Skagit County Trends shares top 5 sectors by employment

In its latest update, the Skagit County Trends website names the five largest industry sectors by employment. Those sectors are, in order:

1.  Government 
2.  Retail Trade 
3.  Manufacturing 
4.  Healthcare & Social Assistance 
5.  Hospitality  

Skagit County Trends is a website commissioned by the Population Health Trust, a community advisory committee to the Skagit County Board of Health. Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis gather and analyze the data for the Trends website.

Of the top five sectors by share of employment, four of those sectors are proportionally larger than the state average, being government (including public schools), retail trade, manufacturing and, to a lesser degree, hospitality. 

The sector outperforming the state’s average for employment is manufacturing. In 2025, manufacturing claimed 12% of the county workforce, far above the state average of 7.5%. Of the county’s top five sectors, only healthcare & social assistance had a smaller average percentage of employees. Its share of 10.1% was considerably lower than the state average of 13.6%. 

“By examining the distribution of workers across the sectors, one can gain valuable insight into the structure of the local economy,” says the EWU report. “In a smallish economy such as Skagit County, typically the five largest sectors claim two thirds or more of all workers. The mix of sectors and the size of the shares impact the overall level of wages paid to workers in a county.” 

To learn more about Skagit County trends in the economy, healthcare, education and more, visit skagitcountytrends.org.