King County International Airport/Boeing Field expands its impact on region’s economy
Summary
King County International Airport (KCIA), also known as Boeing Field, continues to make its mark on our economy according to a new University of Washington study that details the airport’s impact on family wage jobs and our economy.
Story
Study shows airport creating more jobs, income for Puget Sound
2008 Economic Impact Study | 2013 Economic Impact Study | Five-year change | |
---|---|---|---|
Economic impact | $3.2 billion | $3.5 billion | $0.3 billion |
Direct jobs | 4,900 | 5,209 | 309 |
Indirect jobs | 12,600 | 16,336 | 3,736 |
State & local taxes | $68 million | $76 million | $8 million |
Labor income | $475 million | $495 million | $20 million |
Total labor income | $804 million | $1.08 billion | $276 million |
“This study confirms KCIA’s effectiveness in leveraging $17.5 million in annual operating revenues to generate more than $3.65 billion for our economy,” said Airport Director Robert Burke. “This continues to show the importance of the airport as a major economic center for growth throughout the Puget Sound region.”
The economic impact study, conducted by U.W. professor William B. Beyers, Ph.D., examined business activity by tenants, new product development and direct and indirect business growth associated with airport activities. Over 40 KCIA tenants contributed to the study.
There were 5,209 people employed at the airport in 2013, earning $495 million in labor income. The airport generated more than $1 billion in total labor income in the region from business activity and achieved $2.2 billion in sales.
KCIA, the third largest airport in the Northwest, is located just south of downtown Seattle and is completely self-supporting. It takes no tax dollars to run its operations yet contributes over $77 million in state and local taxes.