Prototype. Built from the published February 2015 Ties that Bind report (2013 data) to illustrate an approach to presenting the study. Every figure carries a page mark pointing to the report page it comes from. This is not current data and not a finished deliverable.

An interactive reading of the 2015 report

Ties that Bind

The Enduring Economic Impact of Alaska on the Puget Sound Region

Prepared by McDowell Group for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, February 2015. Fourth study in a series begun in 1985; measures calendar year 2013 across six counties: King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom. p. 1

The headline

In 2013, Alaska's economic relationship with Puget Sound accounted for 113,000 jobs and $6.2 billion in labor earnings, counting direct, indirect, and induced impacts.p. 1

The largest shares of Alaska-related jobs were in services (26,500 jobs, 23 percent), the seafood industry (23,900 jobs, 21 percent), and trade (19,100 jobs, 17 percent).p. 1 Put another way, the report notes one Alaska-related job in Puget Sound for every four jobs in Alaska.p. 12

113,000 Puget Sound jobs tied to Alaska Direct, indirect, and induced, 2013 p. 1
$6.2 billion Labor earnings from those jobs 2013 p. 1
$5.4 billion Value of Puget Sound goods and services sold into Alaska "Export value," supporting 74,000 jobs p. 1
39,300 Jobs tied to Alaska's natural resources Seafood, petroleum, and cruise; $2.3 billion in earnings p. 1
Where the 113,000 jobs are: every block is sized to its share (sectors as tabled on page 12, largest first) p. 12

Sector totals for both study years are tabled under jobs and earnings by sector.

Four decades of measurement

The Chamber has commissioned this study roughly once a decade since 1985. Alaska-related jobs in Puget Sound rose from 57,000 in the first study to 113,000 in 2013.p. 4 Earlier editions measured 1985, 1994, and 2003; the 2015 edition is the first conducted by McDowell Group.p. 5

Between 2003 and 2013 alone, jobs grew 9 percent (103,500 to 113,300) and labor earnings grew from $4.3 billion to $6.2 billion: a 44 percent nominal increase, or 12 percent after adjusting for inflation.p. 1

The report cautions that methods differ across editions, so results are "generally comparable" and best read as long-term trend.p. 6

Alaska-related jobs in Puget Sound, by study year (rounded, as reported)
120k 90k 60k 30k 57,000 90,000 103,000 113,000 1985 1994 2003 2013
Data table for this chart
Alaska-related jobs in Puget Sound by study year
Study yearJobs (rounded)Report page
198557,000p. 4
199490,000p. 4 (year per p. 5)
2003103,000p. 4
2013113,000p. 4
The report gives the 1994 figure as "a decade later" from 1985; the year is taken from the methodology chapter, which lists the prior studies as 1985, 1994, and 2003.

Jobs and earnings by sector

The report separates Alaska-related activity into two kinds: export-related (Puget Sound businesses selling goods and services into Alaska) and resource-related (seafood, petroleum refining, and cruise).p. 1 Both are shown here for 2003 and 2013, exactly as tabled on page 12.

Measure
Years
Order
Alaska-related direct, indirect, and induced jobs in Puget Sound, 2013 p. 12

In print, the chart shows 2013 jobs. The table below carries every value for both years and both measures.

Data table for this chart
Total Alaska-related direct, indirect, and induced employment and labor earnings in Puget Sound, 2003 and 2013 (report page 12)
Sector2003 jobs2013 jobs2003 earnings ($M)2013 earnings ($M)
2003 values are from the September 2004 Ties that Bind and are not inflation-adjusted; 2013 values are McDowell Group estimates. The report explains that seafood, refining, and cruise figures changed methodology between editions (page 11–12).

Industry by industry

Each chapter of the report profiles one connection between the regions. The chapter estimates below do not sum to the 113,000 total; the report says so directly, because not every export-related job is captured in an industry profile.p. 12

Estimated Puget Sound jobs by chapter, 2013, largest first. Choose one to open it. p. 17–42

Two economies

Alaska's land area is about 50 times that of the six Puget Sound counties combined, while its population is about one-sixth as large. Both grew at 1.4 percent a year over the five years before the study.p. 8

Figures are for 2013 as tabled in the report's "Economies in Perspective" chapter, sourced there to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Alaska and Puget Sound economic indicators, 2013 p. 8
IndicatorAlaskaPuget Sound
Population735,0004.2 million
Jobs460,0002.6 million
Per capita income$50,150$53,562
Economic output$75 billion$475 billion

What Puget Sound sells into Alaska

The report uses "exports" to mean all goods and services Puget Sound businesses provide to households, businesses, and industry in Alaska. That value reached about $5.4 billion in 2013, up from just under $3.8 billion in 2003: 44 percent higher in nominal terms and 12 percent higher after inflation.p. 10

Growth occurred in every sector, tracking Alaska's own growth over the decade: population up 13 percent, employment up 14 percent, and real gross state product up 33 percent.p. 10–11

Value of Puget Sound exports to Alaska, 2003 and 2013, in $ millions p. 10
Sector20032013
Manufacturing$971$1,410
Services6751,035
Transportation1,5031,995
Trade429680
Finance, insurance and real estate82120
All other110190
Total$3,770$5,430
2003 figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source line in the report: 2003 data from "Ties that Bind" September 2004; 2013 figures are McDowell Group estimates.