The local economy of Washington and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.9%
+0.3 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Asotin County 2.9%, highest Ferry County 6.8%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,998
+2.7%vs a year ago
3,558,558 jobs at 240,584 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
38,911
+20.7%this year vs last year
Most in King County 11,408, Pierce County 5,339.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-2,328
-0.4 per 1,000residents
198,812 moved in and 201,140 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Washington gas price
$5.46
+$0.96vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Asotin County $5.02, highest San Juan County $6.19. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Washington, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
202K
+0.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
3.06M
+2.6%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$251.8B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$82,397
Highest sector: Information $245,097.
Per employee per year
Share of Washington's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 235,593 | $30,179 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 133,712 | $143,742 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 121,384 | $95,318 |
| Software Publishers | 98,089 | $286,039 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 72,423 | $112,567 |
| Grocery Stores | 65,500 | $37,340 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 62,280 | $90,953 |
| Offices of Physicians | 61,358 | $104,849 |
| Employment Services | 57,440 | $57,201 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 56,883 | $37,129 |
| Individual and Family Services | 54,051 | $42,600 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 53,995 | $131,659 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
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. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Washington, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
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 $5.46 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $0.96 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $7.31. Among its counties, Asotin County had the lowest regular price ($5.02) and San Juan County the highest ($6.19). In the weekly survey, Washington averaged $5.42 in the week of October 5, 2026.
Health Care and Social Assistance (499,464 employees), Retail Trade (340,694 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (306,631 employees) were the largest sectors in Washington in 2023. In all, 202,177 business locations employed 3,056,235 people at an average pay of $82,397 a year.