Jobs & Employment in Washington

Employment, unemployment, salaries and the labor force.

Topics

Dive into each indicator for Washington.

4.06 M
Labor force
13th in the U.S.
4.5%
Unemployment rate
2024
3.88 M
Employment
63.9%
Labor force participation
$60,900
Median annual wage
$16.28 /hr
Minimum wage
Highest state minimum in the U.S.
≈ 24%
Remote workers
Top 3 in the U.S.
Information & professional services
Largest sector

Historical data

Long-run evolution of the key indicators, so you can see the trend — not just today's snapshot.

Unemployment rate

19902024
4.5% 8%

BLS state series; the 1971 aerospace slump and the 2020 shutdown are both visible.

Data table

Labor force4.06 M13th in the U.S.
Unemployment rate4.5%2024
Employment3.88 M
Labor force participation63.9%
Median annual wage$60,900
Minimum wage$16.28 /hrHighest state minimum in the U.S.
Remote workers≈ 24%Top 3 in the U.S.
Largest sectorInformation & professional services

Compared to the United States

Coming soon

Side-by-side comparison of Washington vs. the U.S. average.

National ranking

Coming soon

The national ranking against every other state will appear here as more states are published.