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County Employment and Wages in Washington — First Quarter 2025
Employment increased in all 10 largest counties in Washington from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that Benton County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 2.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Washington, March 2025
County
Percent change, March 2025
Benton
2.2
Thurston
1.7
Clark
1.5
Kitsap
1.4
Whatcom
1.4
Pierce
0.7
Snohomish
0.6
Spokane
0.5
Yakima
0.5
King
0.3
Among the 10 largest counties in Washington, employment was highest in King (1,433,300) in March 2025. Together, the 10 largest counties accounted for 84.4 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)
Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025
All 10 large Washington counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) King had the largest increase (+7.5 percent). Over-the-year wage gains for Washington's other large counties ranged from 4.6 percent to 2.0 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Washington, first quarter 2025
County
Percent change, first quarter 2025
King
7.5
Thurston
4.6
Whatcom
4.4
Spokane
4.3
Benton
3.6
Clark
3.3
Pierce
3.3
Kitsap
2.7
Yakima
2.3
Snohomish
2.0
Weekly wages in 2 of the 10 largest counties in Washington were above the national average of $1,589. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,675 in King to $1,004 in Yakima.
Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 small counties in Washington, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all 29 smaller counties were below the national average. Cowlitz reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,324). Wahkiakum reported the lowest average weekly wage ($903) in the state.
Among all 39 Washington counties, 12 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,075, 12 had wages from $1,075 to $1,199, 7 had wages from $1,200 to $1,324, and 8 had average weekly wages of $1,325 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)
Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Washington, first quarter 2025
U.S. average = $1,589
Additional statistics and other information
QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases
Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 10 largest counties in Washington, first quarter 2025
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Washington, first quarter 2025
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2025
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
United States Department of Labor
