Washington: Employment by industry The table below shows how jobs in the county were distributed across different industries between 1980 and 2000. This information helps us understand how the structure of the local economy changed during this time period. Employment by industry data for 1980-2000 were reported using the Standard Industrial Classification System, or SIC. Starting in 2001, these data are reported by the new NAICS system. To learn more about this change, visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s NAICS website. 1980 1990 2000 Total Employment 2,104,574 2,842,491 3,525,394 Farm 3.9% 2.9% 2.3% Ag. services, forestry, fishing and other 1.6% 1.7% 1.7% Mining 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% Construction 5.7% 5.5% 6.0% Manufacturing 15.1% 13.6% 10.5% Transportation and public utilities 4.8% 4.5% 4.8% Wholesale and retail trade 20.9% 21.2% 21.3% Finance, insurance and real estate 7.9% 7.7% 7.5% Services 21.3% 25.8% 29.8% Government 18.7% 16.9% 16.0% Note: The estimates for 1980 are based on the 1972 SIC. The estimates for 1990 and 2000 are based on the 1987 SIC. The estimates of employment for 2001 and later are based on 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). NA = Not Reported or Not Available. For codes describing data that are not available, please view the data at the BEA website, (http://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1) Source: 2001-2021: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Data, GDP and Personal Income, Table CAEMP25N, (https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70&step=1); DATE LAST UPDATED: December 13, 2022. Source: 1980, 1990 and 2000: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Data, GDP and Personal Income, Table CAEMP25N, (https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70&step=1);