Think You Know Seattle?

You already know that Amazon, Boeing and Microsoft are the region’s top employers. You may be aware that China is our top trade partner.

But did you know that almost one-quarter of King County residents are foreign born? Or that more than one in five employees in the county work remotely? Did you know that the Seattle area is home to the largest aerospace supply chain in the United States?

Greater Seattle Partners — an economic development organization founded in 2018 to attract global investment and trade, as well as support key industry sectors — recently released a treasure trove of information about the people and companies that make Seattle tick.

The information, contained in the organization’s recently released 2025 annual report, is mostly designed as a sales tool to recruit foreign businesses and investment, but can help even longtime Seattleites discover a host of interesting facts about the place we call home.

Simply put, rarely has so much information been in one place about everything from household incomes in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties to home values to detailed breakdowns of several key business sectors.

“This helps us understand where we’re going, where we can focus on what we do well, and what opportunities do we have to expand,” says GSP Research Director Victoria DePalma, who authored the report. “It’s the first time we’ve done this.”

For instance:

• About 28% of Seattle-area residents have a bachelor’s degree, 6.3% above the national average.
• The number of graduates across the area has plummeted around 15% the past five years. The most popular majors are “liberal arts and sciences/liberal studies.”
• Top exports are aircraft, spacecraft and parts. Top imports are vehicles and parts.
• Total trade reached almost $115 billion last year — underscoring Seattle’s “vital role in international commerce, with a significant growth in imports.”
• Aerospace is still king: More than 900 aerospace companies call the region home. They employ about 114,000 people.
• Fully 50% of all operational satellites in earth orbit are made here.

The report also highlights the significance of Seattle’s tech and life sciences sectors, noting that there are more than 400 AI companies here and more than 200 AI startups.

“If we’re playing the long game, which I feel like we always are, this is who we are. We have to be true to the industries and what we care about,” DePalma says. “We know what we want and that we’re good at our particular industries.”