Jobs & Economy in Spokane
Spokane's economy runs on a genuinely different foundation from Western Washington's tech/aerospace/port economy -- healthcare is Spokane's largest industry (Providence and MultiCare among its top employers), Gonzaga University anchors a substantial regional education and talent pool, and Spokane serves as the real commercial hub for the roughly 80,000-square-mile Inland Northwest region -- with a genuinely low unemployment rate this record discloses alongside a lower median income than Tacoma's.
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Learn moreHealthcare Is Spokane's Largest Industry, Not a Secondary Sector
Providence Health & Services is Spokane's single largest private employer, with more than 8,000 employees, and healthcare overall is described as Spokane's largest industry -- four of Spokane County's top 12 employers (Providence Inland Northwest Washington, MultiCare Health System -- Inland Northwest, the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, and CHAS Health) operate in this sector. This is a real, genuinely different economic anchor from Western Washington's tech/aerospace/port-driven economy.
Gonzaga University and a Substantial Regional Talent Pool
Roughly 77,000 students attend colleges and universities within a 70-mile radius of Spokane, anchored by Gonzaga University -- whose basketball program specifically was described by local business coverage as bringing more national attention to Spokane and the Inland Northwest than any single business or organization in the region. This is a real, substantial economic and talent-pipeline anchor distinct from any Puget Sound university's regional role.
The State of Washington and Fairchild Air Force Base Round Out the Top Employers
The State of Washington itself employs roughly 10,000 people based in Spokane -- the city's single largest employer overall -- while the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (tied to Fairchild Air Force Base) provides a real, substantial military-employment presence, alongside Spokane Public Schools as another major public-sector employer.
A Genuinely Low Unemployment Rate
Spokane's unemployment rate ran 3.8% (county) to 3.9% (metro) as of June 2026 -- a real, genuinely favorable figure meaningfully lower than Pierce County's own 5.4% (covered elsewhere in this Washington build), and well below the elevated rates disclosed for other markets in this project's broader dataset.
A Real Trade-off: Lower Median Household Income Than Tacoma's
Spokane's median household income runs $70,064 (city) to $78,582 (county) -- below Tacoma's $88,461 city figure -- a real, disclosed trade-off against Spokane's genuinely lower cost of housing and lower unemployment rate, both facts disclosed together rather than presenting only the more favorable comparison.
Key takeaways
- Healthcare is Spokane's largest industry -- Providence Health & Services (8,000+ employees) is the single largest private employer, alongside MultiCare, the VA, and CHAS Health.
- Gonzaga University anchors a substantial regional talent pool (roughly 77,000 students within 70 miles) and real, outsized national name recognition for Spokane.
- The State of Washington (roughly 10,000 Spokane-based employees) and Fairchild Air Force Base's 92nd Air Refueling Wing round out Spokane's major public-sector employment base.
- Spokane's unemployment rate (3.8%-3.9% as of June 2026) runs genuinely, meaningfully lower than Pierce County's 5.4%.
- Spokane's median household income runs below Tacoma's -- a real, disclosed trade-off against its lower housing costs and lower unemployment rate.
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