State Ledger
State profile

Washington FIPS 53

Population
7,617,364
Median household income
$82,400
Nonfarm employment
3,661,400
Business establishments
202,177

State Highlights

Largest employer sector
Health care and social assistance
499,464 employees
Business concentration
16.3%
of private employment in Health care and social assistance
Home prices, 1 year
+1.1%
FHFA
Federal outlays per capita
$8,658.72
USASpending.gov

Economy & Labor

Total nonfarm employment

BLS Current Employment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted · persons · 20 months available · latest observation: August 2026
Employment ratio
49.4%
employed ÷ population
Unemployed population (ACS)
198,259
Vs. July
▼ 14,500
Business density
27.3 per 1,000
establishments per capita

Leading Industries

Leading industries by employment

Ranked by private-sector employment, same measure as the Business & Industry tab · see the full breakdown there
1 Health care and social assistance 499,464 employees
2 Retail trade 340,694 employees
3 Accommodation and food services 306,631 employees
4 Manufacturing 264,782 employees
5 Professional, scientific, and technical services 242,493 employees

Leading Public Companies

Top 5 by latest reported revenue

SEC EDGAR / XBRL Company Facts · see the full listing on the Public Companies tab
$716.92B
Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses
$331.84B
Services-Prepackaged Software
$275.24B
Retail-Variety Stores
$88.31B
Radiotelephone Communications
$37.18B
Retail-Eating & Drinking Places

Population & People

Homeownership rate
63.6%
1.86M of 2.93M occupied homes are owner-occupied

Population by age

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimate (table B01001) · reconciles to total population
0–17
1.68M · 22.1%
18–24
658.3K · 8.6%
25–34
1.15M · 15.1%
35–44
1.04M · 13.7%
45–54
939.3K · 12.3%
55–64
965.3K · 12.7%
65–74
732.2K · 9.6%
75+
445.5K · 5.8%

Housing & Real Estate

Median home value
$397,600
Median gross rent
$1,439 / month
Vacancy rate
7.5%
Total housing units
3.17M
Owner-occupied homes
1.86M
Renter-occupied homes
1.07M
Home prices, 1 year
+1.1%
Home prices, 5 years
+29.7%
Latest FHFA period
2026 Q2

ACS: 2021 ACS 5-year · FHFA: 2026 Q2

ACS housing estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau — median home value reflects owner-reported value, not a current sale price. House-price changes are from the FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index, a measure of price appreciation over time, not a home-value estimate.

Federal Spending

Total federal outlays
$64.12B
Outlays per capita
$8,658.72
Total prime award value
$90.80B

Source: USASpending.gov · specific reporting period not published in this dataset