Wages in Washington state went way up in 2021. Here’s what people are getting paid
Rising inflation coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for people to hold jobs to pay their bills in 2021. But the strong demand for workers drove employers to increase wages across all industry sectors in Washington state, according to the state Employment Security Department.
The average annual wage grew by 7.5% last year to $82,508. It’s the second largest increase in more than two decades, according to a news release from Employment Security.
The greatest wage growth happened mostly in lower-wage jobs. Leisure and hospitality wages went up 14.2%, transportation and warehousing increased 7.6%, and retail wages rose 6.5%.
The average weekly wage grew from $1,475 in 2020 to $1,586 in 2021, according to the release.
These figures reflect those wages covered by unemployment insurance. The number of workers covered by unemployment insurance in the state rose from 3,166,878 in 2020 to 3,257,983 in 2021, according to the release.
The average annual wage is a statistic used to calculate unemployment benefit claims filed, paid family and medical leave benefits filed, employers’ taxable wage base and workers compensation benefits.
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 11:55 AM.
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