Seattle Today

Seattle ranks No. 4 in the world for economic strength, ahead of cities including London, Dallas and San Francisco — despite not having one of the world’s 10 largest city economies.

The ranking comes from Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index, which evaluated 1,000 cities worldwide. New York ranked first for economic strength, followed by Los Angeles and San Jose, with Seattle in fourth.

That’s because economic size is only part of the equation. Oxford also considers GDP growth, GDP per person, employment growth, economic stability and economic diversity.

Seattle’s high economic output per person and concentration of high-value industries, including technology and aerospace, help explain why the city performs so strongly against much larger global economies.

Seattle was followed in the top 10 by San Francisco, Dallas, London, Washington, D.C., Boston and Houston.

For a city that doesn’t crack the global top 10 by economic size, the ranking underscores just how much economic weight Seattle carries relative to its size.

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Seattle ranks No. 4 in the world for economic strength, ahead of cities including London, Dallas and San Francisco — despite not having one of the world’s 10 largest city economies.

The ranking comes from Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index, which evaluated 1,000 cities worldwide. New York ranked first for economic strength, followed by Los Angeles and San Jose, with Seattle in fourth.

That’s because economic size is only part of the equation. Oxford also considers GDP growth, GDP per person, employment growth, economic stability and economic diversity.

Seattle’s high economic output per person and concentration of high-value industries, including technology and aerospace, help explain why the city performs so strongly against much larger global economies.

Seattle was followed in the top 10 by San Francisco, Dallas, London, Washington, D.C., Boston and Houston.

For a city that doesn’t crack the global top 10 by economic size, the ranking underscores just how much economic weight Seattle carries relative to its size.

Microsoft is cutting another 300 jobs in Washington as the state’s unemployment benefit payments surpass $1.4 billion this year.

The latest Microsoft cuts come just two months after the company announced another round of layoffs that included 605 Washington workers.

Microsoft isn’t alone. Oracle, Uber, Qualtrics, T-Mobile and Expedia are among major companies that have disclosed Washington layoffs in recent weeks as job cuts continue across the region’s tech sector.

Washington paid $151.2 million in regular unemployment benefits in August alone, bringing the total to approximately $1.4 billion through the first eight months of 2026, according to the state Employment Security Department.

Nearly 60,000 Washingtonians received unemployment benefits in August.

The $1.4 billion covers unemployment claims across industries statewide and is not attributable solely to the recent tech layoffs.

Four hikers have been found dead in Washington’s backcountry in just one week, amid a series of fatal incidents on trails and climbing routes across the state this summer.

The latest involved 66-year-old Gary Idleburg of Olympia, who died Saturday after witnesses reported seeing him fall an estimated 800 to 1,000 feet from a switchback on the Sauk Mountain Trail in Skagit County.

His death came shortly after 78-year-old Peter Kalapaca was found dead in steep terrain on the same mountain after becoming separated from his family.

Earlier in September, 45-year-old Sybil Claborn died after she and her husband became stranded during severe weather in the Enchantments. Neil Gehring, 26, was also found dead in Olympic National Park after disappearing during a solo backcountry trip.

A Seattle Today review of publicly reported incidents found at least seven hikers and climbers have died or been found dead in Washington’s backcountry since late June.

The incidents have occurred across the state, from Mount Rainier and the North Cascades to the Enchantments and Olympic National Park.

The recent deaths do not necessarily indicate that hiking fatalities are increasing in Washington. They do, however, come during one of the busiest times of the year for outdoor recreation, as rapidly changing weather and difficult terrain can create dangerous conditions in the backcountry.

Seattle Today is reviewing the incidents and available public records to better understand the circumstances surrounding this summer’s fatalities.

Downtown saw 9.2 million visits in August 2026, making it the most heavily visited month since July 2019. Nearly 3.8 million unique visitors came downtown, reaching 112% of August 2019 levels.

Hotel activity also surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with nearly 429,000 rooms sold, equivalent to 106% of August 2019 demand. Meanwhile, consumers spent nearly $165 million downtown in July, up 5% from the previous month.

One part of the recovery continues to lag: office activity. Downtown averaged nearly 150,000 workers per weekday in August, just 62% of the August 2019 average. downtown-dashboard

Source: Downtown Seattle Association, September 2026 Downtown Dashboard.

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points Wednesday, bringing the federal funds target range to 3.75%–4.00%.

The move marks the first Federal Reserve rate increase since 2023, as policymakers continue responding to inflation that remains above the central bank’s 2% target.

Federal Reserve officials also released updated economic projections alongside Wednesday’s decision, providing a new outlook for inflation, economic growth and the path of interest rates through the remainder of the year.