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The Office of Economic Development, Office of Film and Music, and the Office of Arts and Culture have released the first-ever Creative Economy Report.
The report, the first to quantify the value of Seattle’s creative economy, notes that Seattle’s creative economy is strong, with above-average growth compared to other sectors; however, disparities exist along race and gender lines.
From 2012-2017, growth in creative occupations was 15% to 23%. A median hourly wage for creative occupations is $30.76. Creative industries in Seattle contributed 18% to our gross regional product, compared to 4% of the U.S. gross domestic product.
The report covers fields including computer occupations, the arts, design, entertainment, and media, which vary in wages. In most fields, people of color are underrepresented, and women are overall underrepresented. The disparity varies by occupation, particularly in higher-paying occupations.
Computer-related occupations have the highest earnings; arts, design, entertainment and media occupations have the lowest earnings.
The report notes 67,350 creative jobs in Seattle during the period of study. The top five occupations were software development, photography, graphic design, writing, and computer programming. The fastest growing occupations are web development, software and app development, acting, library technicians, and writing.
The report speaks to the need to invest in skills and competency-based education and workforce development programs to prepare young people, and to the need to understand the barriers to entry.
Many thanks to Kate Becker, the recently departed Director of the Office of Film and Music, for all her work on this and music and film issues over the years.
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