Jump in out-of-staters getting drivers licenses

The number of people from outside the state getting drivers licenses in Washington last year jumped by more than 30,000 over the previous year, according to numbers kept by the state Department of Licensing.

Records show 159,501 out-of-staters obtained licenses last year. In 2009, there were 129,323, which was a drop of 11,071 from the previous year.

One state analyst says the 2010 increase may be one sign of economic recovery in Washington.

"In-migration improved in 2010 for economic reasons," said Alice Vogel, an economic analyst with the Licensing Department. "We may have had more jobs or more affordable housing; I don't know. We obviously had more drivers coming in."

The state keeps tabs on who obtains drivers licenses here and which states they hailed from.

"What this does is it helps us to forecast drivers, which is one component of the economic and revenue forecast used to look at the economic health of the state," Vogel said.

People move in and they buy houses and pay taxes, which contribute to the economic recovery, she said.

"It's good news it's going up," Vogel said. "How long the trend will continue, I'm not sure."

Not surprisingly, the largest number of 2010 newcomers are from California. Historically it's because the aviation and the software industries exist in both states, Vogel said.

Californians who got new Washington licenses numbered 27,332 last year. Oregon was next with 23,551. Texas, which also has strong ties to the aviation industry, was third with 7,361.

The month with the most licenses issued last year was October, with 18,545 — which is unusual, Vogel said. The highest numbers are usually in the summer.

The number of new drivers has fluctuated over the past 10 years. It plummeted from 137,940 in 2001 to 116,851 in 2002, largely in reaction to the post 9-11 recession, Vogel said.

The 2003 numbers were also low, 118,542, before they started picking up in 2004 to a decade high of 164,126 in 2006.

Among the highest years in the last two decades was 1990, when 161,295 drivers moved into the state, a figure that wasn't surpassed until 2006.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com