See what workers in Washington earn by education level and by major, and lists the Washington colleges alphabetically. Compare with the national picture or pick another state.
Median earnings by education level in Washington
Median yearly wage or salary of full-time, year-round employees ages 25 to 64, in 2024 dollars.
Unemployment rate by education level in Washington
Median earnings by field of bachelor's degree in Washington
Full-time, year-round employees ages 25 to 64 with a bachelor's degree or higher, grouped by the field of their bachelor's degree.
Fields with the highest median earnings
Fields with the lowest median earnings
College costs in Washington
The typical published price at Washington's four-year colleges. Tuition and fees are the in-state sticker price; cost of attendance adds books, room and board and other expenses (on campus). These are medians across colleges, each counted once; most students pay less than the sticker price after grants and scholarships.
Median tuition and fees, public four-year colleges
$5,273
In-state, 2024-25; 42 colleges
Median cost of attendance, public four-year colleges
$27,643
On campus, 2024-25; 23 colleges
Median tuition and fees, private nonprofit four-year colleges
$41,046
In-state, 2024-25; 16 colleges
Median cost of attendance, private nonprofit four-year colleges
$67,558
On campus, 2024-25; 12 colleges
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES, IPEDS Cost component, 2024-25 published charges (provisional); medians are MajorPays' calculation. The Department of Education has not endorsed MajorPays' presentation. See each college's page for its own figures; colleges are listed alphabetically and are not ranked.
Higher education in Washington
How large the state’s higher education sector is. These are counts, not a measure of quality, and MajorPays does not rank states or colleges.
Colleges and universities
96
42 public, 27 private nonprofit, 27 private for-profit (institutions in the federal IPEDS directory; a few may not take part in federal student aid) See the colleges on a map (the map shows the schools that have a MajorPays page).
Students enrolled, fall 2024
335,369
All levels, headcount reported by the colleges
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2023-24
91,231
Including 32,791 bachelor's degrees; first majors; provisional
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Institutional Characteristics directory (HD 2024), Fall Enrollment 2024 and Completions 2023-24 (provisional release that includes estimates for institutions that did not respond); added up by MajorPays across the colleges in each state. The Department of Education has not endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice. See Data sources.
Economic output of Washington
How large the state economy is and which industries produce its output. Industries are listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank industries or states.
Gross domestic product, 2025
$892.3 billion
U.S.: $30.9 trillion; current dollars
Real GDP growth, 2025
+3.2%
Inflation-adjusted, from 2024; U.S.: +2.3%
| Industry | Share of Washington GDP | Share of U.S. GDP |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Construction | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Educational services | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 3.6% | 8.7% |
| Government and government enterprises | 11.1% | 11.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 6.1% | 7.5% |
| Information | 17.9% | 5.7% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Manufacturing | 7.0% | 9.5% |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Other services (except government and government enterprises) | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 8.0% | 8.0% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| Retail trade | 9.4% | 5.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3.1% | 3.3% |
| Utilities | 0.9% | 1.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 5.4% | 6.3% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, GDP by state (current-dollar GDP by industry and real GDP, 2025; BEA revises these estimates). Shares are each industry’s GDP divided by the state total (MajorPays calculation). Output measures the size of an economy, not how well residents are doing. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; BEA has not approved or endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice. See Data sources.
Jobs by industry in Washington
How many people work in each broad industry group and how that changed over the past year. Listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank industries or states. Total nonfarm jobs: 3,661.4 thousand (+0.6% from a year earlier).
| Industry group | Jobs, thousands (Aug 2026) | Change from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 223.8 | -0.2% |
| Education and health services | 568.3 | +2.3% |
| Financial activities | 159.9 | -2.2% |
| Government | 585.8 | -1.5% |
| Information | 164.3 | +0.1% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 365.1 | +1.1% |
| Manufacturing | 279.5 | +2.8% |
| Mining and logging | 5.2 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 127.3 | +0.6% |
| Professional and business services | 551.2 | +0.4% |
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 631.0 | +1.2% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (state and area), not seasonally adjusted; the latest months are preliminary and are revised. Industry groups that BLS does not publish for a state are left out. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; BLS has not approved or endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice. See Data sources.
Fall enrollment at colleges in Washington
How many students were enrolled each fall in degree-granting colleges and universities located in Washington, for selected years, next to the United States total. The last column is the published change from fall 2017 to fall 2022. Counts are by the state where the college is located; they count students, not degrees, and do not say how well any college does.
| Fall 1990 | Fall 2000 | Fall 2010 | Fall 2017 | Fall 2022 | Change, 2017 to 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 263,384 | 320,840 | 388,116 | 367,943 | 311,068 | -15.5% |
| United States | 13,818,637 | 15,312,289 | 21,019,438 | 19,778,151 | 18,580,026 | -6.1% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 304.10 (HEGIS and IPEDS fall enrollment surveys; through 1990 the table covers institutions of higher education, later years degree-granting institutions). MajorPays selected these years and did not recalculate them; NCES has not approved or endorsed this presentation.
Median wage by occupation group in Washington
The middle annual wage of employees in each of the 22 broad occupation groups, next to the U.S. median for the same group. Listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank occupations or states. A dash means the Bureau of Labor Statistics withholds the figure or reports it only as $239,200 or more.
| Occupation group | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | $112,400 | $99,520 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | $64,850 | $62,750 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | $45,760 | $37,680 |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | $98,030 | $82,660 |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | $67,650 | $58,300 |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | $136,830 | $109,280 |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | $75,500 | $59,540 |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | $66,420 | $60,570 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | $40,330 | $36,630 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | $44,590 | $35,050 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | $108,780 | $86,530 |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | $48,400 | $38,340 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | $69,090 | $59,620 |
| Legal Occupations | $107,090 | $102,500 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | $94,160 | $82,530 |
| Management Occupations | $159,990 | $126,520 |
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | $56,660 | $47,450 |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | $47,150 | $36,410 |
| Production Occupations | $55,380 | $46,990 |
| Protective Service Occupations | $62,090 | $50,080 |
| Sales and Related Occupations | $47,510 | $38,530 |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | $50,500 | $44,350 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national estimates; employees, not the self-employed; annual figures for hourly workers assume 2,080 hours a year). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; BLS has not approved or endorsed this presentation. For one career, see its career page.
Job market in Washington
How hard employers are hiring and how many workers belong to unions. Job openings, hires and quits are 12-month averages (Jan 2025 - Dec 2025); union membership is for 2025.
Job openings rate
3.3%
U.S.: 4.3%
Hires rate
2.8%
U.S.: 3.3%
Quits rate
1.6%
U.S.: 2.0%
Union membership rate
18.0%
U.S.: 10.0%
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), state estimates, total nonfarm, seasonally adjusted rates as a percent of employment (model-based and revised); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Union Members, 2025 annual averages (survey estimates with sampling error). MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not approved or endorsed this presentation.
Economy in Washington
Pay and jobs by industry and how home prices have changed, from federal data. Industries are listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank industries or states.
Average annual pay per job
$99,675
BLS QCEW 2025; U.S.: $78,720
Jobs covered by unemployment insurance
3,601,662
BLS QCEW 2025 annual average, all industries including government
Home price change, 2020 to 2025
+43.9%
FHFA House Price Index; +1.8% in the last year; +113.0% from 2015 to 2025
Personal income per person, 2025
$88,944
U.S.: $77,028; +4.4% from 2024, +31.4% from 2020, not adjusted for inflation (BEA)
Jobs located here, 2025
3,601,662
Average pay per job $99,675 a year at 242,344 employers; +0.2% from 2024 (BLS)
Price level, 2024
107.0
Housing 126.0; U.S. = 100 (BEA regional price parities)
Residents enrolled in college
442,047
5.8% of residents 3 and older (±5,839); U.S. 6.6%; ACS 2020-2024
Adults 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher
43.0%
±0.4; U.S. 39.6%; ACS 2020-2024
People ages 18 to 24
8.6%
688,448 people in July 2025, -0.3% since July 2020; Census population estimates
Moved in from another state or abroad, bachelor's or higher
4.6%
Of adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher, the share who lived in another state or abroad a year earlier (±0.1); 2.5% (±0.1) among adults without one; ACS 2020-2024
Poverty rate by education, adults 25 and over
| Education | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school | 20.8% (±0.6) | 24.2% |
| High school graduate | 12.2% (±0.2) | 14.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 8.9% (±0.2) | 9.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 4.2% (±0.1) | 4.5% |
Share of people with income below the federal poverty level, by the highest education they have completed (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B17003; margins of error at the 90% level in parentheses). A description of who lives here, not a prediction for any person.
What residents with a bachelor’s degree studied
| Field of first major | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Science and engineering | 43.6% | 36.1% |
| Science and engineering related fields | 8.9% | 10.0% |
| Business | 15.8% | 20.1% |
| Education | 8.5% | 10.9% |
| Arts, humanities and other | 23.2% | 23.0% |
Share of adults 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree, by the field of their first major (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table C15010; the Census Bureau’s own groups, listed in a fixed order, not ranked; margins of error at most 0.3 points). A description of who lives here, not a prediction for any person.
Monthly pay by education in Washington
| Industry | Less than high school | High school | Some college or associate degree | Bachelor's degree or higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All private-sector industries | $6,735 | $7,339 | $7,947 | $13,157 |
| Accommodation and food services | $3,466 | $3,522 | $3,652 | $3,919 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | $5,447 | $6,009 | $6,509 | $9,147 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | $3,796 | $4,143 | $4,234 | $4,445 |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | $4,066 | $3,995 | $4,024 | $4,203 |
| Construction | $7,064 | $7,773 | $7,985 | $8,421 |
| Educational services | $4,348 | $4,390 | $4,526 | $5,429 |
| Finance and insurance | $9,036 | $9,611 | $10,392 | $16,139 |
| Health care and social assistance | $5,386 | $5,684 | $6,119 | $8,212 |
| Information | $22,927 | $21,577 | $22,593 | $33,143 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | $13,466 | $13,219 | $14,504 | $23,172 |
| Manufacturing | $7,159 | $8,761 | $8,813 | $11,224 |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | — | $7,621 | $7,607 | $8,743 |
| Other services (except public administration) | $4,789 | $5,222 | $5,431 | $6,645 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $11,199 | $11,042 | $11,557 | $16,899 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | $5,853 | $6,261 | $6,682 | $8,730 |
| Retail trade | $4,611 | $4,811 | $5,114 | $6,780 |
| Transportation and warehousing | $5,780 | $6,126 | $6,508 | $9,685 |
| Utilities | $10,170 | $10,488 | $11,048 | $12,543 |
| Wholesale trade | $7,280 | $7,983 | $8,794 | $13,070 |
Average monthly earnings of private-sector workers age 25 and over who held a job for the full quarter, by highest education, averaged over 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3 (U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Workforce Indicators; averages in whole dollars that include bonuses, not medians; the Census Bureau adds noise to protect confidentiality and statistically imputes workers’ education, and the pay is before taxes; a dash means the figure is not published or the group is small). It shows what workers with that education are paid here, not what any person would earn.
| Private-sector industry | Jobs | Average annual pay | U.S. average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 281,077 | $35,369 | $30,773 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 175,640 | $75,185 | $59,961 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 92,568 | $43,879 | $48,809 |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 57,835 | $47,029 | $52,217 |
| Construction | 207,426 | $89,719 | $84,826 |
| Educational services | 51,788 | $50,119 | $65,875 |
| Finance and insurance | 94,415 | $146,352 | $153,041 |
| Health care and social assistance | 486,056 | $73,131 | $66,522 |
| Information | 161,260 | $339,588 | $190,981 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 101,926 | $256,569 | $166,048 |
| Manufacturing | 268,529 | $102,940 | $89,471 |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 2,047 | $95,344 | $133,525 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 104,728 | $60,555 | $54,422 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 253,290 | $166,419 | $135,280 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 57,498 | $80,288 | $80,265 |
| Retail trade | 325,156 | $50,623 | $43,458 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 148,145 | $79,821 | $68,815 |
| Utilities | 5,796 | $145,458 | $141,218 |
| Wholesale trade | 130,545 | $112,131 | $105,823 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages (jobs covered by unemployment insurance; average annual pay is total wages divided by average jobs, includes bonuses and is pay per job, not per person; industries the Bureau withholds to protect privacy are omitted, so 19 of 19 private sectors are shown here); U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index datasets, annual state index (all-transactions; it measures how prices of repeat-sale and refinanced single-family homes changed, not the price level; the changes are not adjusted for inflation, and FHFA labels the annual state index developmental; MajorPays computed the changes from the published index). Monthly pay by education: U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, Quarterly Workforce Indicators (public-use files, private ownership, stable jobs, workers 25 and over). Personal income per person: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (current dollars; revised). Jobs located here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages (jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the state; average pay includes bonuses and high earners, so it is not a median or what a graduate earns; revised). Price level: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024 (the average price of goods and services in the state compared with the whole U.S., which is 100; estimates are revised). People ages 18 to 24: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, vintage 2025 county population by age (July 1, 2025 and July 1, 2020; estimates are revised, and changes can swing widely where college students live). Poverty by education and new arrivals: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Tables B17003, C15010, B15001, B14001 and B07009 (adults 25 and over; margins of error shown at the 90% level). MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; none of these agencies has approved or endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice. See Data sources.
Counties in Washington
Pay by education, rent, jobs and health-care access for each county: see all 31 counties in Washington.
Colleges in Washington
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank colleges. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings of students 10 years after they first entered the college (students who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled), from the College Scorecard; colleges with at least 150 students in that group (58 listed).
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; the Department has not endorsed them. The figures say nothing about how much each college added to its students' earnings.
Majors at Washington colleges, with graduate earnings
For each field of study, the median across Washington schools of their bachelor's graduates' median earnings four years after graduation (fields offered at 3 or more Washington schools, programs with at least 30 graduates measured). Click a field for national details.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; the Department has not endorsed them. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; they describe where graduates studied, not what a school added.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample. The medians and rates are MajorPays' own estimates from that survey (Census is credited only as the source of the original data, and has not endorsed them). Earnings are wages and salaries of employees working 35+ hours a week and 48+ weeks a year, in 2024 dollars; a figure appears only with enough survey respondents. Survey estimates carry sampling error, larger for small groups. Field of degree is the subject of the bachelor's degree, even for people whose highest degree is higher. What a degree is worth for any one person depends on much more than the field or the level: the school, the job, the place, and the person.