POPULATION: 6,830,038 (Census 2011
estimate)
LABOR FORCE: 3,495,500 (Sept. 2012)
RIGHT TO WORK: No
KEY INDUSTRIES:Aerospace, information and
communication technology,
clean technology, life sciences/
global health, forest
products, value-added agriculture,
food processing, marine
technology
EXPANDING INDUSTRIES: Advanced manufacturing,
advanced materials, biotechnology,
clean energy, electronics,
telecommunications, software,
environmental services,
international trade services,
marine services, scientific
instruments, machinery, valueadded
agriculture
COLLEGE GRADUATES: (Age 25 and over) 31%
BASIC BUSINESS TAXES:
Business and Occupation Tax: Washington imposes this tax
on most businesses; it is based
on gross receipts and there are
few deductions available; the
rate for manufacturers, distributors,
and wholesalers is 0.484
percent; the rate for retailers is
0.471 percent; services are now
subject to a uniform B&O tax
rate of 1.8 percent; other B&O
tax rates vary from 0.138 percent
to 1.63 percent.
Sales and Use Tax: Sales tax
must be collected on retail
sales of tangible personal property,
as well as cleaning, repairing,
altering, or improving real
property and tangible personal
property, including labor
charges; use tax is due on the
value of tangible personal
property used in the state on
which retail sales tax has not
been paid; exemptions include
groceries and prescription
drugs; the state sales tax is 6.5
percent; the local rate varies
from 0.5 to 3.0 percent
depending on the location
where the customer receives
the goods or the services are
performed.
Property Tax: Local tax with
rates based on appraised value
and varying by location; the
average statewide effective
property tax is $11.78 per
$1,000 of assessed value.
BUSINESS INCENTIVES:
Sales and use tax exemption
on machinery and equipment
Business and Occupation
Tax credits
Rural County Business &
Occupation Tax Credit Program
High-Technology Business &
Occupation Tax Credit Program
Rural county sales and use tax
deferral for eligible data centers
High-Technology Sales and
Use Tax Deferral/Exemption
Program
Customized Job Training B&O
Tax Credit
High unemployment county
sales and use tax deferral
Industrial Development
Revenue Bonds
Community Economic
Revitalization Board funding
Development Loan Fund
Washington State Job Skills
Program
Community Empowerment
Zones
Enterprise communities
Foreign-trade zones
Main Street Tax Credit
Incentive Program
Renewable energy incentives
