King County Economic Indicators
From 1995 until 2009, the King County Benchmark Program tracked various indicators to show the impact of policies and practices related to land use and development on the quality of life in King County. Organized around the structure of the King County Comprehensive Planning Policies, the program focused on five growth management issues: affordable housing, economy, environment, land use, and transportation. Unfortunately, staffing constraints within the Office of Performance, Strategy, and Budget have precluded any program updates since 2009.
The Office of Economic and Financial Analysis ("OEFA") has revived a portion of the Benchmark program, specifically that related to the King County economy. The countywide planning policies updated in 2012 describe the overarching goal for the King County economy as follows: People throughout King County have opportunities to prosper and enjoy a high quality of life through economic growth and job creation.
OEFA tracks a number of local economic indicators. Our intent is to provide periodic updates to the economic indicators covered in the previous Benchmark Program and also to expand the scope to include topical data analyzing King County's progress in achieving the goal of providing people throughout King County with opportunities to prosper through economic growth.
Educational Attainment in King County (Last updated: November 2022)
Household Income in King County (Last updated: August 2022)
Demographic Trends of King County (Last updated: July 2020)
Employment Trends in King County (Last updated: December 2021)
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General Indicators for the King County Economy
Employment: Total employment in King County fell by 7.4% in 2020. The unemployment rate was 6.8% as of December 2020.
Average Wages: The average annual wage in King County in 2019 was $93,300. The median hourly wage was $35.01.
Median Household Income: Median household income in King County in 2019 was $102,594.
Poverty Status: The poverty rate for King County in 2019 was estimated at 7.6%.
Educational Attainment: 54.1% of King County residents age 25 or older held a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2019.
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Technical Notes
Data for total employment, unemployment, annual wages, and hourly wages taken from Washington State Employment Security Department and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Data for household income by race/ethnicity, poverty status by race/ethnicity, and educational attainment taken from the American Community Survey via the US Census Bureau.
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We welcome comments and questions! Also, if there is a particular topic you would like to see OEFA cover in the future, please feel free to email Dave Reich or Laurie Elofson.
