Burien’s Workforce is Skilled & Diverse

Burien enjoys a talented, young, multilingual workforce with expertise in health care, retail, restaurants, manufacturing, education, and aerospace. A minority-majority city, 33 percent of Burien citizens can speak a language other than English, and students in Burien’s Highline Public School district speak more than 100 languages at home. This creates expansive opportunities for businesses looking to serve a diverse customer base, and especially those doing business internationally.

Enterprising & Creative

The diverse cultural experiences of Burien’s workforce have created a rich and collaborative environment for creatives and entrepreneurs. This is the foundation of Burien’s foodie culture but also sets the stage for innovation in other industries. Makers and small-scale manufacturers have found the extra space they need in Burien that allows them the room to experiment. When combined with a diverse, creative workforce and a location only minutes away from the fastest-growing region and airport in the country, the sky's the limit.

Workforce Development Support

We can provide you with tools to attract new employees or train existing ones. Call us so we can give you the tools to recruit the talented employees that make your business successful.

Workforce

Total Businesses

1,611

Total Employed

13,928

Workers 16+

25,785

2026 HealthCare / Social Assistance

Businesses

225

Employed

3,402

2026 Retail Trade Businesses

Businesses

200

Employed

1,891

2026 Other Service excl Pub Admin

Businesses

270

Employed

1,620

2026 Accommodation / Food Service

Businesses

154

Employed

1,543

2026 Food Service / Drinking Est.

Businesses

148

Employed

1,501

2026 Educational Services - Businesses

Businesses

Employed

1,353

Some
High School

2,077

Graduated
High School

6,945

Associates
Degree

5,164

Bachelor's
Degree

8,761

Graduate
Degree

4,795

Average Commute Time

27 min.

Resident Commuters

24,824

Non-Resident Commuters

871

Drive Alone

15,788

Carpooled

3,205

Public

1,442

Work At Home

4,796

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31