The Spokane Region, comprised of 1764 square miles and a population of 471,221, offers a well-educated and loyal workforce.  Spokane’s historic role as a regional center of services - government, higher education, medical, retail trade and finance - has helped to create a highly-skilled labor force  competitive with other urban centers.  Over one-third of Spokane County’s population is in the prime working age range of 18 to 65, with a labor pool of 234,000. The county had a 12.7 percent growth rate over the decade with most of the increase coming from in-migration rather than from natural increase.Most of the people moving into the county are in search of jobs and tend to be younger.

Ranked as one of the most productive regions nationwide, 91.5% of the region’s working age residents are high school graduates. As the education hub of the Inland Northwest with 18 universities and colleges located in the area, over 70,000 students study within a 75-mile radius of Spokane, building the talent pool for the region. More than 60% of our residents have attended college, almost 30% hold a bachelor’s degree, and over 10% hold post-baccalaureate degrees.

Fairchild Air Force Base is the county’s largest employer and a resource of retired, trained workers. In addition, manufacturing has had a solid base and continues to grow, especially in aerospace, as does education and the health care industry. Spokane is competitive with other urban centers in attracting national and international investment in the form of tourism and conventions, the military and research. These investments in turn support the creation and expansion of still other complementary businesses, creating a well-rounded and diversified economy.

More on Spokane's Workforce at  Washington State Employment Security Department .