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Manufacturing Compass

Washington manufacturing

Private-sector manufacturing (NAICS 31–33), annual average for 2022. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

01Core measures

Washington manufacturing in 2022

Totals and averages for all private manufacturing employers in Washington combined. They describe the industry statewide, not any individual plant or company.

Establishments

8,247

Worksites, annual average of quarterly counts

U.S.
380,711
Share of U.S.Calc
2.2%

Employment

265,819

Jobs, annual average of monthly counts

U.S.
12,759,129
Share of U.S.Calc
2.1%

Total wages

$23.5 billion

Nominal dollars, sum of four quarters

U.S.
$1 trillion
Share of U.S.Calc
2.3%

Average weekly wage

$1,700

Nominal dollars per job

U.S.
$1,529
vs. U.S.Calc
+11.2%

Average annual pay

$88,424

Nominal dollars per job

U.S.
$79,483
vs. U.S.Calc
+11.2%

Location quotient

0.89

Employment concentration vs. U.S.

U.S.
1.00

Manufacturing's share of all jobs in Washington is 0.89 times its share of all U.S. jobs.

Calcmarks our calculations from BLS figures (formulas below). All other values are published by BLS.

02Subsectors

Where manufacturing jobs are

The 21 three-digit NAICS manufacturing subsectors, largest employment first.

  • 336Transportation equipment manufacturing
    Employment
    80,668
    Establishments
    553
    Avg. annual pay
    $121,193
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +43.8%
    Location quotient
    2.02
  • 311Food manufacturing
    Employment
    39,767
    Establishments
    1,107
    Avg. annual pay
    $58,164
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +0.6%
    Location quotient
    1.00
  • 332Fabricated metal product manufacturing
    Employment
    18,436
    Establishments
    1,071
    Avg. annual pay
    $65,229
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −2.5%
    Location quotient
    0.55
  • 334Computer and electronic product manufacturing
    Employment
    18,068
    Establishments
    433
    Avg. annual pay
    $116,626
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −20.5%
    Location quotient
    0.71
  • 333Machinery manufacturing
    Employment
    14,087
    Establishments
    527
    Avg. annual pay
    $79,518
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −1.7%
    Location quotient
    0.54
  • 321Wood product manufacturing
    Employment
    13,455
    Establishments
    368
    Avg. annual pay
    $66,675
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +12.6%
    Location quotient
    1.35
  • 312Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing
    Employment
    11,273
    Establishments
    884
    Avg. annual pay
    $48,563
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −15.8%
    Location quotient
    1.49
  • 339Miscellaneous manufacturing
    Employment
    10,312
    Establishments
    830
    Avg. annual pay
    $84,474
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +12.4%
    Location quotient
    0.70
  • 327Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
    Employment
    8,743
    Establishments
    306
    Avg. annual pay
    $75,285
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +8.3%
    Location quotient
    0.90
  • 326Plastics and rubber products manufacturing
    Employment
    8,146
    Establishments
    209
    Avg. annual pay
    $62,802
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −1.9%
    Location quotient
    0.47
  • 325Chemical manufacturing
    Employment
    7,806
    Establishments
    441
    Avg. annual pay
    $91,571
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −16.6%
    Location quotient
    0.37
  • 322Paper manufacturing
    Employment
    7,733
    Establishments
    99
    Avg. annual pay
    $89,302
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +16.5%
    Location quotient
    0.91
  • 337Furniture and related product manufacturing
    Employment
    5,807
    Establishments
    343
    Avg. annual pay
    $53,906
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +0.2%
    Location quotient
    0.66
  • 335Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing
    Employment
    5,559
    Establishments
    165
    Avg. annual pay
    $86,031
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +10.6%
    Location quotient
    0.59
  • 323Printing and related support activities
    Employment
    4,782
    Establishments
    496
    Avg. annual pay
    $59,799
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +4.4%
    Location quotient
    0.54
  • 331Primary metal manufacturing
    Employment
    4,555
    Establishments
    96
    Avg. annual pay
    $81,375
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −2.7%
    Location quotient
    0.53
  • 324Petroleum and coal products manufacturing
    Employment
    2,787
    Establishments
    35
    Avg. annual pay
    $157,094
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +18.5%
    Location quotient
    1.14
  • 314Textile product mills
    Employment
    1,793
    Establishments
    130
    Avg. annual pay
    $53,432
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +7.2%
    Location quotient
    0.73
  • 315Apparel manufacturing
    Employment
    1,276
    Establishments
    104
    Avg. annual pay
    $56,668
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +6.0%
    Location quotient
    0.59
  • 313Textile mills
    Employment
    465
    Establishments
    27
    Avg. annual pay
    $57,710
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +5.3%
    Location quotient
    0.21
  • 316Leather and allied product manufacturing
    Employment
    304
    Establishments
    26
    Avg. annual pay
    $46,900
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −15.0%
    Location quotient
    0.49

03By year

Washington manufacturing, 2022–2025

Wages are in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation). BLS cautions that QCEW is not designed as a time series, so treat year-to-year differences as indicative.

Private manufacturing in Washington by year, annual averages, nominal dollars
YearEmploymentAvg. annual payvs. U.S.Calc
2022265,819$88,424+11.2%
2023270,975$93,314+13.0%
2024271,058$96,726+13.2%
2025268,529$102,940+15.1%

04About this data

Source, definitions, and limits

Source
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
File
data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/31_33.csv
Retrieved
October 12, 2026 (UTC)
Period
Annual average, 2022 (final BLS data)
Industry
NAICS 2022, sector 31–33 and its three-digit subsectors
Ownership
Private employers only
Geography
Statewide; compared with the U.S. total
Citation
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).

What these numbers cover

  • Jobs reported to state unemployment insurance programs, about 95% of U.S. wage and salary jobs. Self-employed workers and proprietors are excluded; people with two jobs may be counted twice.
  • Averages describe all employers combined and do not represent any single manufacturer. Where a subsector has few establishments or jobs, its averages can swing widely and are less representative.
  • Not disclosed: BLS withheld the value to protect employer confidentiality. It is never shown as zero. No BLS data: BLS publishes no figures for that combination.

Calculations

  • Share of U.S. = state value ÷ U.S. value.
  • vs. U.S. = state value ÷ U.S. value − 1.
  • Both inputs come from the same BLS file: same year, industry, and ownership. Not calculated when either value is withheld (shown as —).
  • Location quotient is published by BLS: the industry's share of all local jobs (all industries and ownerships) divided by its share nationally.

Read our methodology