Economy

Washington has a highly diversified economy. Four sectors—services; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; and finance, insurance, and real estate—each account for about 17 per cent of the state's gross product. Trade with Canada and the Pacific nations of Asia is an important part of the state's economy. Tourism is also significant. Among the many attractions are magnificent mountains, the Pacific coast, three national parks, and winter and summer sports.

Services and wholesale and retail trade each engage about 20 per cent of the labor force. About 17 per cent of the state's workers have government jobs and about 12 per cent have jobs in manufacturing. The rest of the workers are divided among transportation and public utilities; finance, insurance, and real estate; and construction. Mining is of small importance.

Before World War II most manufacturers in the state were processors of farm, forest, and fish products. During and after the war new kinds of manufacturing were developed. As an industrial state, Washington ranks about 15th in the nation. Cities in the Puget Sound Basin, particularly Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett, account for most of the production.

Transportation and aerospace equipment, mostly aircraft, missiles, and trucks, are the leading manufactured items. The Boeing Company, with plants at Seattle, Everett, Renton, and other nearby cities, is the leading employer in the state.

The production of lumber and other wood products has been a major activity since the late 19th century. Since the 1980's, such high-technology industries as those producing computer software, semiconductors, and telecommunications equipment have rivalled the lumber industry in importance. Other prominent manufacturing industries include those producing processed foods, primary metals (especially aluminum), and refined petroleum products.

Near the Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco) is the Hanford Works, a facility operated by the U.S. Department of Energy that for more than 40 years produced plutonium. Plutonium production ended in the late 1980's, and the facility is now used for research on environmental cleanup and on the disposal of nuclear waste.

Washington generally ranks about 12th among the states in value of farm production. Wheat, milk, cattle, and apples are the principal products. In wheat production Washington normally ranks fifth or sixth in the nation.

The Cascades divide Washington into two distinct farming regions. West of the mountains, dairying and the growing of hay, fruits, and vegetables predominate. Most of the products find ready markets in nearby urban areas. The growing of bulbs and seeds is a specialty in some locations.

East of the mountains wheat, cattle, and fruits predominate. Wheat is grown in large amounts in the Palouse, where dry-farming methods are used. Elsewhere in the east, crop production depends heavily on irrigation water, supplied mainly by large federal projects such as the one centering on Grand Coulee Dam. Apples, cherries, and pears are major irrigated crops and Washington is usually the nation's top producer of these fruits. The grazing of beef cattle on open rangeland is widespread.

About 50 per cent of Washington's total area consists of forests, and nearly four-fifths of these forests are of commercial quality. Lumbering has been a primary industry since the state's early days of settlement, but peak production years have passed. Nevertheless, the state ranks third in lumber production. It usually ranks among the leading states in production of plywood, pulp, and paper and paper products.

In total catch, Washington usually ranks among the top five fishing states. Major fishing grounds are Puget Sound, the lower Columbia River, and coastal waters. Since the late 1980's, salmon fishing, long a major activity, has declined considerably, due largely to overfishing and the long-term effect of damming rivers in which salmon spawn. Other fish caught include halibut, cod, herring, oysters, clams, and crabs. Bellingham and Westport are the chief fishing ports. Fish culture, especially the raising of salmon, is of growing importance.

The Puget Sound Basin and most of eastern Washington have excellent highway networks. Connecting these two regions are six highways through the Cascades, including Interstate 90 (I-90). I-5 links the major cities of the Puget Sound Basin, and I-82 links the Tri-Cities with I-90 near Ellensburg.

Two trunk-line railroads provide freight service in Washington. Amtrak passenger service is available in some of the larger cities. Passing through the Cascade Range, east of Seattle, is the 7.8-mile (12.6-km) Cascade railway tunnel—the longest tunnel in the United States.

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma are the busiest ports in the state. Ferries, carrying vehicles as well as passengers, link some of the cities of Puget Sound. Some of the ferries also serve Canada and Alaska.

Regularly scheduled air service is mainly through the Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) and Spokane international airports. Both airports have connecting flights on regional carriers to a number of other cities in the state.