The local economy of Washington and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data.
Unemployment rate
4.9%
August 2026, 4.6% a year ago
Average weekly pay
$1,998
Q1 2026, 3,558,558 jobs
New homes permitted
38,911
Last 12 months to August 2026
Net people moving in
-2,328
2022 to 2023
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for its history.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Washington, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Washington is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row.
The unemployment rate in Washington was 4.9% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.6% a year earlier. 3,846,217 people were employed out of a labor force of 4,043,691. Among its counties, Asotin County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Ferry County the highest (6.8%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Washington was $1,998 in Q1 2026, up 2.7% from a year earlier, across 3,558,558 jobs at 240,584 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 2,246 new homes in Washington in August 2026 (1,406 single-family and 689 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 26,817, up 20.7% from the same months last year, and 38,911 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in King County (11,408), Pierce County (5,339), Clark County (3,437) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 198,812 people moved to Washington and 201,140 moved away, a net loss of 2,328 (-0.4 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Oregon, Texas, and most people who left went to California, Oregon, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Washington averaged $5.45 per gallon in the week of September 28, 2026.