Talent & Workforce Demographics

Snohomish County offers one of the West Coast's deepest concentrations of skilled talent, with a workforce built around aerospace and advanced manufacturing, a growing life-science and technology base and access to the broader Seattle metropolitan labor shed. The county has among the highest concentrations of manufacturing employment on the West Coast.

Workforce at a Glance

Key labor-market indicators

870,656 County population

292,123 Civilian labor force (16+)

5% Unemployment rate

Labor Force & Employment

Size, participation, and commuting patterns

Indicator	Snohomish County	Source / Vintage
Total population	870,656	Census, 2025
Working-age population (16–64)	426,375	ESRI, 09/2026
Civilian labor force	292,123	ESRI, 09/2026
Labor force participation rate	67.3%	ESD, 07/2026
Unemployment rate	5%	ESD, 07/2026
Median household income	$115,802	ESRI, 09/2026
Resident commuters / Non-resident commuters	303,567 / 120,893	ESRI, 09/2026

Educational Attainment

High school graduate 118,938 Some college or associate degree 70,035 Bachelor's degree 158,262 Graduate or professional degree 84,679

Employment by Industry

Where the county works

Snohomish County's employment base is anchored by aerospace and advanced manufacturing, with significant and growing shares in healthcare, professional and technical services, construction, retail, and life sciences. Manufacturing represents a substantially higher share of employment than the state and national averages.

Sector	Employment
Manufacturing (incl. aerospace)	61,520
Aerospace Product and Parts	32,400
Healthcare & social assistance	36,531
Retail trade	34,523
Government	41,055
Construction	24,847
Life sciences / biotech	5,000

Employment Security Department/Labor Market Information and Research (LMIR) Division; Snohomish County Sector Policy Priorities 2025

Wages & Cost Competitiveness

Top sectors by wages

Occupation group	Average / median wage
All occupations (average)	$79,964
Production / manufacturing	$115,679
Professional, scientific and technical services	$136,655
Information	$125,996
Utilities	$122,132
Finance & Insurance	$116,681

Need a custom labor-market analysis? EASC provides tailored workforce data — commute sheds, skills availability, wage benchmarking, and competitor labor draw — for companies evaluating Snohomish County. Contact our team to request a custom report for your project.

Growing the future pipeline: The talent behind these numbers is cultivated early through the Snohomish STEM Network — an EASC-supported initiative connecting K-12 students, educators, and employers through career-connected learning in high-demand STEM and advanced-manufacturing fields. See our Education and Workforce Programs & Partners pages for more.

Building a team in Snohomish County?

Economic Alliance Snohomish County provides free workforce data and connections to training and hiring partners. Reach our team at economicalliancesc.org. See also our Education and Workforce Programs & Partners pages.

Sources

Washington State Employment Security Department — esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — www.bls.gov/oes
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap — onthemap.ces.census.gov
Lightcast/EMSI
Snohomish STEM Network — www.economicalliancesc.org/services/snohomish-stem-network