The aerospace industry is Washington's largest manufacturer and largest exporter. The largest company, by far, in this industry in Washington is Boeing. The company's main airplane manufacturing facilities are in Everett and Renton, with Boeing Field in Seattle serving as a facility for final finishing and testing before delivery to customers. Boeing also has a substantial missile and space division in Kent.

Boeing is so large that it is "the tail that wags the dog" in terms of its economic impact. Airline profits are cyclical, but Boeing's impact on the state economy has diminished over time. Just before the "Boeing depression" in the early 1970s, Boeing's workforce accounted for about 10 percent of the state workforce. With 72,398 state employees as of August 31, 2007, Boeing now accounts for just 2.4 percent of the state's total employed workers.

Aerospace employment dropped from 2002 to 2004, but resumed growth as Boeing boosted hiring in 2005. With many orders on the books for almost all of Boeing's airplane models, including the new carbon fiber 787, Boeing should be a relatively stable force in the state economy for the foreseeable future.

Paul Sommers is a professor at the Institute of Public Service and Albers School of Business at Seattle University.