Short answer
Washington had 118 aerospace product and parts manufacturing establishments in 2023, employing 72,423 people on an $8.15 billion payroll (Census County Business Patterns), the most aerospace manufacturing jobs of any state and fourth by establishments. Eight sites with 1,000 or more employees hold 88% of the jobs. 90 establishments are in the Seattle metro; the other 28 are spread from Spokane to Skagit and Grant counties. The state Commerce department counts more than 1,500 aerospace suppliers.
- 118 aerospace manufacturing establishments and 72,423 employees in 2023, about 17% of US aerospace manufacturing jobs.
- The eight establishments with 1,000 or more employees employ 63,971 people.
- The 28 establishments outside the Seattle metro employ 1,481 people between them.
- 81 establishments make aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment, employing 14,342 people.
- Federal aerospace manufacturing contracts performed in Washington totaled $4.65 billion in fiscal 2025, seventh among states.
On this page
This report is for anyone building a statewide view of Washington aerospace: suppliers and buyers outside the Puget Sound core, job seekers comparing regions, and sellers deciding how far beyond Seattle to take a territory. For the metro detail, see aerospace companies in Seattle.
Washington aerospace in Census data
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 3364 (Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing), State of Washington:
| Measure (2023) | Washington |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 118 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 72,423 |
| Annual payroll | $8,152,438,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 613.8 |
| Average annual pay | $112,567 |
| Share of US establishments | 6.21% of 1,901 |
| Rank among states by establishments | 4th |
Summing the CBP state files, Washington has 16.9% of all US aerospace manufacturing employment, ahead of California (13.2%) and Texas (9.0%) (our calculation). It ranks fourth by establishments because its plants are so large.
Employment by size class
| Employees per establishment | Establishments | Employees in that class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 32 | Not reported (high-noise) |
| 5 to 9 | 15 | 103 |
| 10 to 19 | 11 | Not reported (high-noise) |
| 20 to 49 | 18 | 602 |
| 50 to 99 | 11 | 978 |
| 100 to 249 | 14 | 2,256 |
| 250 to 499 | 5 | 1,985 |
| 500 to 999 | 4 | 2,309 |
| 1,000 or more | 8 | 63,971 |
The employee column is from the CBP state file, which publishes employment by size class; two cells are high-noise figures, meaning the Bureau's confidentiality noise moved them by 5% or more. In broad bands, 58 establishments have 1 to 19 employees, 29 have 20 to 99 and 31 have 100 or more. The eight largest hold 88% of the jobs; the 23 sites with 100 to 999 employees, the core of the supplier tier, hold 6,550.
Beyond Puget Sound
| Area (CBP 2023) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro (King, Pierce, Snohomish) | 90 | 70,942 |
| Spokane County | 6 | 396 |
| Skagit County | 4 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Grant County | 3 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Rest of the state | 15 | Not published separately |
The 28 establishments outside the Seattle metro employ 1,481 people between them, by subtraction from the state total. They're small, but they're not random:
- Spokane has advanced composites work, which the Commerce department ties to the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center Tech Hub.
- Grant County hosts AeroTEC's flight test center at the Port of Moses Lake, according to Commerce.
- Yakima appears in the federal record: Triumph Actuation Systems, Yakima received $12.7 million of aerospace manufacturing contract obligations in fiscal 2025.
- Skagit County (the Mount Vernon-Anacortes metro) has four aerospace manufacturing establishments.
What Washington makes
| Industry (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment (336413) | 81 | 14,342 |
| Aircraft manufacturing (336411) | 19 | Not reported (high-noise) |
| Aircraft engines and engine parts (336412) | 9 | 706 |
| Other missile and space vehicle parts (336419) | 4 | Not reported (high-noise) |
| Space vehicle propulsion units and parts (336415) | 3 | 7,232 |
Two more establishments aren't published by code. 17 of the 81 parts makers, with 827 employees, are outside the Seattle metro. Washington's Commerce department says the state is the sole producer of Boeing's 737, 767 and 777 and has built more than 33,000 commercial and military aircraft over the last century.
118 establishments or 1,500 suppliers?
The Commerce department counts more than 1,500 aerospace suppliers and describes a $71 billion industry. Both figures are much larger than the Census count because suppliers include machine shops (333 in the state), avionics and instrument makers (18 navigation and guidance establishments), air transportation support businesses (115), engineering firms and distributors, most of which CBP classes outside NAICS 3364. Use the Census count to size the manufacturing core and the supplier figure to size the market for selling into it.
No SEC-listed aerospace company is headquartered in the state. Boeing, incorporated in Washington in 1916, gives Arlington, Virginia as its principal executive office in its 2025 10-K.
Federal contracts performed in Washington
USAspending shows $4.65 billion of federal contract obligations in fiscal 2025 coded to aerospace manufacturing (NAICS 3364) with a Washington place of performance, seventh among states. All but $23.5 million was performed in the Seattle metro, and Boeing records account for $4.58 billion. Outside Boeing, the statewide record names Triumph Actuation Systems, Yakima ($12.7 million), Avox Systems ($9.0 million), FedTribe ($6.8 million), Infinity Fabrication ($6.6 million) and Korry Electronics ($6.0 million). Subcontracts aren't shown, so most Washington suppliers won't appear.
Which Washington list to build
| If you sell | Start with | Then add |
|---|---|---|
| Plant services, staffing, facilities | The 31 establishments with 100 or more employees | Air transportation support businesses with large hangars |
| Quality, ERP, automation | The 81 parts makers and 9 engine parts makers | The state's 333 machine shops, filtered to AS9100 holders in the IAQG's OASIS database |
| Composites, materials, test | Spokane and Puget Sound composites shops | Flight test and certification firms in Grant County |
| Compliance help (ITAR, CMMC) | Suppliers with federal awards on USAspending | New registrants on SAM.gov |
Defense work brings two rules: ITAR registration with the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (22 CFR 122.1 applies even to manufacturers that never export), and CMMC, whose Phase 2 starts on 10 November 2026. Bebop can build any of these lists from a plain description, such as "composite part makers in Spokane County with 10 to 100 employees", and explain why each company fits.
State sources and supplier groups
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Washington State Department of Commerce, aerospace | State figures and links to the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, Northwest I-90 Manufacturing Alliance, JCATI and training programs |
| Aerospace Futures Alliance | The statewide aerospace industry association, with membership and an annual summit |
| Washington Corporations and Charities Filing System | Entity status and registered agents |
| USAspending | Federal awards by recipient and place of performance |
Next step: see the state's broader industrial base in the report on manufacturing companies in Washington.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- County Business Patterns methodology (noise flags), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Aerospace (key sectors), Washington State Department of Commerce, accessed 30 October 2026
- Aerospace Futures Alliance, Aerospace Futures Alliance of Washington, accessed 30 October 2026
- The Boeing Company Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 30 January 2026
- Advanced Search: prime contract obligations, FY2025, NAICS 3364, place of performance Washington, USAspending.gov, US Department of the Treasury, accessed 30 October 2026
- 22 CFR 122.1, Registration: requirements, exemptions, and purpose, US Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 1 April 2025 edition
- 32 CFR 170.3, CMMC Program applicability and implementation phases, US Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 1 July 2025 edition
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many aerospace companies are in Washington state?
Census County Business Patterns counted 118 aerospace product and parts manufacturing establishments in Washington in 2023, employing 72,423 people, the most aerospace manufacturing jobs of any state. The Washington State Department of Commerce counts more than 1,500 aerospace suppliers, because its figure includes machine shops, avionics makers, engineering firms and others that Census data classes in other industries.
Where are aerospace companies in Washington outside Seattle?
Census data puts 28 of the state's 118 aerospace manufacturing establishments outside the Seattle metro, employing 1,481 people. Spokane County has 6, Skagit County 4 and Grant County 3. The state Commerce department highlights composites work in Spokane and AeroTEC's flight test center at Moses Lake, and federal records show aerospace contract work in Yakima.
Which state has the most aerospace jobs?
Washington. Census County Business Patterns data for 2023 shows 72,423 aerospace product and parts manufacturing employees in Washington, about 16.9% of the US total by our calculation from the state files, ahead of California (56,575) and Texas (38,667). California has more establishments, 347 against Washington's 118, because its sites are smaller.
Are any public aerospace companies headquartered in Washington?
No SEC-listed aerospace manufacturer currently has its headquarters in Washington, according to SEC company records checked against filings. Boeing was incorporated in Washington in 1916 but gives 929 Long Bridge Drive, Arlington, Virginia as its principal executive office in its 2025 10-K, while still listing Greater Seattle as a major location.