Washington
Across all occupations in Washington, the median wage is $62,990 a year ($30.28 an hour) and the mean $83,330, May 2025. That median is +24% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 3,550,970 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is cardiologists; the largest is software developers.
All occupations: Washington vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $18.59 | $22.61 | $30.28 | $48.90 | $73.86 | $40.06 | 3,550,970 |
| Annual | $38,670 | $47,020 | $62,990 | $101,710 | $153,630 | $83,330 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in Washington
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Washington minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Washington
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $656,330 | $315.54 | 200 |
| 2 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $553,310 | $266.01 | 290 |
| 3 | Dermatologists | $526,170 | $252.97 | 170 |
| 4 | Anesthesiologists | $499,990 | $240.38 | 1,540 |
| 5 | Surgeons, All Other | $479,460 | $230.51 | 370 |
| 6 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $380,870 | $183.11 | ** |
| 7 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $343,140 | $164.97 | 270 |
| 8 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $340,010 | $163.47 | 1,100 |
| 9 | Chief Executives | $339,810 | $163.37 | 3,170 |
| 10 | Neurologists | $327,140 | $157.28 | 180 |
| 11 | Physicians, All Other | $307,170 | $147.68 | 6,300 |
| 12 | Psychiatrists | $304,920 | $146.60 | 360 |
| 13 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $304,830 | $146.56 | 180 |
| 14 | Physicians, Pathologists | $300,680 | $144.56 | 200 |
| 15 | Family Medicine Physicians | $292,900 | $140.82 | 1,270 |
| 16 | Orthodontists | $290,430 | $139.63 | 290 |
| 17 | Nurse Anesthetists | $274,390 | $131.92 | 760 |
| 18 | Podiatrists | $232,970 | $112.00 | 140 |
| 19 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $229,900 | * | 3,450 |
| 20 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $209,370 | $100.66 | 16,960 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Washington
Occupation groups in Washington
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $159,990 | $173,530 | 181,480 | 51.11 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $136,830 | $145,450 | 239,720 | 67.51 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $112,400 | $119,320 | 78,360 | 22.07 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $108,780 | $129,710 | 192,470 | 54.20 |
| Legal | $107,090 | $129,230 | 26,640 | 7.50 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $98,030 | $106,570 | 295,720 | 83.28 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $94,160 | $100,090 | 46,720 | 13.16 |
| Construction and Extraction | $75,500 | $82,360 | 167,890 | 47.28 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $69,090 | $75,160 | 133,880 | 37.70 |
| Community and Social Service | $67,650 | $72,690 | 68,110 | 19.18 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $66,420 | $77,380 | 199,230 | 56.11 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $64,850 | $81,940 | 46,490 | 13.09 |
| Protective Service | $62,090 | $73,020 | 77,850 | 21.92 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $56,660 | $59,770 | 372,400 | 104.87 |
| Production | $55,380 | $62,450 | 159,640 | 44.96 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $50,500 | $59,300 | 298,930 | 84.18 |
| Healthcare Support | $48,400 | $51,860 | 188,800 | 53.17 |
| Sales and Related | $47,510 | $62,610 | 294,020 | 82.80 |
| Personal Care and Service | $47,150 | $54,330 | 69,570 | 19.59 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $45,760 | $48,270 | 96,610 | 27.21 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $44,590 | $48,390 | 294,700 | 82.99 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $40,330 | $44,880 | 21,740 | 6.12 |
Metropolitan areas in Washington
13 metropolitan areas touch Washington, plus 2 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham, WA | Metropolitan | $57,820 | $27.80 | 91,390 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | Metropolitan | $63,200 | $30.38 | 93,740 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | Metropolitan | $57,290 | $27.54 | 129,490 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | Metropolitan | $48,300 | $23.22 | 28,680 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | Metropolitan | $57,420 | $27.61 | 41,070 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | Metropolitan | $59,590 | $28.65 | 52,600 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | Metropolitan | $61,960 | $29.79 | 130,300 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Metropolitan | $60,690 | $29.18 | 1,208,410 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Metropolitan | $72,610 | $34.91 | 2,086,210 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | Metropolitan | $54,660 | $26.28 | 255,820 |
| Walla Walla, WA | Metropolitan | $53,100 | $25.53 | 25,920 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | Metropolitan | $49,290 | $23.70 | 51,220 |
| Yakima, WA | Metropolitan | $47,810 | $22.99 | 97,010 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $54,360 | $26.14 | 129,880 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $53,470 | $25.71 | 108,720 |
Occupation pages for Washington
63 occupations have a dedicated Washington page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $96,550
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $57,270
- Bartenders $55,830
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $58,620
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $100,360
- Carpenters $74,190
- Cashiers $38,720
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $209,370
- Computer User Support Specialists $75,220
- Construction Laborers $57,720
- Cooks, Fast Food $39,120
- Cooks, Restaurant $46,800
- Customer Service Representatives $50,330
- Electricians $95,220
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $102,350
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $37,710
- Financial Managers $174,840
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $109,570
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $59,400
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $94,420
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $79,480
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $79,310
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $60,750
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $74,250
- Food Preparation Workers $40,910
- General and Operations Managers $133,750
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $64,760
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $47,730
- Human Resources Specialists $84,550
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $49,910
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $45,520
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $46,190
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $46,950
- Lawyers $154,130
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $83,150
- Light Truck Drivers $49,070
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $42,180
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $59,160
- Management Analysts $109,170
- Managers, All Other $164,160
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $95,120
- Medical Assistants $59,290
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $58,100
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $102,140
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $48,260
- Nursing Assistants $49,180
- Office Clerks, General $50,500
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $102,080
- Project Management Specialists $124,160
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $44,710
- Registered Nurses $124,200
- Retail Salespersons $39,560
- Sales Managers $174,000
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $79,920
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $79,830
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $102,670
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $57,330
- Security Guards $47,100
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $51,590
- Software Developers $166,540
- Stockers and Order Fillers $44,620
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $49,120
- Waiters and Waitresses $56,130
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Washington
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Washington. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Washington estimates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in Washington.