As one of the state’s largest employers, Amazon is certainly a force to be reckoned with. But the corporate giant has done more than simply deliver packages; since 2010, the company has generated more than $129 billion in economic activity in Washington State, and $530 billion nationwide.
According to Amazon’s 2021 Economic Impact Report, its $129 billion-dollar contribution to the state’s economy includes compensation for employees as well as investment in infrastructure. The company also claims it has added $112 billion to Washington’s GDP since 2010 — far outstripping its economic impacts in any other state.
As of Q4 2020, Amazon directly supported over 80,000 jobs in Washington, but the company says it is actually responsible for 258,000 total jobs statewide, in industries like construction, transportation, retail, health care, food services and more. According to the company, Amazon supports 950,000 full- and part-time jobs nationwide. Counting Amazon’s investments and businesses that sell on the platform, it claims it’s responsible for over 3.6 million jobs around the country.
Amazon’s investments in Washington include fulfillment and sorting centers, delivery stations, multiple Whole Foods Markets, two Amazon Go grocery stores, one customer service center, two Amazon bookstores, three Prime Now fulfillment centers, one Amazon pharmacy, one Amazon pop-up store, its Puget Sound corporate headquarters, and more.
Although Amazon has been expanding its presence in other states for several years, with the amount of time and resources it has invested in its home state, it seems that the company is here to stay.
This article was originally posted on 425Business by John Stearns.
