Summary of ‘The Seattle Center Economic Impact Survey’

In February 2006, as a part of the Mayor's Task Force for Seattle Center Sustainability and its KeyArena Subcommittee, Professor William B. Beyers, Chair of the Department of Geography at the University of Washington and the GMA Research Corporation of Bellevue, WA conducted a survey of the direct and indirect economic impacts of Seattle Center on the economy of King County. Their findings can be found online at http://www.seattlecenter.com/images/media/pdf/ SeattleCenterEconomicImpactAssessment.pdf . The following data is taken from their report.

• Seattle Center drew a total of 4.6 million visitors in 2005 who spent $396 million in relation to their visits to Seattle Center. Of those 4.6 million people approximately 1.2 million attended events at KeyArena. 
    
• The over fifty for-profit and non-profit businesses located in Seattle Center reported revenues of $313 million from their business activity in 2005; over $135 million of that revenue came from tickets and admissions to events and performances that took place on the Seattle Center campus. 
    
• In the year 2005, the spending of Seattle Center visitors and businesses created a total of $1.15 billion in business activity, 15,354 jobs, and $387 million in labor income in King County. 
    
• Local and state governments received approximately $41.1 million in tax revenues as a result of that business activity. 
    
• Approximately 50% of the visitors to Seattle Center come from outside King County. Their spending, plus the income that businesses at Seattle Center receive from sources other than visitors outside King County resulted in $597 million in business activity, 7,349 jobs, $193 million in labor income and $23 million in tax. Note that this income is approximately half of the total economic impact. 
    
• Sonics and Storm games at KeyArena constitute approximately 40-45% of the total number of events; the remaining events being concerts, Seattle Thunderbirds hockey, other sports, family shows and meetings.
    
• Attendance records for the Sonics show over 664,000 fans attended the 41 home games at KeyArena during the 2005-06 season. The Storm had a total attendance of 151,410 at their 17 home games for a total of 815,410 fans. 
    
• The survey estimated a total of 1.2 million fans attended events at KeyArena in 2005 meaning about 68% of all visitors to the Key come strictly for professional basketball.
     
• The survey also attributes professional basketball to attract the most diverse group of visitors out of all attractions in Seattle Center. It attracts the most full time workers, the most ethnically diverse group of visitors, and the most diverse visitors in terms of their household income.