SalaryExplorer

SOC 43-5071 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks — Bellingham

Bellingham, WA · 10 metro areas compared

$47,380 /year
$22.78per hour
430jobs in area
+4.7%vs US median

At $47,380, median pay for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks in Bellingham, WA tracks the national median of $45,260 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $45,26010TH$37,62025TH$41,720MEDIAN$47,38075TH$55,68090TH$64,050

How pay has moved

$50,083$33,8682019202020212022202320242025$47,380
$36,570 in 2019 to $47,380 in 2025, +29.6% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-7.7%
Openings per year
69,300
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

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 Bellingham, WA.

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

At $47,380, median pay for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks in Bellingham, WA tracks the national median of $45,260 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $41,720 and $55,680. The lowest tenth earn under $37,620, while the highest tenth earn more than $64,050.

Employment stands at 430, or 4.7 jobs per thousand held locally. Seattle leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $56,370. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 259th of 321 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Bellingham, WA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,620−16.9%
25th$41,720−7.8%
Median (50th)$47,380+4.7%
75th$55,680+23.0%
90th$64,050+41.5%
Mean$49,560+9.5%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Washington

Median annual wage for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Seattle$56,37012,520
2Walla Walla$55,960150
3Bremerton$54,910290
4Longview$51,740330
5Olympia$48,020550
6Mount Vernon$47,400210
7Kennewick$46,870560
8Spokane$46,6601,510
9Wenatchee$46,210220
10Yakima$46,160620

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Bellingham run 3.3% above the national average, so the median of $47,380 buys what $45,866 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 1.3% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$47,380as reported by BLS

Local price level

103.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$45,866US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $47,380 a year, 4.7% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,620 to $64,050 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 430 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Seattle, at $56,370.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks in Bellingham, WA?

The median annual wage is $47,380, or $22.78 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 $45,260, so pay in Bellingham, WA is 4.7% 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 Bellingham, WA earns more than $64,050 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,620 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 Seattle, at $56,370 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 430 jobs in this occupation in Bellingham, WA. 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.