Kitsap County had 2nd highest wage growth in the U.S. last year

Kitsap County wages grew sooner final yr than nearly another massive county within the nation, in line with current authorities knowledge, however small companies nonetheless should compete with higher-paying Seattle.

Particulars: The county west of Seattle noticed wages bounce 12.7% in 2022, behind solely Midland, Texas, a key oil and fuel hub the place salaries elevated 13.9%, Axios’ Matt Phillips and Emily Peck write.

Why it issues: Greater wages are a boon for staff however a hardship for some small companies struggling to compete with Seattle in a decent labor market, in line with David Emmons, president and CEO of the Higher Kitsap Chamber.

What they’re saying: Even after slicing into slim margins to lure staff again from Seattle, “there in all probability is not a enterprise on the town that is not in search of staff,” Emmons instructed Axios.

Zoom in: Amongst key contributors to the county’s wage progress was the rise within the state’s minimal wage, Jim Vleming, a regional labor market economist with the Washington State Employment Safety Division, instructed Axios. A poll measure accepted by Washington voters in 2016 ties minimal wage will increase to inflation.

• Competitors with King County for staff can also be a part of the combination, stated Vleming.
• That is as a result of the minimal wage in Seattle — which jumped to $18.69 an hour in January — is even greater than the present statewide price of $15.74.

Kitsap County’s largest employer is the federal authorities by means of Naval Base Kitsap, which employs hundreds of army and civilian personnel.

• Inflation can also be factored into federal wages, which have thus gone up, Emmons instructed Axios.

Sure, however: King County noticed stronger wage progress than Kitsap from 2019 to 2021 — and King County’s common wages nonetheless far surpass these in surrounding counties, in line with ESD’s most up-to-date full wage knowledge.

By the numbers: In King County, the common wage rose from $93,300 in 2019 to $115,535 in 2021.

• In that very same timeframe, Kitsap noticed a rise from $53,945 to $61,475.
• Pierce wages rose from $54,270 to $61,135, whereas Snohomish wages elevated from $63,480 to $69,120.

The massive image: The robust demand for staff drove Washington’s common annual wage up by 7.5% in 2021 to $82,508, the state’s second-highest improve in additional than twenty years, in line with ESD.