Our regional economy is increasingly driven by high-technology. Information technology and
biotechnology are growing in importance alongside our traditional high-tech industries such as aerospace
and instrument manufacturing. Washington ranks third among states in the number of software jobs, and in
the top ten in biotech jobs. A large share of these jobs are located in King County. These rapidly growing
“knowledge-based” industries are dependent upon a highly educated and technically skilled workforce.
King County is a highly educated community in which 88% of the adult population are high school
graduates, in contrast to 77% nationally. A full 33% of King County adults have at least a Bachelor’s
degree, compared with 21% nationally. The proportion of the adult population with a Bachelor’s degree or
higher nearly doubled between 1970 and 1990. In a 1996 survey of high-technology employers, our
region’s skilled work force was named more than any other factor as making this a good or excellent place
to do business.