Seattle-Tacoma gateway handled nearly 3m TEU last year
Northwest Seaport Alliance study puts the gateway's output at almost $55bn and 265,000 jobs
The Seattle-Tacoma gateway supported more than 265,000 jobs and generated close to $55bn in business output last year, according to a new economic study of the Northwest Seaport Alliance and its two member ports. The alliance itself handled almost three million TEU of containerised cargo, and its wider operations — including vehicle imports and breakbulk — supported about 52,100 jobs, of which 18,000 were direct, producing $4.4bn in wages and benefits and nearly $14bn in output across the state.
Trade through the alliance's South Harbour and the Port of Tacoma accounted for more than 41,000 jobs and almost $10.8bn in output, with officials describing gateway trade as a catalyst for supply-chain and living-wage employment. The Port of Seattle contributed the largest share at almost $39bn in output and more than 205,000 jobs, though the bulk of those were tied to the region's international airport, making aviation the gateway's single biggest economic driver.
