The short version

Claim we investigated

Washington is losing its big employers.

Mixed. Big employers are shrinking here, with job cuts and a few moves, but none of the biggest has left Washington. Jobs at Washington's 1,000-worker sites fell 0.7% in the year to March 2026, faster than nationally. But all 14 big companies we checked keep Washington headquarters, and the few moves were partial.

Quote or cite this fact-check
FactHub rates the claim “Washington is losing its big employers” Mixed (high confidence): Big employers are shrinking here, with job cuts and a few moves, but none of the biggest has left Washington. Reviewed November 3, 2026. https://facthub.org/n/article/wa-big-employers-not-leaving/3

Key points

What the evidence establishes

  • Established. Big employers are shrinking here. Jobs at Washington's private worksites with 1,000 or more workers fell 0.7% in the year to March 2026, against 0.2% at such sites nationally.
  • Established. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and Meta filed layoff notices covering about 13,900 Washington workers since January 2025.
  • Established. They are not leaving. All 14 large Washington-based public companies we checked, including Amazon, Microsoft, Costco and Starbucks, list Washington headquarters with federal regulators.
  • Established. A few firms did move: Fisher Investments, Avalara and Payscale moved headquarters, and Starbucks and Columbia Bank are building up offices in other states.
  • Established. Washington has long started fewer businesses per person than the U.S., about 81% of the national rate in 2025, a gap that predates the recent tax fights.
  • Not shown. The data don't show Washington losing businesses overall. Filings to start likely employers rose 4.9% in January to September 2026, like the U.S.
Important context: This check reads "losing big employers" two ways. One is big employers leaving the state, by moving their headquarters or operations out. The other is big employers shrinking here, by cutting jobs or placing new jobs in other states. Let's Go Washington is a political group founded by Brian Heywood. The Washington Policy Center is a Seattle think tank that favors lower taxes. Both oppose Washington's new 9.9% tax on household income over $1 million, which starts in 2028.

The evidence

The conclusion rests on the combined record. Expand each item to see its role and limitations.

Independence note: This check uses 6 methods across 13 institutions and 1 country or international grouping.
Evidence map
Method Institution / country Year(s) What it shows Key limitation Primary links
Read the business address each company reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through the EDGAR submissions API, and the cover page of recent annual reports (Form 10-K), for 14 large Washington-based public companies. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (company filings) United States 2025, 2026 All 14 list Washington addresses. Microsoft is in Redmond, Costco in Issaquah, T-Mobile US and PACCAR in Bellevue, Columbia Banking System in Tacoma and Fortive in Everett. The other eight, including Amazon and Starbucks, are in Seattle. Nordstrom went private in 2025, so its latest filing is from that March. An address on a filing is what the company reports and can lag a shift of executives, as at Columbia Bank. The list covers well-known public companies, not every large private employer. FactHub dataset: company headquarters Amazon.com, Inc. (SEC EDGAR) Starbucks Corporation (SEC EDGAR) Costco Wholesale Corporation (SEC EDGAR) T-Mobile US, Inc. (SEC EDGAR)
Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) size data: private worksites with 1,000 or more employees in the first quarter of each year, Washington and U.S., 2019-2026. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington Employment Security Department United States 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 Washington had 117 such worksites in 2019, 119 in 2022, 137 in 2023, 153 in 2025 and 154 in 2026, a 32% rise. The U.S. count rose 7%, from 6,329 to 6,762. But jobs at Washington's sites fell 0.7%, from 514,829 in March 2025 to 511,149 in March 2026, while jobs at U.S. sites fell 0.2%. These are worksites, not companies, and a company headquartered elsewhere can run one here. Washington's count stepped up in 2023, when its overall business counts show a recording change, so part of that step may be administrative; the count did not fall before or after it. 2026 figures are preliminary. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics FactHub dataset: very large worksites FactHub dataset: very large worksites by period
Read company statements and news reports on Washington companies that moved a headquarters or opened a major office elsewhere from 2023 to 2026. InvestmentNews, The Columbian, Southern Business & Development, KIRO 7, Trade & Industry Development United States 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Fisher Investments moved its headquarters to Texas in March 2023, right after the state Supreme Court upheld the capital gains tax, but kept its Camas offices open. Avalara now lists Durham, North Carolina, after a private-equity buyout. Payscale, remote since 2022, named Boston its headquarters. Starbucks plans a Nashville office with up to 2,000 jobs over several years, while Seattle stays its global headquarters. Columbia Bank is moving most executive roles to Arizona, citing taxes. These are the cases we found reported, not a complete list. Companies' stated reasons are their own account; Fisher and Columbia tied their moves to Washington taxes, Payscale's followed remote work, and Avalara's followed a change of owner. InvestmentNews The Columbian Southern Business & Development KIRO 7 Trade & Industry Development
All 808 layoff and closure notices in the Employment Security Department's WARN database, June 2018 to November 2, 2026, summed by year and employer; farm and orchard employers flagged by name. Read the federal and state notice laws. Washington Employment Security Department, Washington State Legislature, U.S. Congress (federal WARN Act) United States 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Notices covered 31,257 workers in 2025 and 28,731 in 2026 through November 2, the most since 2020's 46,824. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and Meta filed for about 13,900 since January 2025. A state law in effect since July 27, 2025, covers employers with 50 or more workers and counts layoffs statewide; the federal law covers employers with 100 or more. Farm and orchard notices went from none in the year before to 13,479 workers in the year after. Notices are planned layoffs, not confirmed job losses, and the counts before and after July 2025 are not comparable. Farm employers are flagged by name, so some growers are counted as other employers. FactHub dataset: layoff notices by year FactHub dataset: largest filers FactHub dataset: notices around the state law Washington State Legislature Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Washington Employment Security Department
Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics (applications likely to become employers) per 1,000 residents, 2015-2025 and January-September 2026; QCEW private establishment counts, 2019-2026. U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics United States 2015, 2019, 2023, 2025, 2026 Filings to start likely employers rose 4.9% in January-September 2026, against 4.7% for the U.S. Washington's rate per person has trailed the U.S. every year since 2015 and was 81% of it in 2025. Washington's count of private businesses rose 5.8% from 2023 to 2025 (U.S. 2.1%) but slipped 0.5% in the year to early 2026, preliminary (U.S. 3.6%). Applications are plans, not openings. Washington's business count fell about 20% in 2022-23 while its jobs rose, which points to a change in how employer accounts are recorded, so long comparisons of the count are unreliable. FactHub dataset: business filings per person FactHub dataset: business filings in 2026 FactHub dataset: business counts and private jobs
Read the Deseret News interview with Brian Heywood and the Washington Policy Center commentary. Deseret News, Washington Policy Center United States 2026 Heywood told the Deseret News in October 2026 that the income tax is destructive and 'we’re losing businesses.' A May 2026 Washington Policy Center commentary was headlined 'Business Exodus Accelerates.' It cited a business-group survey in which 24% of employers said they were considering leaving. It also said Starbucks was shifting hundreds of jobs to Tennessee. The survey measures what employers say they are considering, not moves, and was run by a business lobby that opposes the tax. Deseret News Washington Policy Center
1. Company filings: the biggest Washington companies still list headquarters here Read the business address each company reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through the EDGAR submissions API, and the cover page of recent annual reports (Form 10-K), for 14 large Washington-based public companies.

All 14 list Washington addresses. Microsoft is in Redmond, Costco in Issaquah, T-Mobile US and PACCAR in Bellevue, Columbia Banking System in Tacoma and Fortive in Everett. The other eight, including Amazon and Starbucks, are in Seattle. Nordstrom went private in 2025, so its latest filing is from that March.

Limit: An address on a filing is what the company reports and can lag a shift of executives, as at Columbia Bank. The list covers well-known public companies, not every large private employer.

Verify: Where 14 large Washington-based public companies list their headquarters Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, cover page Starbucks Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, cover page Costco Wholesale Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2026, cover page T-Mobile US, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, cover page

2. Federal job records: more very large worksites, but fewer jobs at them in the latest year Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) size data: private worksites with 1,000 or more employees in the first quarter of each year, Washington and U.S., 2019-2026.

Washington had 117 such worksites in 2019, 119 in 2022, 137 in 2023, 153 in 2025 and 154 in 2026, a 32% rise. The U.S. count rose 7%, from 6,329 to 6,762. But jobs at Washington's sites fell 0.7%, from 514,829 in March 2025 to 511,149 in March 2026, while jobs at U.S. sites fell 0.2%.

Limit: These are worksites, not companies, and a company headquartered elsewhere can run one here. Washington's count stepped up in 2023, when its overall business counts show a recording change, so part of that step may be administrative; the count did not fall before or after it. 2026 figures are preliminary.

Verify: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages: Overview Private worksites with 1,000 or more workers, indexed to 2019 Change in very large worksites by period

Washington's 1,000-worker sites grew faster than the U.S.Private worksites with 1,000 or more employees, first quarter of each year, indexed so 2019 equals 100, Washington versus the United States, 2019-2026.{"width":960,"height":540,"plot":{"left":90,"top":70,"right":926,"bottom":482},"yDomain":[90,140],"series":[{"name":"Washington","color":"#176b87"},{"name":"United States","color":"#b6542c"}],"points":[{"series":0,"x":90,"y":399.6,"xLabel":"2019","yLabel":"100"},{"series":1,"x":90,"y":399.6,"xLabel":"2019","yLabel":"100"},{"series":0,"x":209.43,"y":378.18,"xLabel":"2020","yLabel":"102.6"},{"series":1,"x":209.43,"y":392.18,"xLabel":"2020","yLabel":"100.9"},{"series":0,"x":328.86,"y":427.62,"xLabel":"2021","yLabel":"96.6"},{"series":1,"x":328.86,"y":421.02,"xLabel":"2021","yLabel":"97.4"},{"series":0,"x":448.29,"y":385.59,"xLabel":"2022","yLabel":"101.7"},{"series":1,"x":448.29,"y":379,"xLabel":"2022","yLabel":"102.5"},{"series":0,"x":567.71,"y":258.7,"xLabel":"2023","yLabel":"117.1"},{"series":1,"x":567.71,"y":356.75,"xLabel":"2023","yLabel":"105.2"},{"series":0,"x":687.14,"y":195.25,"xLabel":"2024","yLabel":"124.8"},{"series":1,"x":687.14,"y":350.98,"xLabel":"2024","yLabel":"105.9"},{"series":0,"x":806.57,"y":145.81,"xLabel":"2025","yLabel":"130.8"},{"series":1,"x":806.57,"y":335.33,"xLabel":"2025","yLabel":"107.8"},{"series":0,"x":926,"y":139.22,"xLabel":"2026","yLabel":"131.6"},{"series":1,"x":926,"y":343.57,"xLabel":"2026","yLabel":"106.8"}]}Washington's 1,000-worker sites grew faster than the U.S.901001101201301402020202220242026Year (first quarter)WashingtonUnited StatesWashingtonUnited States2019 levelWashington count steps up as its business records changeFactHub · Worksites with 1,000+ workers (2019 = 100)
Washington's count of private worksites with 1,000 or more workers rose from 117 in 2019 to 154 in 2026, faster than the U.S. Part of the 2023 step may reflect a records change. View source chart
3. News reports: the moves that did happen were partial Read company statements and news reports on Washington companies that moved a headquarters or opened a major office elsewhere from 2023 to 2026.

Fisher Investments moved its headquarters to Texas in March 2023, right after the state Supreme Court upheld the capital gains tax, but kept its Camas offices open. Avalara now lists Durham, North Carolina, after a private-equity buyout. Payscale, remote since 2022, named Boston its headquarters. Starbucks plans a Nashville office with up to 2,000 jobs over several years, while Seattle stays its global headquarters. Columbia Bank is moving most executive roles to Arizona, citing taxes.

Limit: These are the cases we found reported, not a complete list. Companies' stated reasons are their own account; Fisher and Columbia tied their moves to Washington taxes, Payscale's followed remote work, and Avalara's followed a change of owner.

Verify: Fisher Investments moving headquarters to Texas from Washington state (March 27, 2023) Fisher Investments: Camas offices won't close over HQ shift to Texas (March 28, 2023) Durham now headquarters for billion-dollar company (June 24, 2024) Payscale moves headquarters from Seattle to Boston after years of remote work (December 8, 2025) TN: Starbucks Selects Nashville for Southeast Corporate Office, Creating 2,000 Jobs (April 22, 2026)

4. Layoff notices: big employers are cutting Washington jobs All 808 layoff and closure notices in the Employment Security Department's WARN database, June 2018 to November 2, 2026, summed by year and employer; farm and orchard employers flagged by name. Read the federal and state notice laws.

Notices covered 31,257 workers in 2025 and 28,731 in 2026 through November 2, the most since 2020's 46,824. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and Meta filed for about 13,900 since January 2025. A state law in effect since July 27, 2025, covers employers with 50 or more workers and counts layoffs statewide; the federal law covers employers with 100 or more. Farm and orchard notices went from none in the year before to 13,479 workers in the year after.

Limit: Notices are planned layoffs, not confirmed job losses, and the counts before and after July 2025 are not comparable. Farm employers are flagged by name, so some growers are counted as other employers.

Verify: Layoff notices by year received Largest non-farm filers, 2025 to November 2, 2026 Layoff notices in the year before and after Washington's notice law RCW 49.45.010, Definitions (mass layoffs and business closings) 29 U.S. Code § 2101, Definitions (federal WARN Act) Washington state expands federal WARN Act requirements and penalties (July 28, 2025)

Workers in Washington layoff notices, farms versus all other employersWorkers covered by layoff and closure notices filed with Washington's Employment Security Department, by year received, 2019 to November 2, 2026, split into farms and orchards and all other employers.{"width":960,"height":540,"plot":{"left":90,"top":70,"right":926,"bottom":482},"yDomain":[0,50000],"series":[{"name":"Farms and orchards","color":"#176b87"},{"name":"All other employers","color":"#b6542c"}],"points":[{"series":0,"x":142.25,"y":461.29,"xLabel":"2019","yLabel":"2513"},{"series":1,"x":142.25,"y":399.18,"xLabel":"2019","yLabel":"7538"},{"series":0,"x":246.75,"y":482,"xLabel":"2020","yLabel":"0"},{"series":1,"x":246.75,"y":96.17,"xLabel":"2020","yLabel":"46,824"},{"series":0,"x":351.25,"y":481.01,"xLabel":"2021","yLabel":"120"},{"series":1,"x":351.25,"y":455.4,"xLabel":"2021","yLabel":"3108"},{"series":0,"x":455.75,"y":477.46,"xLabel":"2022","yLabel":"551"},{"series":1,"x":455.75,"y":435.11,"xLabel":"2022","yLabel":"5140"},{"series":0,"x":560.25,"y":480.92,"xLabel":"2023","yLabel":"131"},{"series":1,"x":560.25,"y":305.12,"xLabel":"2023","yLabel":"21,335"},{"series":0,"x":664.75,"y":479.16,"xLabel":"2024","yLabel":"345"},{"series":1,"x":664.75,"y":381.51,"xLabel":"2024","yLabel":"11,850"},{"series":0,"x":769.25,"y":374.15,"xLabel":"2025","yLabel":"13,089"},{"series":1,"x":769.25,"y":224.44,"xLabel":"2025","yLabel":"18,168"},{"series":0,"x":873.75,"y":392.83,"xLabel":"2026 (to Nov. 2)","yLabel":"10,821"},{"series":1,"x":873.75,"y":245.26,"xLabel":"2026 (to Nov. 2)","yLabel":"17,910"}]}Workers in Washington layoff notices, farms versus all other employers010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00020192020202120222023202420252026 (to Nov. 2)Year notice receivedFarms and orchardsAll other employersState notice law takes effect July 27, 2025FactHub · Workers in notices
Workers in layoff notices reached their highest since 2020 in 2025 and 2026. Farm notices appear only after Washington's wider notice law took effect in July 2025. View source chart
5. Business counts and new business filings: no net loss, but a long-standing gap Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics (applications likely to become employers) per 1,000 residents, 2015-2025 and January-September 2026; QCEW private establishment counts, 2019-2026.

Filings to start likely employers rose 4.9% in January-September 2026, against 4.7% for the U.S. Washington's rate per person has trailed the U.S. every year since 2015 and was 81% of it in 2025. Washington's count of private businesses rose 5.8% from 2023 to 2025 (U.S. 2.1%) but slipped 0.5% in the year to early 2026, preliminary (U.S. 3.6%).

Limit: Applications are plans, not openings. Washington's business count fell about 20% in 2022-23 while its jobs rose, which points to a change in how employer accounts are recorded, so long comparisons of the count are unreliable.

Verify: New business filings per 1,000 residents, Washington and U.S. New business filings, January-September 2026 versus 2025 Change in private business counts and private jobs

6. What the claim's sources said Read the Deseret News interview with Brian Heywood and the Washington Policy Center commentary.

Heywood told the Deseret News in October 2026 that the income tax is destructive and 'we’re losing businesses.' A May 2026 Washington Policy Center commentary was headlined 'Business Exodus Accelerates.' It cited a business-group survey in which 24% of employers said they were considering leaving. It also said Starbucks was shifting hundreds of jobs to Tennessee.

Limit: The survey measures what employers say they are considering, not moves, and was run by a business lobby that opposes the tax.

Verify: Washington millionaires debate the state's millionaire tax (October 15, 2026) Washington's Business Exodus Accelerates Due to High Taxes, Regulations Driving Companies Away (May 28, 2026)

I just think that this is destructive on the economy and we’re losing businesses and punishing people that are successful

Brian Heywood, Founder of Let's Go Washington, which sponsored Initiative 645 to repeal Washington's tax on income over $1 million Interview quoted in the Deseret News · · Assertion

Context: Heywood was discussing Washington's new 9.9% tax on household income over $1 million and Initiative 645. Just before, he said he has spent more money trying to fix Washington than he would get back in tax cuts; in the same story he said people are starting to flee the state just with the suggestion of an income tax.

Source: Deseret News · View in the dataset

Washington’s Business Exodus Accelerates Due to High Taxes, Regulations Driving Companies Away

Mark Harmsworth, Director of Small Business Policy, Washington Policy Center Washington Policy Center commentary (headline) · · Assertion

Context: The headline of a commentary that cites a spring 2026 Association of Washington Business survey in which 24% of employers said they were actively considering relocating out of state, up from 17% the previous quarter.

Source: Washington Policy Center · View in the dataset

Common questions 10

“Are big employers moving Washington jobs to other states?”

Short answer: In a few cases

Starbucks is building a Nashville office with up to 2,000 jobs over several years, and Columbia Bank is moving most executive roles to Arizona, citing taxes. Reports we could check don't say how many of the Starbucks jobs come from Washington. The Amazon and Microsoft cuts also hit other states, so they look like company-wide cuts rather than jobs moved out of Washington.

See the evidence: News reports: the moves that did happen were partial

“Washington's layoff notices in 2025 and 2026 are the highest since 2020.”

Short answer: Yes, but the rules changed

Notices covered 31,257 workers in 2025, the most since 2020, but a July 2025 state law made more layoffs reportable. It covers employers with 50 or more workers, not 100, and counts layoffs statewide. Farm and orchard notices, near zero before, covered 13,479 workers in its first year. Other employers' notices still rose, from 11,627 to 20,877 workers.

See the evidence: Layoff notices: big employers are cutting Washington jobs

“Does Washington start new businesses at the national rate?”

Short answer: No, about 81% of it

Washington had 4.05 filings to start likely employers per 1,000 residents in 2025, about 81% of the U.S. rate of 5.00. It has trailed every year since at least 2015, so the gap predates the recent tax fights. Filings rose 4.9% in 2026, in step with the U.S.

See the evidence: Business counts and new business filings: no net loss, but a long-standing gap

“We're losing businesses.”

Our rating: Misleading

A few businesses have left, such as Fisher Investments' headquarters. But filings to start new employers rose 4.9% this year, and Washington has more 1,000-worker sites than in 2019.

See the evidence: Federal job records: more very large worksites, but fewer jobs at them in the latest year

“Washington's Business Exodus Accelerates Due to High Taxes, Regulations Driving Companies Away”

Our rating: Misleading

More employers told a business-group survey they are considering leaving. Headquarters filings, very large worksites and new business filings show no exodus, and the moves reported are few and mostly partial.

See the evidence: What the claim's sources said

“Starbucks is shifting hundreds of jobs to Tennessee.”

Short answer: Partly

Starbucks is building a $100 million Nashville office with up to 2,000 jobs over several years, while Seattle stays its global headquarters. Reports we could check don't say how many of those jobs come from Washington. Starbucks has also cut Washington jobs: its notices since January 2025 cover 2,589 workers.

See the evidence: News reports: the moves that did happen were partial

“Amazon and Microsoft are laying off thousands of Washington workers.”

Short answer: Yes, but they're staying

Amazon's notices since January 2025 cover 5,259 Washington workers and Microsoft's 4,084. Both still list Washington headquarters, and the number of 1,000-worker sites in the state held steady. Layoffs at these companies have also hit other states, so they are not only a Washington story.

See the evidence: Company filings: the biggest Washington companies still list headquarters here

“Are taxes behind the moves that did happen?”

Short answer: In some cases

Fisher Investments moved days after the state Supreme Court upheld the capital gains tax, and Columbia Bank cited about $8 million a year in new state taxes. Payscale's change followed years of remote work, and Avalara's followed a private-equity buyout. Starbucks has not tied its Nashville office to taxes in reports we read.

See the evidence: News reports: the moves that did happen were partial

Deeper analysis: Columbia Bank is moving its top executives to Arizona over Washington taxes. — Columbia Bank is moving its CEO and most executive roles to Arizona, citing about $8 million a year in new Washington taxes.

“Doesn't Washington have fewer businesses than in 2019?”

Short answer: The count isn't reliable

Federal records show 4.6% fewer Washington business locations in 2025 than 2019, while the U.S. gained 19%. But Washington's count fell about 20% in 2022-23 as its jobs grew, which points to a recording change. Since 2023 it rose 5.8%, faster than the U.S., then slipped 0.5% in the latest preliminary year.

See the evidence: Business counts and new business filings: no net loss, but a long-standing gap

“Aren't Washington's private jobs falling?”

Short answer: Roughly flat

State estimates show private employers added about 8,900 jobs from September 2025 to September 2026, about 0.3%. Federal records show a 0.2% dip from March 2025 to March 2026. A companion FactHub check covers job growth in detail.

See the evidence: Business counts and new business filings: no net loss, but a long-standing gap

Related claim: Washington jobs stalled in 2026 as prices outran incomes — Washington jobs are essentially unchanged from 2025, and Seattle-area prices rose faster than income per person in 2026.

Conclusion

The claim is right that big employers are pulling back in Washington, and wrong that they are leaving.

The shrinking is real. Jobs at private worksites with 1,000 or more workers fell 0.7% in the year to March 2026, from 514,829 to 511,149. That drop was faster than for such sites nationally, which fell 0.2%. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and Meta filed layoff notices covering about 13,900 Washington workers since January 2025. Some new jobs are going elsewhere: Starbucks is building a Nashville office with up to 2,000 jobs, and Columbia Bank is moving most executive roles to Arizona over taxes. And Washington has long started fewer businesses per person than the U.S., about 81% of the national rate in 2025.

The leaving is not. Every one of the 14 large Washington-based public companies we checked, from Amazon and Microsoft to Fortive and F5, still reports a Washington headquarters to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Federal job records count 154 private worksites with 1,000 or more workers in early 2026, against 117 in 2019. Fisher Investments, Avalara and Payscale did move headquarters, but none took its whole Washington workforce.

The shrinking has limits worth knowing. It is one year of preliminary data, after several years in which jobs at these sites grew. The tech layoffs also hit other states, so they are not only a Washington story. Layoff notices are at their highest since 2020, although a 2025 state law made more layoffs reportable.

Confidence is high because several independent records agree: company filings, federal job records and state layoff notices. What they cannot show is intent. Surveys say more employers are thinking about leaving, and the new income tax has not started yet. If moves follow, they would show up first in executive offices and new hiring placed elsewhere, as at Starbucks and Columbia Bank, before headquarters addresses change.

How we checked
  1. Defined the claim two ways: big employers leaving Washington, by moving headquarters or operations out, and big employers shrinking here, by cutting jobs or placing new jobs elsewhere. Rated it on both.
  2. Read the SEC business address and latest annual report for 14 large Washington-based public companies, and the cover pages of four of those reports.
  3. Downloaded Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW size data for private worksites with 1,000 or more employees, first quarter 2019-2026, and QCEW private establishment and employment series.
  4. Copied all 808 notices from the Employment Security Department WARN database, checked the first 15 rows against the live table, and summed workers by year and employer. Read the federal WARN Act and Washington's 2025 notice law, and compared the 12 months before and after the state law.
  5. Pulled Census Business Formation Statistics through FRED and population estimates, and computed filings per 1,000 residents.
  6. Read reports on each company move we found, and the statements by Brian Heywood and the Washington Policy Center, rating their own words separately.
  7. Recorded limits: worksites are not companies, a recording break in Washington's business counts, the 2025 notice-law change, name-based farm flags, and preliminary 2026 data. Every table and calculation is in the linked dataset with the script that builds it.

Editorial note: Scope: whether Washington is losing its big employers, read both as leaving the state and as shrinking here. We judged it by headquarters filings, counts of very large worksites and their jobs, reported moves, layoff notices and business counts. We rated a common wording of the claim and rated Brian Heywood's and the Washington Policy Center's own words separately in Common questions. Whether Washington's jobs are still growing is the subject of a companion FactHub check and is mentioned here only briefly. No external specialist review has been recorded.

Expert-review status

No external specialist review has been recorded.

Funding and conflicts

Funding: No external funding for this piece.

Ownership: Published by the FactHub Research Team.

Conflicts: None known.

Sources 25

Sources are labeled by kind, with what this fact check takes from each, so readers can check the evidence independently.

  1. FactHub record FactHub dataset: company headquarters. Where 14 large Washington-based public companies list their headquarters

    Saved analysis of SEC business addresses, checked November 3, 2026.

    • All 14 companies list a Washington business address with the SEC, including Microsoft (Redmond), Amazon and Starbucks (Seattle), Costco (Issaquah) and T-Mobile US (Bellevue).

  2. Party to the dispute Amazon.com, Inc. (SEC EDGAR). Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, cover page

    Amazon's annual report filed February 6, 2026.

    Reliability: The company's own sworn filing with the SEC. Companies must report their principal executive office accurately.

    • Amazon's latest annual report lists its principal executive offices in Seattle.

      What the source says
      Seattle, Washington 98109-5210
      Cover page, address of principal executive offices
  3. Party to the dispute Starbucks Corporation (SEC EDGAR). Starbucks Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, cover page

    Starbucks' annual report filed November 14, 2025.

    Reliability: The company's own filing with the SEC.

    • Starbucks' latest annual report lists its principal executive offices in Seattle.

      What the source says
      2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134
      Cover page, address of principal executive offices
  4. Party to the dispute Costco Wholesale Corporation (SEC EDGAR). Costco Wholesale Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2026, cover page

    Costco's annual report filed October 7, 2026.

    Reliability: The company's own filing with the SEC.

    • Costco's annual report filed in October 2026 lists its principal executive offices in Issaquah.

      What the source says
      999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, WA 98027
      Cover page, address of principal executive offices
  5. Party to the dispute T-Mobile US, Inc. (SEC EDGAR). T-Mobile US, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, cover page

    T-Mobile US's annual report filed February 11, 2026.

    Reliability: The company's own filing with the SEC.

    • T-Mobile US's latest annual report lists its principal executive offices in Bellevue.

      What the source says
      12920 SE 38th Street
      Cover page, address of principal executive offices
  6. Government U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages: Overview

    How BLS builds its count of employers and jobs.

    Reliability: BLS's description of its own program, which compiles state unemployment-insurance records.

    • The QCEW covers more than 95% of U.S. jobs and is built from unemployment-insurance records, so it counts nearly every employer's worksites.

      What the source says
      covering more than 95 percent of U.S. jobs available at the county, state, and national levels by detailed industry
      Overview, first paragraph
  7. FactHub record FactHub dataset: very large worksites. Private worksites with 1,000 or more workers, indexed to 2019

    Saved analysis of QCEW first-quarter size data, Washington and U.S., 2019-2026.

    • Washington had 117 private worksites with 1,000 or more workers in early 2019 and 154 in early 2026, up 32%; the U.S. count rose 7%, from 6,329 to 6,762.

  8. FactHub record FactHub dataset: very large worksites by period. Change in very large worksites by period

    Saved analysis splitting the period around the 2023 step and showing jobs at these sites.

    • Qualifies: Washington's count rose 1.7% from 2019 to 2022 and 12.4% from 2023 to 2026, and went from 153 to 154 in the latest year. Jobs at these sites fell 0.7% from March 2025 to March 2026, against 0.2% at U.S. sites.

  9. News report InvestmentNews. Fisher Investments moving headquarters to Texas from Washington state (March 27, 2023)

    Trade news report of Fisher's headquarters move.

    Reliability: Financial-advice industry trade publication.

    • Qualifies: Fisher Investments moved its headquarters from Washington to Texas right after the state Supreme Court allowed the capital gains tax.

      What the source says
      Its decision follows a ruling Friday by the Washington State Supreme Court allowing the state to impose a capital gains tax.
      Opening paragraphs
  10. News report The Columbian. Fisher Investments: Camas offices won't close over HQ shift to Texas (March 28, 2023)

    Vancouver, Washington, newspaper report quoting Fisher on its Camas offices.

    Reliability: Local daily newspaper; the story is partly paywalled.

    • Fisher said its Camas office would stay open after the headquarters move.

      What the source says
      Our Camas, Wash., facility will remain open.
      Body · Naj Srinivas, Fisher Investments senior vice president of corporate communications
  11. News report Southern Business & Development. Durham now headquarters for billion-dollar company (June 24, 2024)

    Report that Avalara now lists Durham, North Carolina, as its headquarters.

    Reliability: Economic-development trade publication quoting the company.

    • Qualifies: Avalara, which previously listed Seattle, now calls Durham, North Carolina, its headquarters.

      What the source says
      Tax software company Avalara now calls Durham its headquarters
      Opening paragraph
  12. News report KIRO 7. Payscale moves headquarters from Seattle to Boston after years of remote work (December 8, 2025)

    Local news report on Payscale's headquarters change.

    Reliability: Seattle TV station news report.

    • Qualifies: Payscale gave up its Seattle office in 2022 for remote work before naming Boston its headquarters.

      What the source says
      Payscale abandoned its Seattle office, located in Pioneer Square, in 2022 in favor of remote work.
      Body

    • About 10% of Payscale's staff live in the Seattle area.

      What the source says
      approximately 10% of its staff live in the greater Seattle area
      Body
  13. News report Trade & Industry Development. TN: Starbucks Selects Nashville for Southeast Corporate Office, Creating 2,000 Jobs (April 22, 2026)

    Report of Starbucks' Nashville office announcement.

    Reliability: Economic-development trade publication reporting the Tennessee announcement.

    • Qualifies: Starbucks plans to employ up to 2,000 people in Nashville over several years.

      What the source says
      it will employ up to 2,000 people over the next several years
      Opening paragraph

    • The Nashville office works with Starbucks' global headquarters, which remains in Seattle.

      What the source says
      global headquarters in Seattle
      Opening paragraph
  14. FactHub record FactHub dataset: layoff notices by year. Layoff notices by year received

    Saved analysis of the ESD WARN database, 2019 to November 2, 2026.

    • Qualifies: Notices covered 31,257 workers in 2025 and 28,731 in 2026 through November 2, the most since 46,824 in 2020; farms and orchards were 13,089 and 10,821 of those.

  15. FactHub record FactHub dataset: largest filers. Largest non-farm filers, 2025 to November 2, 2026

    Saved analysis of workers by employer.

    • Qualifies: Since January 2025, notices cover 5,259 Amazon workers, 4,084 at Microsoft, 2,589 at Starbucks and 1,995 at Meta, about 13,900 in all.

  16. FactHub record FactHub dataset: notices around the state law. Layoff notices in the year before and after Washington's notice law

    Saved analysis comparing 12-month windows.

    • Qualifies: In the year before July 27, 2025, notices covered 11,627 workers and no farms; in the year after, 34,356 workers, including 13,479 at farms and 20,877 at other employers.

  17. Government Washington State Legislature. RCW 49.45.010, Definitions (mass layoffs and business closings)

    Definitions in Washington's 2025 layoff-notice law.

    Reliability: Official statute text from the Code Reviser.

    • Qualifies: Washington's law covers employers with 50 or more employees in the state and layoffs of 50 or more in any 30 days, without a single-site test.

      What the source says
      means a person who employs 50 or more employees in this state, excluding part-time employees
      Subsection (8), "Employer"
  18. Academic Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. 29 U.S. Code § 2101, Definitions (federal WARN Act)

    The federal WARN Act's definitions of employer and mass layoff.

    Reliability: Cornell's copy of the U.S. Code text.

    • Qualifies: The federal law covers employers with 100 or more employees and counts layoffs at a single site.

      What the source says
      100 or more employees, excluding part-time employees
      Subsection (a)(1)(A)
  19. Government Washington Employment Security Department. Washington state expands federal WARN Act requirements and penalties (July 28, 2025)

    ESD's announcement of the state notice law.

    Reliability: The agency that administers the law and keeps the notice database.

    • Qualifies: Washington's own notice law took effect July 27, 2025.

      What the source says
      As of July 27, 2025, the state expanded on the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
      Opening paragraph
  20. FactHub record FactHub dataset: business filings per person. New business filings per 1,000 residents, Washington and U.S.

    Saved analysis of Census Business Formation Statistics, 2015-2025.

    • Qualifies: Washington's rate of filings to start likely employers was below the U.S. rate every year from 2015 to 2025, and 81% of it in 2025 (4.05 versus 5.00 per 1,000 residents).

  21. FactHub record FactHub dataset: business filings in 2026. New business filings, January-September 2026 versus 2025

    Saved analysis of Census Business Formation Statistics.

    • Washington's filings to start likely employers rose 4.9% in January-September 2026, from 25,076 to 26,315; the U.S. rose 4.7%.

  22. FactHub record FactHub dataset: business counts and private jobs. Change in private business counts and private jobs

    Saved analysis of QCEW establishment and job counts.

    • Qualifies: Washington's private business count rose 5.8% from 2023 to 2025 (U.S. 2.1%), fell 4.6% from 2019 to 2025 across a recording break (U.S. +18.9%), and slipped 0.5% in the year to early 2026 (U.S. +3.6%). Private jobs fell 0.2% from March 2025 to March 2026.

  23. FactHub record FactHub dataset: September 2026 private jobs. Private-sector job change, September 2025 to September 2026

    Saved analysis of the ESD September 2026 workbook.

    • ESD estimates show about 8,900 more private jobs in September 2026 than a year earlier, about 0.3%.

  24. News report Deseret News. Washington millionaires debate the state's millionaire tax (October 15, 2026)

    News story quoting Brian Heywood on the income tax.

    Reliability: News report by Emily Walker quoting Heywood directly.

    • Contradicts: Heywood said the income tax is destructive to the economy and that Washington is losing businesses.

      What the source says
      destructive on the economy and we’re losing businesses
      Body · Brian Heywood, founder of Let's Go Washington
  25. Advocacy group Washington Policy Center. Washington's Business Exodus Accelerates Due to High Taxes, Regulations Driving Companies Away (May 28, 2026)

    Commentary by Mark Harmsworth, the center's director of small business policy.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. A Washington think tank that argues for lower taxes and less regulation and opposes the income tax.

    • Contradicts: The commentary's headline says a business exodus from Washington is accelerating.

      What the source says
      Business Exodus Accelerates Due to High Taxes, Regulations Driving Companies Away
      Headline

    • Qualifies: It cites a spring 2026 Association of Washington Business survey in which 24% of employers said they were actively considering relocating.

      What the source says
      nearly 1 in 4 employers (24%) are now actively considering relocating their businesses out of state
      Opening paragraphs

    • Contradicts: It says Starbucks is shifting hundreds of jobs to Tennessee, without a source.

      What the source says
      Companies like Starbucks are shifting hundreds of jobs to lower-tax states such as Tennessee.
      Body
  26. FactHub dataset Washington's big employers and business counts, 2019-2026

    • Tables: company-hq, company-moves, large-worksites, establishments-jobs, warn-notices, warn-by-year, business-formation, esd-sept-2026

      All tables

    • I just think that this is destructive on the economy and we’re losing businesses and punishing people that are successful
      Brian Heywood, Founder of Let's Go Washington, which sponsored Initiative 645 to repeal Washington's tax on income over $1 million, · In the dataset
    • Washington’s Business Exodus Accelerates Due to High Taxes, Regulations Driving Companies Away
      Mark Harmsworth, Director of Small Business Policy, Washington Policy Center, · In the dataset
  27. FactHub chart wa-large-worksites-vs-us
  28. FactHub chart wa-layoff-notices-by-year

Update history 2 changes, last

  1. First version.
  2. Rated the claim on both readings of "losing": leaving the state and shrinking here. Changed the rating from False to Mixed, led with job cuts at big employers, and added a question on jobs moving to other states.

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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ClaimReview","url":"https://facthub.org/n/article/wa-big-employers-not-leaving/3","datePublished":"2026-11-03","dateModified":"2026-11-03","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FactHub","url":"https://facthub.org/"},"claimReviewed":"Washington is losing its big employers.","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","alternateName":"Mixed"},"image":"https://facthub.org/node-assets-v2/article/wa-big-employers-not-leaving/3/bellevue-aerial/social-1200x630.jpg"}

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Technical details: node handle article:wa-big-employers-not-leaving