State Employment Security Department Says Average Salary Rose 10%

The state Employment Security Department says the average salary for Washingtonians rose by 10% to nearly $77,000.

In a press release the agency says the increase was driven by a 4.9 percent decrease in covered employment and a 4.7 percent increase in total earnings, which grew by nearly $10.9 billion in 2020.

The average annual wage is calculated only using wages from those in the workforce that are covered by unemployment insurance.

The ESD says because many of the lower wage jobs were not able to work remotely, while higher wage jobs could, that drove the change.