Washington Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown
Washington has 1,614,549 business records in Factur’s directory — the 11th-most of any U.S. state, or 2.5% of the national total. Seattle leads its cities with 17.7% of the state’s records, Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector at 28.5%, and Washington ranks 16th for large employers (500+ employees).
Data as of July 2026. The figures come from Factur’s U.S. business directory, spanning 22 Washington cities and 9 industry sectors. They count records, not unique companies: one company can have more than one record (see the methodology). Every number links to the browsable list behind it. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link back to this page.
Key findings
- Washington ranks 11th nationally with 1,614,549 business records — 2.5% of all 64,799,929 U.S. records in the directory.
- A national-average share of large employers. Washington is 16th for records of companies with 500+ employees (1,899), with 11.8 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally (38th of 52 states).
- Washington has more food & beverage than the U.S. mix:Food & Beverage is 1.9% of the state’s records against 1.4% nationally (1.3×).
- Seattle is the state’s largest business hub, with 17.7% of all Washington records.
- Business is concentrated in a few metros: Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver together hold 26.9% of the state’s records.
How Washington ranks nationally
Washington and its closest neighbours by total business records. Select a state to open its own study.
Top Washington cities by number of business records
These 10 cities account for 44.5% of all records in Washington. Select any city to browse its full company list.
Washington businesses by industry
Every record is classified by its primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes; the shares are of all Washington records. Select a sector to see those Washington companies.
What sets Washington apart
Sectors that make up a bigger share of Washington’s records than of the U.S. as a whole. A ratio of 2.0× means the sector is twice as common here as nationally. Select a sector to browse it.
Washington businesses by size
Most records in every state are small businesses. In Washington, 1.31% of records with a known size have 51 or more employees, against 1.77% nationally. 543 records belong to companies with $1 billion or more in revenue.
| Employees | Records | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | 1,578,957 | 98.69% | 98.23% |
| 51-200 | 15,614 | 0.98% | 1.37% |
| 201-1000 | 4,518 | 0.28% | 0.33% |
| 1001-5000 | 619 | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| 5001+ | 247 | 0.02% | 0.02% |
What the numbers show
Washington’s 1,614,549 records place it 11th nationally, 2.5% of the U.S. total, and 16th for large employers. That large-employer rank is well below its rank by records: its business base is weighted toward small companies. Activity clusters in its largest metros — Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver alone account for 26.9% of the state’s records — and the state leans toward food & beverage compared with the rest of the country. For buyers and sellers, that means the deepest pools of suppliers sit in a handful of cities and sectors; the charts above link straight into each so you can shortlist by capability and region.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses are in Washington?
Factur’s directory has 1,614,549 business records for Washington, the 11th-most of any U.S. state. That counts records rather than unique companies: a company can have more than one record, so the number of distinct businesses is lower.
How many large companies are in Washington?
1,899 Washington records belong to companies with 500 or more employees, 16th among U.S. states, or 11.8 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally. Large companies often have several records (one per department or location), so this overstates the number of distinct large employers.
Which Washington city has the most businesses?
Seattle has the most, with 17.7% of the state’s records.
What is the largest industry in Washington?
Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector, at 28.5% of Washington records. Compared with the U.S. mix, Washington has proportionally more food & beverage.
Where does this data come from?
From Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and by primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Every figure on this page links to the list behind it.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution — please credit Factur and link back to this page.
Factur. (2026). Washington Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown. data.facturmfg.com. https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/washington<a href="https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/washington">Washington Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown</a> — data by FacturMethodology
Figures count records in Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Records cover manufacturers, suppliers and businesses of all sizes. They are not a count of unique companies: one company can have several records (for example one per department or location), and some records are duplicates. That affects large companies most, so treat raw totals as an upper bound and rely on the ranks, shares and comparisons, which it affects much less. These are directory totals, not official census figures. Percentages are computed against the Washington directory total; size shares use records with a known employee count. Data compiled by Factur, a sales and marketing firm for B2B manufacturers.
Looking for a specific industry in Washington? Browse the Washington directory → or contact us for a custom data pull.