Many large companies choose to locate their headquarters here as a result of our international reputation for business quality. Forbes Magazine recently reported Seattle tops 162 metropolitan areas in growth in jobs, income and output in the area's high technology industries, including aerospace, computer software, biotechnology, telecommunications, Internet companies and others. Manufacturing Puget Sound's diversified manufacturing base includes food processing, printing and publishing, fabricated metal products, industrial machinery, transportation equipment, textiles and apparel. The Puget Sound region is also one of the few metropolitan areas in the United States to have seen steady growth in manufacturing for the past thirty years. King County has the largest concentration of manufacturing businesses in the five-state Pacific Northwest Region.
King County is also the fifth-largest warehouse and distribution center in the United States.
King County's manufacturing sector is led by The Boeing Company, the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world. Boeing is the largest employer and leading exporter in the area. Paccar, K2, Weyerhaeuser and Genie are other internationally known manufacturers based in King County. A slightly slower pace was set in 1998 due to Boeing Company layoffs. Even though as the aerospace sector's pace fluctuates, a healthy high technology sector is helping sustain the area's economy.