Infrastructure

Snohomish County has world-class infrastructure, enabling businesses and residents to easily make global connections. Yet, the County remains uniquely local as that infrastructure allows for the perfect combination of urban and rural experiences, making it a place sought out to live and work!

Ports

The region has multiple deep-water port facilities offering service to destinations worldwide. Snohomish County has the Port of Everett and Edmonds. The Port of Everett is located in the center of the County, with container, break-bulk and barge facilities available for cargo movement. The Port handled 32,415 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2020. The Port operates Foreign Trade Zone #85 and is the largest recreational marina on the US West Coast. The Port of Edmonds in South Snohomish County offers marina facilities for the recreational boater.

Just a short distance from Snohomish County, the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma have numerous scheduled liner services. Seattle handles 2.1 Million TEU’s annually, while Tacoma handles 1.9 Million TEU’s. 

Air Service

Snohomish County has unique air service advantages not found in most regions. Paine Field Airport is a full-service general aviation airport home to the Boeing Everett plant and accommodates all sizes of aircraft. Alaska Airlines offers commercial flights from Paine Field Airport to several West Coast destinations. Commercial service saves 80 minutes in airport commute time for Snohomish County residents. 

The Arlington Municipal Airport has two asphalt and three turf runways serving general recreational aviation.  

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) is the primary airport serving Washington offering commercial passenger and cargo service worldwide. It is located approximately 40 miles south of Everett.

Highway

As the main interstate highway running from Canada to Mexico, I-5 traverses Snohomish County, providing direct trucking links throughout the West Coast. Seattle is the western terminus for I-90, the major east/west freeway for the northern U.S. that connects to Boston. For Fiscal Years 2012-15, $435 million in Snohomish County highway projects were funded.


Rail

The Lynnwood Link Extension in the southern portion of the County is estimated to be complete in 2024. The Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad owns the freight rail network in Snohomish County. The Union Pacific brings freight as far as their Seattle yard. Sound Transit offers commuter rail service connecting Everett in the north through Seattle to the City of Tacoma in the south.

Ferry

The Washington State Ferry System is an extension of the state highway system and is the largest of its kind in the world. On a daily basis, it transports thousands of workers in and out of Snohomish County from residential communities across the water.

Bus

Three main transit authorities serve Snohomish County: Community Transit, Everett Transit and Sound Transit. Community Transit serves more than half a million people with 2,100 stops in Snohomish County and includes 19 routes into downtown Seattle and the University of Washington campus. Everett Transit is a division of the city of Everett with 600 stops and offers fixed-route and paratransit services. Sound Transit offers bus service within Snohomish County, commuter rail service connecting Everett through Seattle to Tacoma.