2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Seattle vs. Washington

Software Developers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 15-1252
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
100k150k200k250k SEATTLE $167,280 WASHINGTON $154,930
Table 1 — Adjusted

Seattle's median is 7.4% higher — but after local prices, Seattle still leads by 5.5%.

Seattle's median $167,280 buys $150,500 at national prices (price parity 111.1); Washington's $154,930 buys $142,300 (108.9).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Seattle.

SeattleWashingtonΔ
Employment92,77069,060−25.6%
10th percentile$99,190$96,450−2.8%
25th percentile$132,800$123,720−6.8%
Median$167,280$154,930−7.4%
75th percentile$211,860$176,230−16.8%
90th percentile$257,960$213,660−17.2%
Sources

How this page was made

Wage data
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Price parity
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Full pages
Software Developers in Seattle · Software Developers in Washington

Percentiles are reported exactly as released. Derived (price-adjusted) figures round to the nearest hundred. We take no payment for how any figure is presented.