King County, WA jobs, unemployment and layoffs
King County economy
4.7%
unemployment, Aug 2026
4.7% the month before
1,352,310
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
2,262,713
people in King County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$122,148
median household income
Source: Census ACS
58%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
King County layoffs
48
WARN layoff notices, last 12 months
6,443
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
40
employers
Employers hiring most in King County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Amazon3,127 open roles
- SpaceX346 open roles
- Blue Origin287 open roles
- Apple91 open roles
- Microsoft75 open roles
- Remitly72 open roles
- Okta60 open roles
- TerraPower55 open roles
- Anduril Industries49 open roles
- Snowflake47 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in King County
- Starbucksabout 383,000 employees (2021)
- Microsoftabout 228,000 employees (2024)
- World Vision Internationalabout 33,000 employees (2023)
- Paccar20,001–100,000 employees
- F55,001–20,000 employees
- Swedish Health Services5,001–20,000 employees
- Zillow5,001–20,000 employees
- Seattle University1,001–5,000 employees
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in King County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Bellevue College | Bellevue | Public 4-year | 10,000–19,999 |
| Green River College | Auburn | Public 4-year | 5,000–9,999 |
| North Seattle College | Seattle | Public 4-year | 5,000–9,999 |
| Seattle University | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | 5,000–9,999 |
| University of Washington-Bothell Campus | Bothell | Public 4-year | 5,000–9,999 |
| City University of Seattle | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Lake Washington Institute of Technology | Kirkland | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Northwest University | Kirkland | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education | Kirkland | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Seattle Pacific University | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Antioch University-Seattle | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Bastyr University | Kenmore | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Cornish College of the Arts | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology | Seattle | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Conferences in King County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in King County. 23 with dates announced.
- AMWA Executive Management Conference
Oct 25 to Oct 28, 2026 · Seattle, WA
Apply to attend. amwa.net returned 403 to fetch; read through search. Fee and eligibility not seen; member-driven.
- PASS Data Community Summit (PASS Summit West)
Nov 9 to Nov 11, 2026 · Seattle, WA
Paid ticket. Prices on Tickets page, not read.
- AMP Annual Meeting & Expo
Nov 10 to Nov 14, 2026 · Seattle, WA
Ticket $415 to $935. In-person: regular member $545 advance, $685 standard, $745 on-site (from Oct 21); regular nonmember…
- ABRCMS (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists)
Nov 18 to Nov 21, 2026 · Seattle, WA
Ticket $595 to $700. Undergrad/postbac $595; graduate/postdoc $625; non-students $700; virtual $100 student / $125 non-student;…
Open call for speakers
- Pacific Marine Expo
Nov 19 to Nov 21, 2026 · Seattle, WA
Free. Trade press reports advance registration free and $55 on site; the official page only links to registration.
- AAC&U Annual Meeting
Jan 20 to Jan 22, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Ticket $760 to $1,100. Member $760 early / $810 regular; nonmember $1,050 / $1,100; ends Nov 13 for early bird.
Open call for speakers
- Acumatica Summit
Jan 24 to Jan 27, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Ticket $1,695 to $1,995. Summit pass $1,695; $1,995 after December 4 (page labels are ambiguous, confirm at registration).
- NALP Newer Professionals' Forum
Feb 3 to Feb 5, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Paid ticket. Registration typically opens in October; prices not read; members get discounted pricing.
- LMA Annual Conference
Mar 22 to Mar 24, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Ticket $1,785 to $2,925. Full conference: LMA member $1,785 super early bird (first 100), $1,985 early (to Feb 8), $2,185…
Open call for speakers
- SREcon Americas
Apr 12 to Apr 14, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Paid ticket, price not listed
- IREM PropertyCon
Apr 13 to Apr 15, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Paid ticket. Registration opens Fall 2026.
- NALP Annual Education Conference
Apr 13 to Apr 16, 2027 · Seattle, WA
Paid ticket. Registration listed as coming soon; pricing not posted.
Open call for speakers · deadline Jul 1, 2026
Showing 12 of 26 conferences, 23 with dates announced.
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving King County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
WorkSource Auburn
Auburn · Comprehensive · 253-804-1177
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm, Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
WorkSource Bellevue College- WorkSource Connection Site
Bellevue · Affiliate · 425-564-4054
Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm
WorkSource Connection Site Downtown Seattle
Seattle · Affiliate
Monday - Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
WorkSource North Seattle
Seattle · Comprehensive
Mon-Thurs 8:00am - 5:00pm, Fri 9-5pm, Closed State Holidays
WorkSource Rainier
Seattle · Affiliate · 206-721-6018
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:00am - 5:00pm; Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm (As of 10/1/2022)
Cities in King County
- Seattle5,275 jobs
- Bellevue1,428 jobs
- Redmond970 jobs
- Kirkland176 jobs
- Kent144 jobs
- Bothell133 jobs
- Renton131 jobs
- Tukwila51 jobs
- Woodinville63 jobs
- Auburn26 jobs
- Federal Way16 jobs
- Issaquah21 jobs
- Snoqualmie10 jobs
- Des Moines5 jobs
- SeaTac8 jobs
- Enumclaw8 jobs
- Kenmore2 jobs
- Burien6 jobs
- Mercer Island6 jobs
- North Bend
- Pacific3 jobs
Other Washington counties
Laid off or looking for work in King County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); WARN notices from Washington’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers.