About the Port

The Port of Olympia operates a break-bulk deep-water marine terminal, Swantown Marina and Boatworks, Olympia Regional Airport and Foreign-Trade Zone #216. It also leases a wide range of commercial and industrial properties throughout Thurston County, and maintains a variety of community assets, including land for the Olympia Farmers Market, Billy Frank Jr. Waterfront Trail and Park and Port Plaza, and administers a Small Cities grant program that provides matching funding for community development projects in rural Thurston County. The Port also provides funding for Harbor Patrol operations and sponsors or supports a diverse range of community events and social causes.

Port operations help to support some $300 million in annual business revenues and economic activity generating 5,000 family-wage jobs and $100 million in wages (including direct Port activity as well as Port vendors, clients and leaseholders). This activity, in turn, generates approximately $20 million in tax revenue for local municipalities. The Port collects just over $6 million in annual property tax levy, with a larger percentage of those funds allocated to environmental clean-up, bond repayment or other public benefit. This equates to roughly $55-$60 per year for the owner of a median-priced home ($310,000) in Thurston County.