Last updated:

Jobs in Washington: pay, hiring and what a paycheck buys

Washington has 5,079 open job postings from 587 employers in our data. 58.8% list a pay range, the median posted pay is $175,000 a year, 7.2% are remote and 40.6% have been open more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).

What stands out

Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMedian wage for all jobs divided by the local price level, October 2026. Higher means a paycheck goes further.Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMassachusettsMassachusetts Official median wage: $63,500 Price level: 105.8 Paycheck power: $60,000 Click for the full page$60,000WashingtonWashington Official median wage: $63,000 Price level: 107 Paycheck power: $59,000$59,000MinnesotaMinnesota Official median wage: $57,000 Price level: 98.6 Paycheck power: $57,500 Click for the full page$57,500VirginiaVirginia Official median wage: $55,500 Price level: 101.1 Paycheck power: $55,000 Click for the full page$55,000New JerseyNew Jersey Official median wage: $58,500 Price level: 108.8 Paycheck power: $54,000 Click for the full page$54,000TennesseeTennessee Official median wage: $47,500 Price level: 91.9 Paycheck power: $51,500 Click for the full page$51,500IndianaIndiana Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 93.3 Paycheck power: $51,500 Click for the full page$51,500ArizonaArizona Official median wage: $50,000 Price level: 100.7 Paycheck power: $49,500 Click for the full page$49,500Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Washington compared with similar-sized states: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
5,079open postings from 587 employers
58.8%list a pay range
$175,000median posted pay
$63,000official median wage, all jobs (BLS)
4.7%unemployment rate, 2026-08 (BLS)
110,000job openings, 2025-12 (BLS JOLTS), rate 2.9%

Pay transparency

Washington requires employers to include a pay range in job postings (since 2023).

Metro areas in Washington

Metro areaPostingsPay listedMedian posted pay
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA4,54061.3%$182,500
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA1,29128.3%$150,000
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA18342.7%$95,000

What your paycheck buys here

Prices in Washington run 7% above the national average, and housing runs 26% above it. The official median wage for all jobs is $63,000, which is worth $59,000 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $175,000 is worth $163,500.

What things cost here (US average = 100)BEA regional price parities for the Washington metro area, 2024.What things cost here (US average = 100)All itemsAll items: 107 7% above the US average (100)107HousingHousing: 126 26% above the US average (100)126GoodsGoods: 104.4 4% above the US average (100)104.4UtilitiesUtilities: 92.9 7% below the US average (100)92.9Other servicesOther services: 103.9 4% above the US average (100)103.9Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)
The area's biggest jobs and what they payOfficial median annual wage for the ten largest occupations in Washington, May 2025.The area's biggest jobs and what they paySoftware Developers (107k)Software Developers 107,030 workers Median wage: $166,500$166,500Home Health and Personal Care (103.3k)Home Health and Personal Care Aides 103,260 workers Median wage: $47,500$47,500Fast Food and Counter Workers (94.7k)Fast Food and Counter Workers 94,710 workers Median wage: $37,500$37,500Retail Salespersons (84.9k)Retail Salespersons 84,850 workers Median wage: $39,500$39,500Registered Nurses (69.3k)Registered Nurses 69,260 workers Median wage: $124,000$124,000Cashiers (61.1k)Cashiers 61,050 workers Median wage: $38,500$38,500Stockers and Order Fillers (57.4k)Stockers and Order Fillers 57,370 workers Median wage: $44,500$44,500Business Operations Specialist (51.7k)Business Operations Specialists, All Other 51,650 workers Median wage: $100,500$100,500General and Operations Manager (50.6k)General and Operations Managers 50,630 workers Median wage: $134,000$134,000Laborers and Freight, Stock, a (49.5k)Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 49,450 workers Median wage: $46,000$46,000Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)
Official wage vs posted pay, same jobMedian official wage and median posted pay for the same jobs in Washington.Official wage vs posted pay, same jobOfficial median wage (BLS)Median posted paySoftware developersSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $166,500 Median posted pay: $210,000 Median posted pay is 26.1% aboveSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $166,500 Median posted pay: $210,000 Median posted pay is 26.1% above$166,500 / $210,000HR specialistsHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $84,500 Median posted pay: $150,000 Median posted pay is 77.4% aboveHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $84,500 Median posted pay: $150,000 Median posted pay is 77.4% above$84,500 / $150,000Data scientistsData scientists Official median wage (BLS): $163,500 Median posted pay: $207,500 Median posted pay is 27% aboveData scientists Official median wage (BLS): $163,500 Median posted pay: $207,500 Median posted pay is 27% above$163,500 / $207,500Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Official median wage next to the median pay in open postings for the same jobs. Download this chart (SVG)
Open postings by industry of the employerPostings by employer industry in Washington.Open postings by industry of the employerSoftware & TechnologySoftware & Technology 1,409 open postings 27.7% of this area's postings1,409Energy & UtilitiesEnergy & Utilities 602 open postings 11.9% of this area's postings602Healthcare & Life SciencesHealthcare & Life Sciences 597 open postings 11.8% of this area's postings597Retail & E-commerceRetail & E-commerce 415 open postings 8.2% of this area's postings415Financial ServicesFinancial Services 394 open postings 7.8% of this area's postings394Manufacturing & IndustrialManufacturing & Industrial 364 open postings 7.2% of this area's postings364Real Estate & ConstructionReal Estate & Construction 314 open postings 6.2% of this area's postings314OtherOther 276 open postings 5.4% of this area's postings276Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)

Employers with the most openings

  1. Spacex: 469 postings
  2. Anthropic: 183 postings
  3. Coreweave: 147 postings
  4. DoorDash USA: 137 postings
  5. Shieldai: 137 postings

Federal government hiring

719 federal job announcements open to the public list Washington, with a median posted salary range midpoint of $93,500. Agencies hiring most: Department of the Air Force Headquarters (133), Military Treatment Facilities under DHA (44), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (36), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (33), United States Army Installation Management Command (32). Source: USAJOBS.

How it compares with similar-sized states

StatePay listedPosted payOfficial wagePricesPaycheck power
Washington58.8%$175,000$63,000107$59,000
Massachusetts56.6%$155,000$63,500105.8$60,000
Tennessee17.3%$91,500$47,50091.9$51,500
Arizona20.5%$120,000$50,000100.7$49,500
Indiana8.6%$101,500$48,00093.3$51,500
Virginia43.6%$135,000$55,500101.1$55,000
Minnesota37.9%$105,000$57,00098.6$57,500

Compare any states side by side

Download this data

Free to use with credit: Second Summit, October 2026. Data (CSV) · Data (JSON) · paycheck power chart (SVG) · posted vs official chart (SVG) · prices chart (SVG) · industries chart (SVG) · biggest jobs chart (SVG)

Related pages

A posting that lists several states counts in each. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in Washington. Methodology · All states (CSV)

Looking for work in Washington? Try Second Summit free

Open jobs in this state

Software engineering jobsSales jobsOperations and logistics jobsProduct and design jobsMarketing jobsAll jobs by role and city