Renton offers diverse employment opportunities.

Renton has come a long way since its century-old beginnings as a coal-mining town. Incorporated in 1901, Renton was a brawling frontier town when the Chamber of Commerce dubbed it the "Town of Payrolls-the City of Great Possibilities."

Mining, logging and brick making turned to manufacturing of rail cars by the Seattle Car Manufacturing Co. in the 20s and 30s. Later, the Pacific Car and Foundry (now PACCAR, Inc.) manufactured thousands of tanks for World War II. PACCAR continues to build Kenworth trucks at its Renton plant.

The war brought The Boeing Company to Renton where it produced B-29s, and later the 707 and 727. Now 737 and 757 airliners are manufactured on Lake Washington and the Renton Municipal Airport is the site of each plane's maiden flight. Boeing's Commercial Airplane Group is headquartered at Boeing's Longacres Campus.

Now, Renton is booming with the next generation of industry. Game maker Wizards of the Coast, internet firm Classmates.com and software publisher Topics Entertainment are not only large or growing employers, they are leaders in the economy of the 21st Century.

Principal Private Employers

Employees

Number of Business Licenses