It’s no secret the Eastside economy is hale and hearty on many fronts, from employment to home sales to revenue and wages. But how do some cities fare when it comes to factors such as employment growth, median household income, and notable employers? To that end, the following unpacks and analyzes some of the data and market reports to offer insights into what makes the Eastside economy tick.
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Bellevue
Major Employment Sectors
Services
83,148
Retail
14,091
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
12,295
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
7,412
Construction and Resources
6,001
Manufacturing
5,011
Education
4,452
Government and Public Sector
3,945
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$1.77 Billion
Q2 (2017)
$1.84 Billion
Q3 (2017)
$1.92 Billion
The Eastside’s capital city and center of commerce on many fronts, Bellevue draws skilled workers who have money to spend on shops and restaurants. The result? Tax revenue that clears $1.5 billion each quarter.
Median Household Income
U.S.
$55,322
WA State
$62,848
King County
$78,800
Seattle
$74,458
Bellevue
$100,703
Kirkland
Major Employment Sectors
Services
24,086
Government and Public Sector
5,091
Retail
4,338
Construction and Resources
3,168
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
2,275
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
2,196
Education
1,840
Manufacturing
1,488
Google, Photo by Rachel Coward
Notable Employers
Google
774
Evergreen Health
3,762
City of Kirkland
580
Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems
448
Evergreen Health Medical Center is the city’s powerhouse employer — accounting for nearly two-thirds of the employees working for Kirkland’s most notable employers.
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$581.6 Million
Q2 (2017)
$632.7 Million
Q3 (2017)
$657.1 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$95,939
Renton
Job growth has nearly doubled over the past five years, thanks to Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration. Combined, they account for nearly 75 percent of the jobs in Renton.
Major Employment Sectors
Services
21,052
Manufacturing
17,267
Government and Public Sector
7,048
Retail
5,372
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
4,894
Construction and Resources
2,474
Education
2,397
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
1,948
Boeing, Photo by Rachel Coward
Notable Employers
Boeing
16,774
UW Medicine /Valley Medical Center
2,547
Renton School District
1,540
Federal Aviation Administration
1,450
Providence Washington Regional
1,414
PACCAR
1,144
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$664.2 Million
Q2 (2017)
$733.5 Million
Q3 (2017)
$728.8 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$66,050
Sammamish
Major Employment Sectors
Services
3,000
Education
1,561
Retail
584
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
350
Construction and Resources
278
Government and Public Sector
268
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
199
Safeway, Photo ©2016 Northwest Retail, creative commons
Notable Employers
Lake Washington School District
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$138 Million
Q2 (2017)
$163.2 Million
Q3 (2017)
$179.1 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$153,253
Sammamish’s median household income is nearly three times the national figure, and nearly double the King County and Seattle figures.
Bothell
Bothell’s reputation as a hub for innovative life sciences companies has helped boost the city’s employment growth by nearly one-third since 2011.
Major Employment Sectors
Services
8,278
Retail
1,021
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
1,772
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
1,371
Construction and Resources
726
Vertafore, Photo by Rachel Coward
Notable Employers
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$160.5 Million
Q2 (2017)
$191.7 Million
Q3 (2017)
$173.4 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$86,167
Redmond
Major Employment Sectors
Services
62,711
Education
1,211
Retail
3,983
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
3,822
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
1,963
Government and Public Sector
983
Construction and Resources
2,980
Microsoft, Photo © Kārlis Dambrāns, creative commons
Notable Employers
Microsoft Corporation
34,341
Terex WA & USA
2,656
Eurest Dining Services
1,041
Aerotek Inc.
978
Lake Washington School District
877
If you aren’t familiar with Eurest Dining Services, then you probably don’t work at Microsoft. The company is a top employer in Redmond, operating cafés on the tech giant’s corporate campus.
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$649.3 Million
Q2 (2017)
$759.6 Million
Q3 (2017)
$816Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$107,341
Issaquah
Major Employment Sectors
Services
16,973
Retail
3,465
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
1,107
Manufacturing
990
Government and Public Sector
813
Education
769
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
653
Construction and Resources
621
Notable Employers
Issaquah’s notable employers, such as Costco, Microsoft, and Siemens reach customers globally.
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$341.9 Million
Q2 (2017)
$382.4 Million
Q3 (2017)
$423.1 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$92,071
Mercer Island
Major Employment Sectors
Services
3,486
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
1,065
Education
627
Retail
518
Government and Public Sector
325
Construction and Resources
324
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
215
Manufacturing
43
Notable Employers
Farmers New World Life Insurance Company
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$114.4 Million
Q2 (2017)
$116.6 Million
Q3 (2017)
$118.3 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$129,348
Mercer Island’s median household income is double the Washington state figure.
Kenmore
Major Employment Sectors
Services
1,737
Education
509
Retail
440
Construction and Resources
411
Wholesale Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
321
Government and Public Sector
126
Finance, Insurance, and Resources
113
Manufacturing
49
Notable Employers
Kenmore’s two biggest employers — Bastyr University and Kenmore Air — employ nearly 800 people, combined.
Taxable Retail Sales
Q1 (2017)
$58.8 Million
Q2 (2017)
$66.9 Million
Q3 (2017)
$65.9 Million
Median Household Income
2012-2016
$93,227
Eastside Data
Most Populous Cities as of July 1, 2016
Bellevue 141,400
Renton 100,953
Kirkland 87,701
Sammamish 63,773
Redmond 62,458
Bothell 44,546
Issaquah 37,322
Mercer Island 25,134
Kenmore 22,357
Snoqualmie 13,190
Woodinville 12,000
Newcastle 11,567
Notable Employers
Nintendo of America
Redmond
1,200
Microsoft
Redmond
34,341
Costco Wholesale
Issaquah
9,264
T-Mobile
Bellevue
4,700
Expedia
Bellevue
3,700
Bellevue School District
Bellevue
3,200
Overlake Hospital Medical Center
Bellevue
2,900
Paccar
Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton
2,500
CenturyLink Cloud
Bellevue
2,130
Bellevue College
Bellevue
2,000
Puget Sound Energy
Bellevue
1,200
Concur
Bellevue
1,000
Google
Kirkland
1,000
Bellevue: Employment Data: Bellevue Chamber of Commerce (BCOC) 2017, Employment Sectors: Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) 2016, Taxable Retail Sales: Washington State Department of Revenue (WSDOR) 2017, Household Income: United States Census Bureau (USCB) 2012-2016.
Kirkland: Household Income: USCB, Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Employment Growth: City of Kirkland (COK) 2015 and USCB 2012-2016, Major Employment: PSRC 2016, Notable Employers: COK;Renton: Notable Employers: City of Renton (COR) 2016, Employment Growth: COR 2017, Employee Makeup: COR 2017, Household Income: USCB 2012-2016, Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Major Employment Sectors: PSRC 2016. Sammamish: Notable Employers: Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County (EDCS&KC), Median Household Income: UCSB 2012-2017, Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Employment Sectors: PSCRC 2016; Bothell: Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Employment Sectors: PSCRC 2016, Employment Growth: USCB 2016, Notable Employers: EDCS&KC, Household Income: USCB 2012-2016. Redmond: Notable Employers: City of Redmond (COR) 2016, Employment Sectors: PSCRC 2016, Employment Growth: COR 2016, Household Income: USCB 2012-2016, Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017; Issaquah: Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Employment Sectors: PSCRC 2016, Employment Growth: USCB, Household Income: USCB 2012-2016; Mercer Island: Employment Growth: USCB, Notable Employers: EDCS&KC, Employment Sectors: PSRC 2016, Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Household Income: USCB 2012-2016; Kenmore: Employment Growth: USCB, Notable Employers: EDCS&KC, Employment Sectors: PSRC 2016, Taxable Retail Sales: WSDOR 2017, Household Income: USCB 2012-2016 Most Populous Cities: USCB, July 2016; Notable Employers: One Redmond, EDCS&KC, PACCAR, BCOC, COB, COR
