Our University’s public mission shows up in countless ways – in communities across Washington, in the lives of students and their families, in the learning and discovery led by our faculty, and in the treatment and care that UW Medicine provides to tens of thousands of patients. It’s not always easy to quantify the true scope of the UW’s impact, but as a new independently produced report shows, the UW is unquestionably one of the best public investments the state of Washington makes in its people, economy and future.
The 2023 Economic Impact Report, produced by the Parker Strategy Group, found that the UW generated $20.9 billion in combined economic impact in FY23, accounting for more than 3% of the entire Washington state economy. That figure grew by more than $5 billion since our last Economic Impact Report produced in 2019. Based on the University’s total economic impact, for every for every $1 in funding invested by the state legislature, the UW generates over $28 for Washington’s economy.
The study measured the economic contribution of the UW’s operations including our campuses and projects across the state of Washington as well as individual impact analyses of UW Medicine, the five-state WWAMI Medical Education Program, the UW’s research enterprise, UW Athletics, alumni of the university and CoMotion. It also highlights the impact of faculty, staff and student volunteerism and charitable giving.
Among the highlights: the UW supports and sustains 111,951 jobs in Washington state. Through the University’s local spending and the spending of its employees, students, and visitors, the UW contributed an estimated $962.6 million to local and state governments and their communities via tax revenue. And UW Medicine alone produced $12.5 billion in economic impact, including $836 million in under- or uncompensated, high-quality patient care. The UW School of Medicine also trains thousands of doctors who now practice in our state and, through WWAMI, thousands more are practicing across Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, many in severely underserved areas.
The report’s findings provide important evidence to the public we serve and the elected officials who represent us about how much the UW contributes to healthy people, communities and the economy in Washington. It reflects the value of public investment in our public serving institution and underscores the importance of continued investment for the benefit of all. Our University exists to serve the public, and thanks to this study, we can see clearly how our public service mission is delivering across Washington.