SOC 13-1141 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists — Washington
Washington · 5 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Washington comes to $86,630 a year, ahead of the national median of $78,210 by 10.8%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +5.3%
- Openings per year
- 8,500
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Washington.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
Median pay for this occupation in Washington comes to $86,630 a year, ahead of the national median of $78,210 by 10.8%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $78,610 and $107,840. The lowest tenth earn under $60,750, while the highest tenth earn more than $135,810.
Employment stands at 3,350, or 0.9 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 50 states with published data for this occupation, Washington ranks 6th by median wage. Bellingham leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $97,940. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 250th of 757 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $60,750 | −22.3% |
| 25th | $78,610 | +0.5% |
| Median (50th) | $86,630 | +10.8% |
| 75th | $107,840 | +37.9% |
| 90th | $135,810 | +73.6% |
| Mean | $97,150 | +24.2% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Washington
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellingham | $97,940 | 70 | |
| 2 | Bremerton | $91,700 | 40 | |
| 3 | Seattle | $85,910 | 2,220 | |
| 4 | Spokane | $82,430 | 140 | |
| 5 | Olympia | $76,600 | 240 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Washington run 7.0% above the national average, so the median of $86,630 buys what $80,963 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 3.5% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$86,630as reported by BLSLocal price level
107.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$80,963US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $86,630 a year, 10.8% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $60,750 to $135,810 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 3,350 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 6th of 50 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Bellingham, at $97,940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists in Washington?
The median annual wage is $86,630, or $41.65 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $78,210, so pay in Washington is 10.8% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Washington earns more than $135,810 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $60,750 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Bellingham, at $97,940 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 3,350 jobs in this occupation in Washington. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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