Washington Business Summer 2018 | Washington Business | Page 50

business backgrounder | economy
The Roots of Washington’s Economy
International trade fuels Washington’s economy.
Andrew Lenderman
Washington manufacturers and producers exported $77 billion in goods last
year. About 90 percent of Washington’s wheat crop is exported to other
countries, including several Asian markets. This wheat touches many Washington
products and suppliers as it travels from the field to the Pacific Ocean.
At A Glance
Washington’s successful trade
economy has been built over
the course of generations,
with careful work to build
relationships with partners.
An estimated 40 percent
of Washington jobs are
connected in some way to
international trade.
Washington exports totaled
$77 billion last year.
Just about everything you need to know about Washington trade starts with a tiny wheat
plant in Whitman County, on Alex McGregor’s farm.
Right now, it’s turning from bright green to late summer gold in the Eastern Washington
sun. Pretty soon most of the Palouse will be covered with a strong summer crop, waving
gently in the breeze.
This fall, these hills will likely produce more than $2 billion worth of wheat and
closely-related crops. Almost all of it will go international trading partners on nearly
every continent.
This quiet power is a big contrast to the other Washington, where the political class talks
tariffs, China and Mexico. It’s an understatement to say the trade debate has the Evergreen
State’s producers a little bit concerned. Forty percent of all jobs in the state are tied to
trade. Our exports added up to $77 billion last year. It’s a big deal.
“In the Pacific Northwest, we have always been extraordinarily trade dependent,”
McGregor says.
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