Economic Information: Office Space

Global Health organizations generate $4.1 billion of Washington State’s $272.3 billion annual business activity, generating 13,785 research jobs and 43,000 supporting jobs.
Approximately 7,600 people work in 55 life-science companies in the City of Seattle.

Global Health is a growing industry

An additional 750 new research positions and 1,700 supporting jobs are expected in Washington State between 2008 and 2012.
Seattle-based PATH has tripled its employees since 2000.
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute quadrupled in four years.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has 400 global health employees and is expanding 10% each year. 30% of US funding for HIV research comes to the Seattle area

Between 2001 and 2006, Washington State outpaced the nation with a 6.1% increase in private-sector employment in the bioscience sector and a 28.1% increase in the “research, testing and medical laboratories” sub-sector.
Global health programs based in Seattle serve individuals in 65 countries.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation broke ground on its new $500 million, 900,000 square-foot headquarters across from the Seattle Center campus in the summer of 2008. Twelve percent of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants have stayed in Seattle, contributing $2 billion to the local economy.
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute has the largest malaria research program in the United States.
Over 1 million square feet of office and lab space currently under construction in Center City is related to life sciences.
In 2008, developers completed over 1.2 million square feet of lab and office space related to biotech, global health and medicine in Center City.

Sources: City of Seattle Office of Economic Development, Colliers Elements 2007 Report, Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, University of Washington, The Seattle Times, The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Washington Global Health Alliance, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Herald Tribune, Biotechnology Industry Foundation, The Downtown Seattle Association 3Q 2008 Development Guide.