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HOURLY WAGE INDEX

Let’s talk wages in Washington

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$16.28

What is the minimum wage in Washington?

The Washington state-wide minimum wage its $16.28 per hour for large employers (those with annual gross income of more than $500,000) and $13.50 for small employers (those with annual gross income of $500,000 or less).

$37.56

What is the average wage in Washington?

The average hourly wage for all occupations in Washington was $37.56. However, certain industries and occupations have significantly higher or lower average wages. For example, the average wage for management occupations is $57.06 per hour, while the average wage for food preparation and serving related occupations is $13.36 per hour.

$35.76

What is the living wage in Washington?

$18.69

What is the minimum wage in Seattle, Washington?

The minimum wage in Seattle went up to $18.69 per hour in January of 2023 for workers aged 13 and older. The city's minimum wage is higher than the state and federal minimum wage, and Seattle is one of only a handful of cities with a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum.

Wages aren’t everything!

While pay is one of the main factors that hourly employees consider when choosing to join (or stay at) a company, it’s not the end all be all. Research shows that advancement opportunities, supportive management, and schedule flexibility are all incredibly important as well.

Want to learn more about this trend? We dive deep into the data behind which perks and benefits matter most to hourly workers. Check out our full conversation with expert Sara Wasserteil of Cara Collective.

A guide to hourly labor laws in Washington

Verified by Legal Counsel Brooke Davis

Standard Minimum Wage: $16.28 (DoL Table) (DOL State Minimum Wages) (Wash. Rev. Code § 49.46.020).
Tipped Minimum Wage: $16.28 (DoL Table) (Wash. Rev. Code § 49.46.020).
Overtime: Hours exceeding 40 in a fixed week are overtime, paid at 1.5 times the regular rate (Wash. Rev. Code § 49.46.130) (29 US Code § 207) (DoL).
Meal Breaks: A 30-minute meal period for 5+ hours worked. Taken between two and five hours from shift start. If working a 3+ hour longer shift than normal, at least one additional 30-minute break is earned (Wash. Admin. Code § 296-126-092). Federal law allows unpaid, non-working, bonafide meal breaks over 30 minutes; exceptions may apply (29 C.F.R. § 785.19) (DoL).
Rest Breaks: A 10-minute rest break for every four hours worked (Wash. Admin. Code § 296-126-092). Breaks lasting 5–20 minutes must be paid (29 C.F.R. § 785.18).
Wage Deductions: Only those required by law, such as taxes, and those authorized by the employee in writing. Third-party deductions benefitting the employer may not reduce wages below the applicable minimum (Wash. Rev. Code § 49.52.060) (29 C.F.R. § 4.168) (29 US Code § 203).

Final Paychecks: By the next regularly scheduled payday (Wash. Rev. Code § 49.48.010).
Wage Payment Frequency: At least monthly. Limited exceptions. (Wash. Admin. Code 296-126-023)
Paid Sick Leave: Accruing at one hour per 40 hours worked. (Wash. Rev. Code § 49.46.200 et seq.).
Paid Family and Medical Leave: Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave program provides up to 12 paid weeks of leave for eligible employees (up to 18 weeks in certain cases). This is in addition to the 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA leave (WA.gov) (How Paid Leave Works) (Wash. Rev. Code § 50A.04.005 et seq.) (FMLA).
Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children Under 16:
- General: Up to six days per week.
- School session: No working during school hours; up to three hours per day and 18 hours per week.
- Non-school session: Up to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week.
- Working hours: Only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., extended until 9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day (Wash. Admin. Code § 296-125-027) (29 C.F.R. § 570.35).
Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children 16 and 17: Not during school hours. Up to four hours per day on a school day preceding a school day, otherwise up to eight hours per day. Up to 6 days per week and 20 hours per week during school. Up to 48 hours per week on non-school weeks. Only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. before school days, extended to midnight on non-school nights. Minors employed past 8 p.m. must be supervised by an adult employee at all times (Wash. Admin. Code § 296-125-027).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gross wages and net wages?

It's important to remember that the Hourly Wage Index data above reflects gross wages, or the amount of money an employee earns before accounting for payroll deductions like taxes, benefits, or wage garnishments. Due to variability in tax rates across locations, slightly lower gross wages in a certain location might result in higher take home pay, or vice versa.

What is a good hourly wage?

This question is a difficult one to answer, as a "good hourly wage" is highly subjective according to experience, work responsibilities, cost of living, and other factors. We recommend using Hourly Wage Index data as a starting point. Once you have established a baseline for certain positions, do further research into similar businesses in your area.

Lastly, consider surveying your employees. They're the best resource to help you know what is a good hourly wage, what competitive pay looks like in your location, and how competitive wages change in your industry over time.

Offering competitive pay is one of my top priorities—what other resources do you have that might help?

We know that getting applicants to pay attention to your business can be extremely challenging, and that offering competitive pay is a huge part of that. Wages aren’t everything, however! Applicant experience is another important factor that can help set you apart from your competition. A few examples include:

Short, easy to understand job descriptions
Mobile-friendliness
Quick communication
Streamlined interview stages

Resources

Learn more about hiring and
retaining the hourly workforce

GUIDE

4 secrets to increasing loyalty among today’s deskless workforce

Get the guide

HIRING HACKS

Get actionable tips in this series of quick videos

Watch now

GUIDE

Checking the box on hiring and retention

Download the packet

Resources

Become a hiring and onboarding expert.

GUIDE

Checking the box on hiring and retention

Download the packet

BLOG

5 Steps to build your convenience store brand

Read now

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Social media recruiting: Why your employees should help

Read now

We're here to help!

A Workstream hiring specialist can help you identify high impact ways to improve your applicant experience, and even help you determine what is a good hourly wage for your location and business.

Learn about wages in your city

Seattle Minimum Wage

Featured Reads

For our customers: Product roadmap sneak peek

Restaurant

Learn how to tackle the hardest aspects of paying restaurant workers from taxes and tip reporting to labor law compliance.

HOURLY WAGE INDEX

Let’s talk wages in Washington

What is the minimum wage in Washington?

What is the average wage in Washington?

What is the living wage in Washington?

What is the minimum wage in Seattle, Washington?

Wages aren’t everything!

While pay is one of the main factors that hourly employees consider when choosing to join (or stay at) a company, it’s not the end all be all. Research shows that advancement opportunities, supportive management, and schedule flexibility are all incredibly important as well.

Want to learn more about this trend? We dive deep into the data behind which perks and benefits matter most to hourly workers. Check out our full conversation with expert Sara Wasserteil of Cara Collective.

A guide to hourly labor laws in Washington

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gross wages and net wages?

What is a good hourly wage?

Offering competitive pay is one of my top priorities—what other resources do you have that might help?

Resources

Learn more about hiring andretaining the hourly workforce

GUIDE

4 secrets to increasing loyalty among today’s deskless workforce

HIRING HACKS

Get actionable tips in this series of quick videos

GUIDE

Checking the box on hiring and retention

Resources

Become a hiring and onboarding expert.

GUIDE

Checking the box on hiring and retention

BLOG

5 Steps to build your convenience store brand

BLOG

Social media recruiting: Why your employees should help

We're here to help!

Learn about wages in your city

Learn more about hiring and
retaining the hourly workforce