State Government Employment

Source	Washington State Office of Financial Management
Data Table	State Government Employment
Explanation	Washington State is projected to employ nearly 111,228 individuals over the 2015 to 2017 biennium. This is up from the actual number of full-time equivalent positions in the 2013 to 2015 biennium. Over the past four years, the population of the State has grown faster than the expansion of state government. Between 1989 and 2009, Washington State employed between 16.0 and 16.6 employees per 1,000 residents statewide. This number decreased to 15.6 employees per 1,000 people and below from 2009 to 2015, and is projected to decline further between 2015 and 2017. According to the current State budget, the State expects to employ 15.1 employees per 1,000 people between 2015 and 2017.

State Employment in Thurston County

Source	Washington State Office of Financial Management; Thurston Regional Planning Council
Data Table	State Government Employment in Thurston County
Explanation	Washington State is the largest employer in Thurston County, accounting for around 26,000 full- and part-time jobs in the County. Most of the state employment in Thurston County is housed in Olympia. However, the proportion of the overall employment located within the city has decreased as state employment has increased in areas such as Tumwater. In 1994, 62% of the state workers employed in Thurston County had offices in Olympia, but in 2014 only about 52% of the employees worked in the capital city. Tumwater's share of state employment increased from 21% to 33% over the same period.