Average Salary in Washington
Wages, household income and cost-of-living context for Washington. All figures from federal releases, vintage 2024.
- Mean annual wage$81,550Rank #3 of 51
- Median annual wage$61,590Rank #3 of 51
- Median household income$99,389ACS 2024 1-year
- Regional price parity107.0US = 100
- Adjusted mean wage$76,215Rank #3 at national prices
- Total employment3,539,650Wage & salary workers
What the numbers say
The mean of $81,550 is $19,960 (32.4 %) above the median of $61,590, reflecting a right-skewed wage distribution pulled up by high earners.
Prices in Washington are about 7.0 % above the national average (RPP 107.0, where US = 100). After the adjustment, every dollar earned in Washington buys what $76,215 would buy at national average prices.
Median household income in Washington is $99,389 (Census ACS 2024). That figure counts all income to all people in a household — two-earner couples, Social Security, self-employment earnings — and is not directly comparable to the per-worker wage figures above.
Pay for common occupations in Washington
Annual mean wage, cross-industry. Blank rows indicate BLS suppression for this state/occupation cell.
| Occupation | SOC | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Manager | 11-2021 | $184,580 |
| Software Developer | 15-1252 | $175,600 |
| Lawyer | 23-1011 | $170,650 |
| Data Scientist | 15-2051 | $162,730 |
| Pharmacist | 29-1051 | $154,860 |
| Dental Hygienist | 29-1292 | $125,090 |
| Project Management Specialist | 13-1082 | $121,690 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 17-2141 | $118,750 |
Browse all 20 occupation pages →