OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington’s average wage increased by 5.9% in 2023 according to the state Employment Security Department.
The nearly 6% increase from ‘22 to ‘23 was greater than the wage increase from ‘21 to ‘22, which was just 2%.
Professional, scientific and technical services saw 10.5% wage growth in 2023, the largest industry wage growth recorded for the year. The information and mining industries also experienced significant wage growth, increasing by 9.3% and 8.6% respectively.
While the greater Seattle area continues to see strong long term growth, outpacing the rest of the state economically, inflation was also particularly high in the Seattle-Tacoma area in 2023, with prices increasing by 5.8% according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Food prices and childcare costs continue to pose challenges for working families in addition to wage increases generally failing to keep up with inflation over the past several decades.
