Manufacturing, maritime generate steady jobs, revenue for Seattle

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced the findings of two economic impact studies that show the manufacturing and maritime industries pump about $17.3 billion into the local economy.

The industries contribute about $93 million in tax revenues - nearly 30 percent of all revenue generated by Seattle businesses - and employ more than 90,400 Seattle workers.

“Manufacturing and maritime industries are the backbone of Seattle’s diverse economy, and we must keep them strong,” said Nickels. “Especially in tough economic times, these industries provide good-paying jobs and steady growth.”

Commissioned by the city’s Office of Economic Development, the studies found that manufacturing jobs in Seattle grew by 10 percent from 2005 to 2008, while the nation lost nearly 5 percent of its manufacturing jobs during the same time period.

“Seattle industrial businesses are resilient and diverse,” said City Councilmember Sally Clark. “These businesses are innovative, highly skilled and constantly adapting to meet the demands of an ever evolving economy. We as the city have the responsibility to take what we learn in these studies and take the right steps to support marine and industrial businesses.”

Industrial businesses make up almost one fifth (18 percent) of Seattle’s total job base and are critical in maintaining a balanced local and regional economy.

Key findings of the economic impact studies include:

• Of the 90,400 manufacturing and maritime-related jobs, more than 44,000 jobs are in Seattle’s designated Duwamish and Ballard/Interbay/North manufacturing and industrial centers;
• Maritime sector alone supported more than 16,652 jobs in 2007;
• Industrial employment has been on the rise, adding 8,300 new jobs from 2005 to 2008, outpacing citywide employment growth on a percentage basis over the same period;
• Average wages of industrial jobs in Seattle is $54,000; the city’s average wage is $52,800;
• Average wages of maritime sector jobs is $70,745;
• Industrial sector accounted for an estimated $17.3 billion in revenue in 2007; and
• Maritime sector alone accounted for an estimated $5.6 billion in revenue in 2007.

The mayor launched his Industrial Jobs Initiative in August 2007 to continue his support for Seattle’s industrial and manufacturing businesses. At the heart of the mayor’s initiative were new land-use recommendations with the goal to maintain existing businesses and jobs, while encouraging new industries.

The initiative resulted in industrial zoning changes that protected family-wage industrial sector jobs. A good an example of a business adding more manufacturing space to its headquarters is the current expansion of McKinstry, a Georgetown construction and engineering firm, specializing in energy efficiency. McKinstry is developing an additional 120,000 square feet of its property.

The Office of Economic Development regularly supports local manufacturing and maritime businesses, providing technical assistance, access to business resources and help navigating governmental services. The Mayor’s Industrial Permit Liaison also works with these critical members of our community on a regular basis to facilitate the permit process.

To read the full text of the final maritime study and the draft basic industries study, please visit the Office of Economic Development’s Web site at www.seattle.gov/economicdevelopment.

Get the Nickels Newsletter and the mayor's inside view on transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities at mayor.seattle.gov

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Office of the Mayor