Washington wage statistics at a glance
Washington wage statistics tell two different stories at once: the state’s minimum wage has climbed in a long, steady line, and the state’s job market includes occupations with very different pay levels and workforce sizes.
The minimum wage history shows a rise from $1.15 per hour on June 30, 1961 to $17.13 per hour on January 1, 2026 (Washington minimum wage history). In the same dataset, Washington’s occupational wage figures for May 2023 show how broad the pay range is across health care, public safety, office work, and food service (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
Table of contents
- Minimum wage history
- How the wage trend changed over time
- Occupation snapshots from May 2023
- Comparing selected occupations
- What the wage figures show together
- Key points to keep in mind
Minimum wage history
Washington’s minimum wage history is the clearest long-run wage series in the dataset, and it shows a broad upward path across more than six decades (Washington minimum wage history).
The earliest value in the list is $1.15 per hour on June 30, 1961. The latest value is $17.13 per hour on January 1, 2026, which is also described as the annual adjustment based on the CPI-W (Washington minimum wage history).
That span matters because it frames the entire dataset: Washington wage statistics are not just about one current rate, but about the way wages have moved through repeated steps, pauses, and larger jumps over time (Washington minimum wage history).
Selected minimum wage milestones
| Date | Minimum wage | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| June 30, 1961 | $1.15 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 1976 | $2.30 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 1990 | $4.25 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 2005 | $7.35 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 2017 | $11.00 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 2020 | $13.50 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 2023 | $15.74 | Washington minimum wage history |
| January 1, 2026 | $17.13 | Washington minimum wage history |
The table shows the broad shape of the trend without turning the full list into a wall of numbers. The wage rate starts in the low single digits and reaches the high teens by 2026 (Washington minimum wage history).
Fast fact
Washington’s minimum wage rose from $1.15 per hour on June 30, 1961 to $17.13 per hour on January 1, 2026 (Washington minimum wage history).
That one line is the most compact summary in the dataset, but it is not the whole picture. The intervening values show how gradual the climb was for many years and how the pace accelerated in the modern era (Washington minimum wage history).
How the wage trend changed over time
The minimum wage history reads like a timeline of measured increases rather than one single jump. The dataset includes values from 1961, 1962, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 (Washington minimum wage history).
A few patterns stand out:
- The earliest decades move in small steps, with multi-year gaps between many changes (Washington minimum wage history).
- The 2000s show more frequent yearly adjustments, often by modest amounts (Washington minimum wage history).
- The 2017 through 2026 sequence shows a sustained run of annual increases, with the rate moving from $11.00 to $17.13 in ten yearly steps (Washington minimum wage history).
A compact way to see the later trend is to compare recent entries side by side.
| Year | Minimum wage | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $13.50 | Washington minimum wage history |
| 2021 | $13.69 | Washington minimum wage history |
| 2022 | $14.49 | Washington minimum wage history |
| 2023 | $15.74 | Washington minimum wage history |
| 2024 | $16.28 | Washington minimum wage history |
| 2025 | $16.66 | Washington minimum wage history |
| 2026 | $17.13 | Washington minimum wage history |
The sequence shows steady movement rather than a flat rate. Even where the annual changes are smaller, they still add up over time (Washington minimum wage history).
Another way to read the timeline
The list also highlights that some years repeat the same rate or use notable transitions. For example, Washington’s minimum wage was $8.55 per hour on January 1, 2009 and remained $8.55 per hour on January 1, 2010 before changing again in 2011 (Washington minimum wage history). That kind of pause is useful because it reminds readers that wage history is not always linear in the short term even when the long-term direction is upward.
The dataset also records a federal minimum wage change on September 1, 1997, when Washington’s minimum wage was $5.15 per hour (Washington minimum wage history). That note shows that the timeline can reflect both state-level and broader wage context.
Occupation snapshots from May 2023
The occupational wage data in the same dataset gives the minimum wage timeline a second layer of context. These figures are all from May 2023 and come from the BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 source label in the dataset.
The jobs listed span health care, emergency services, law enforcement, food service, and office support. Each occupation includes employment, mean hourly wage, and mean annual wage (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
Selected occupations and wages
- Dental Hygienists employed 8,350 workers with a mean hourly wage of $60.36 and mean annual wage of $125,560 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers employed 2,720 workers with a mean hourly wage of $51.80 and mean annual wage of $107,740 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians employed 8,860 workers with a mean hourly wage of $42.43 and mean annual wage of $88,240 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Emergency Medical Technicians employed 2,650 workers with a mean hourly wage of $29.33 and mean annual wage of $61,010 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Paramedics employed 730 workers with a mean hourly wage of $35.47 and mean annual wage of $73,770 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides employed 66,220 workers with a mean hourly wage of $19.93 and mean annual wage of $41,450 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Nursing Assistants employed 28,020 workers with a mean hourly wage of $23.08 and mean annual wage of $48,020 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Massage Therapists employed 4,670 workers with a mean hourly wage of $30.76 and mean annual wage of $64,010 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Medical Assistants employed 20,530 workers with a mean hourly wage of $24.82 and mean annual wage of $51,620 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers employed 20,690 workers with a mean hourly wage of $54.83 and mean annual wage of $114,040 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations employed 326,530 workers with a mean hourly wage of $19.22 and mean annual wage of $39,980 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Chefs and Head Cooks employed 6,030 workers with a mean hourly wage of $27.71 and mean annual wage of $57,650 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Cashiers employed 62,930 workers with a mean hourly wage of $17.35 and mean annual wage of $38,320 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Office and Administrative Support Occupations employed 389,360 workers with a mean hourly wage of $24.24 and mean annual wage of $55,450 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
Quick read on the occupational spread
The data shows wide variation in both pay and workforce size. Some roles appear in small, specialized groups, like Paramedics at 730 workers and Diagnostic Medical Sonographers at 2,720 workers, while others are much larger, like Office and Administrative Support Occupations at 389,360 workers and Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations at 326,530 workers (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
The wage range is just as broad. Cashiers are listed at $17.35 per hour, while Dental Hygienists are listed at $60.36 per hour (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023). That is a substantial difference in hourly pay, and it helps explain why Washington wage statistics are useful for more than one audience. Job seekers, students, employers, and policy readers can all use the same dataset for different kinds of comparison.
Comparing selected occupations
A compact table helps the occupational data do more work. The goal here is not to rank jobs in a universal sense, but to compare a few reference points from the same source label.
| Occupation | Employment | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 62,930 | $17.35 | $38,320 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 66,220 | $19.93 | $41,450 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
| Nursing Assistants | 28,020 | $23.08 | $48,020 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
| Medical Assistants | 20,530 | $24.82 | $51,620 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 6,030 | $27.71 | $57,650 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | 20,690 | $54.83 | $114,040 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
| Dental Hygienists | 8,350 | $60.36 | $125,560 | BLS Washington OEWS May 2023 |
This table makes a few things easy to see:
- The lowest hourly wage in the selected set is Cashiers at $17.35 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- The highest hourly wage in the selected set is Dental Hygienists at $60.36 (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Several large-occupation categories sit in the middle of the wage range, such as Home Health and Personal Care Aides and Office and Administrative Support Occupations (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
Employment size matters too
Pay alone does not tell the whole story. The biggest occupation group in the dataset is Office and Administrative Support Occupations at 389,360 workers, followed by Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations at 326,530 workers (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
That means the wage landscape is shaped not just by high-paying specialized jobs, but by very large groups of workers whose pay levels affect a substantial share of the labor market. A statewide wage discussion changes depending on whether you look at a small, high-wage profession or a large, broad occupation category (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
What the wage figures show together
Viewed together, the minimum wage timeline and the occupational wage snapshot create a fuller picture of Washington wage statistics.
The minimum wage series shows the floor moving upward from $1.15 in 1961 to $17.13 in 2026, with especially clear annual progression in the modern period (Washington minimum wage history). The occupational data then shows the spread above that floor, from lower-wage service roles to higher-wage clinical and public safety work (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
That combination matters for three practical reasons:
- It gives a long-term baseline for how wage policy has changed over time (Washington minimum wage history).
- It shows how wages differ across occupations in the same state and the same general period (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- It gives readers a way to compare policy-driven wage floors with market-driven occupation pay levels without mixing the two sources together (Washington minimum wage history; BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
A simple comparison framework
If you are using the dataset for research or content planning, a useful framing is:
- Use the minimum wage history when you want the broad wage floor trend in Washington (Washington minimum wage history).
- Use the occupational wages when you want specific job categories, workforce sizes, and pay levels (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Keep the source labels attached to each fact so the timeline and occupation data do not blur together.
Key points to keep in mind
- Washington’s minimum wage increased from $1.15 per hour on June 30, 1961 to $17.13 per hour on January 1, 2026 (Washington minimum wage history).
- The modern minimum wage sequence shows annual step-ups from 2020 through 2026, with values moving from $13.50 to $17.13 (Washington minimum wage history).
- The occupational wage data from May 2023 spans a wide range of pay levels, from Cashiers at $17.35 per hour to Dental Hygienists at $60.36 per hour (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- Workforce size varies just as sharply, from 730 Paramedics to 389,360 Office and Administrative Support workers (BLS Washington OEWS May 2023).
- The source labels are important because the minimum wage history and the occupational wage snapshot answer different questions even though they both fit the same Washington wage topic.