Local Area Unemployment Statistics, State and Area Employment, JOLTS · Washington
How is the job market in Washington?
The unemployment rate in Washington was 4.8% in the month ended , against 4.2% for the United States.
Washington, unemployment, each month
- Unemployment rate4.8%3.6% to 17.1%
- Participation rate62.0%62.0% to 65.9%
- Employment-population ratio59.0%54.1% to 63.4%
Washington, people, each month
- Labor force, thousands4,045.43,662.6 to 4,066.4
- Employed, thousands3,852.43,296.1 to 3,866.3
- Unemployed, thousands193.0145.5 to 678.9
Washington, jobs and pay, each month
- Nonfarm payrolls, thousands3,654.93,086.6 to 3,654.9
- Average hourly earnings$43.80$30.49 to $44.28
- Average weekly hours34.233.2 to 36.3
Washington, openings and turnover rates, each month
- Job openings rate2.9%2.5% to 6.9%
- Hires rate3.1%2.3% to 6.8%
- Quits rate1.6%1.4% to 3.5%
- Layoffs and discharges rate0.7%0.5% to 8.1%
- Total separations rate2.6%2.5% to 10.3%
Each row is one measure of Washington over the last ten years, one month to a point, with its newest value and its range printed beside it and a dashed line at zero. A gap is a month with no value. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Washington, openings and turnover, each month
- Job openings, thousands11080 to 263
- Hires, thousands11372 to 211
- Quits, thousands6045 to 123
- Layoffs and discharges, thousands2618 to 284
- Total separations, thousands9381 to 360
Each row is one measure of Washington over the last ten years, one month to a point, with its newest value and its range printed beside it and a dashed line at zero. A gap is a month with no value. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Right now
The unemployment rate in Washington was 4.8% in September 2026, ranking 7th highest of 51 among the states and the District of Columbia.
Over a year it is up 0.1 percentage points (ours). The rate for the United States was 4.2% in the same month. The source marks this value preliminary.
The unemployment rate in September 2026 was the lowest since September 2025.
Jobs and payOurs: change and rank
Nonfarm payroll employment was 3,654.9 thousand in September 2026, up 0.7% over a year (ours), 14th highest of 51.
Average hourly earnings of all employees on private payrolls was $43.80 in September 2026, up 2.1% over a year (ours), 2nd highest of 51.
Job openings and turnoverOurs: change and rank
The job openings rate was 2.9% in December 2025, down 1.5 percentage points over a year (ours), 50th highest of 51.
The hires rate was 3.1% in December 2025, down 0.4 percentage points over a year (ours), 38th highest of 51.
The quits rate was 1.6% in December 2025, down 0.1 percentage points over a year (ours), 45th highest of 51.
Understanding the labor market of Washington
Where it stands today
The unemployment rate in Washington was 4.8% in September 2026.
What do the figures for Washington measure?
This page gathers the labor market figures of Washington that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes: how many people are in the labor force, at work and unemployed, how many payroll jobs there are and what they pay, and how many jobs are open and how many people were hired, quit or lost a job.
Read more
The unemployment figures come from Local Area Unemployment Statistics, a model that BLS runs for each state every month. The payroll jobs, hours and earnings come from a monthly survey of employers, and the job openings and labor turnover from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
What 500metrics adds: each figure's rank among the fifty states and the District of Columbia, its change over a year, the last time it was higher and lower, the nation's figure beside a rate where BLS gives one, and the last ten years of every figure as small charts.
The numbers behind the chart
What are the latest figures for Washington?19 measures, each in its own newest month
| Measure | Section | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank | United States | Last higher | Last lower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | Unemployment | 4.8% | +0.1 pts | 7 of 51 | 4.2% | |||
| Participation rate | Unemployment | 62.0% | −0.7 pts | 26 of 51 | 61.8% | |||
| Employment-population ratio | Unemployment | 59.0% | −0.7 pts | 32 of 51 | 59.2% | |||
| Labor force | People | 4,045.4 thousand | −0.3% | 13 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Employed | People | 3,852.4 thousand | −0.3% | 13 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Unemployed | People | 193.0 thousand | +0.5% | 10 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Nonfarm payrolls | Jobs and pay | 3,654.9 thousand | +0.7% | 14 of 51 | n/a | none since 2006 | ||
| Average hourly earnings | Jobs and pay | $43.80 | +2.1% | 2 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Average weekly hours | Jobs and pay | 34.2 hours | −1.4% | 17 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Job openings rate | Openings and turnover rates | 2.9% | −1.5 pts | 50 of 51 | 4.0% | |||
| Hires rate | Openings and turnover rates | 3.1% | −0.4 pts | 38 of 51 | 3.3% | |||
| Quits rate | Openings and turnover rates | 1.6% | −0.1 pts | 45 of 51 | 2.0% | |||
| Layoffs and discharges rate | Openings and turnover rates | 0.7% | −0.2 pts | 47 of 51 | 1.1% | |||
| Total separations rate | Openings and turnover rates | 2.6% | −0.1 pts | 50 of 51 | 3.3% | |||
| Job openings | Openings and turnover | 110 thousand | −34.9% | 21 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Hires | Openings and turnover | 113 thousand | −11.7% | 16 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Quits | Openings and turnover | 60 thousand | −3.2% | 18 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Layoffs and discharges | Openings and turnover | 26 thousand | −16.1% | 20 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Total separations | Openings and turnover | 93 thousand | −6.1% | 19 of 51 | n/a |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What is the unemployment rate in each county of Washington?39 counties, September 2026, by name
| County | Rate | A year before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 3.4% | 3.3% | +0.1 pts |
| Asotin County | 2.4% | 3.0% | −0.6 pts |
| Benton County | 3.5% | 3.8% | −0.3 pts |
| Chelan County | 3.1% | 3.3% | −0.2 pts |
| Clallam County | 3.4% | 4.1% | −0.7 pts |
| Clark County | 3.6% | 4.1% | −0.5 pts |
| Columbia County | 3.2% | 3.6% | −0.4 pts |
| Cowlitz County | 4.0% | 4.6% | −0.6 pts |
| Douglas County | 3.5% | 3.8% | −0.3 pts |
| Ferry County | 5.5% | 5.6% | −0.1 pts |
| Franklin County | 3.7% | 4.1% | −0.4 pts |
| Garfield County | 3.1% | 3.7% | −0.6 pts |
| Grant County | 4.0% | 4.6% | −0.6 pts |
| Grays Harbor County | 4.3% | 4.9% | −0.6 pts |
| Island County | 3.4% | 4.0% | −0.6 pts |
| Jefferson County | 3.5% | 4.4% | −0.9 pts |
| King County | 4.8% | 4.8% | 0.0 pts |
| Kitsap County | 3.5% | 3.7% | −0.2 pts |
| Kittitas County | 3.7% | 3.9% | −0.2 pts |
| Klickitat County | 3.5% | 4.2% | −0.7 pts |
| Lewis County | 4.3% | 4.7% | −0.4 pts |
| Lincoln County | 4.0% | 4.6% | −0.6 pts |
| Mason County | 4.2% | 4.6% | −0.4 pts |
| Okanogan County | 3.4% | 3.6% | −0.2 pts |
| Pacific County | 4.6% | 5.1% | −0.5 pts |
Show 14 more rows
| County | Rate | A year before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pend Oreille County | 4.1% | 4.6% | −0.5 pts |
| Pierce County | 5.1% | 5.1% | 0.0 pts |
| San Juan County | 2.7% | 3.1% | −0.4 pts |
| Skagit County | 3.7% | 4.0% | −0.3 pts |
| Skamania County | 3.6% | 3.8% | −0.2 pts |
| Snohomish County | 4.9% | 4.9% | 0.0 pts |
| Spokane County | 3.2% | 3.6% | −0.4 pts |
| Stevens County | 3.8% | 4.5% | −0.7 pts |
| Thurston County | 3.4% | 3.9% | −0.5 pts |
| Wahkiakum County | 5.6% | 6.2% | −0.6 pts |
| Walla Walla County | 3.2% | 3.4% | −0.2 pts |
| Whatcom County | 3.5% | 3.9% | −0.4 pts |
| Whitman County | 3.4% | 3.3% | +0.1 pts |
| Yakima County | 4.0% | 4.2% | −0.2 pts |
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- The unemployment figures of a state are estimates from a model, not a count. BLS revises the latest months as more data arrive and revises the past years every March.
- The payroll figures are estimates from a survey of employers. BLS revises them twice after the first release and once a year, when it benchmarks them to the count of jobs covered by unemployment insurance. Average hourly earnings and average weekly hours are for all employees on private payrolls and are not seasonally adjusted.
- The state figures of job openings and labor turnover come from a survey whose estimates for a single state have a larger sampling error than the nation's. Each figure shows its own newest month, which can be older than the month of the unemployment rate.
- A rank is among the fifty states and the District of Columbia in the same month, highest value first, and a large state ranks high on a count of people or jobs. The changes, the ranks and the months a figure was last higher and lower are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes.
- The county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so each county's rate is set beside its own rate a year before.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Current Population Survey; State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings; Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey), labor market of Washington, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How is the job market in Washington?", https://500metrics.com/states/washington.
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