 percent from two years…
Ongoing U.S.-China Trade Dispute Is a Drag on Washington States Exports
New report details the extent of the states economic exposure to retaliatory tariffs
The ongoing trade dispute between China and the United States, marked by retaliatory tariffs put in place by both nations, is resulting in costly blowback for Washington companies who are feeling the brunt of the tariff war between the two nations, a recent report by the Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT) reveals. The report…
Heres Why Seattles New SR 99 Tunnel Has No Downtown Exits, and Other Facts You May Not Know
The projects lead designer discusses the challenges and thinking behind the 2-mile long tunnel, which opens Feb. 4.
A night view of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which is being torn down and replaced by the SR 99 Tunnel.
Washingtons Life Science Industry Packs a Powerful Punch, New Report Shows
The sector, fueled by startups and maturing home-grown companies, is a multibillion-dollar contributor to the states economy.
The life science industry in the state of Washington is on a roll, registering a 13 percent increase in employment from 2014 to 2017 and accounting for $22.7 billion in total economic activity in 2017, a just-released economic-impact report shows. The study, sponsored by the nonprofit Life Science Washington, also shows that more than $11.5…