Airport business supported 4,900 direct jobs, plus 12,600 additional jobs, in King County last year. (Photo by Long B. Nguyen)
Airport remains an important economic hub for county, state, and regionOct. 2009—Despite last year’s deepening recession, businesses at King County international Airport/Boeing Field (KBFI) pumped billions of dollars onto the local economy that also had positive impacts at the regional and state levels. The airport, located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, sees some of the most diverse air traffic in the country. King County has just released an economic impact study about the airport that was conducted by William Beyers, Ph.D., and Michael Babb from the University of Washington. The study was based on a survey of the airport’s principal tenants and on information those tenants supplied about their subtenants. The study showed that the airport’s business activities generated more than 12,600 jobs in King County in 2008, plus $3.2 billion in sales, $804 million in labor income, and $67 million in state and local tax revenues. Between a prior study done in 2002 and this one, the airport increased the labor income it generates by more than 60 percent, tax revenues by nearly 75 percent, and sales generated by 100 percent. In that same time, the number of jobs at the airport and tenant businesses increased by 1,000. The airport has been owned and operated by King County since 1928, but does not receive any general tax dollars. It is financed by rents, fees, and some Federal Aviation Administration resources. News home To top
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