The indicator Average Annual Wage measures the wages and salaries of individual residents and provides insight into the well-being of Spokane’s regional economy. In the past ten years, the gap in average annual wage between Spokane and Washington State increased substantially. In 2006, Spokane’s average wage was $34,004; 79% of Washington State’s ($42,881). In 1996, it was 85% of Washington’s level.

To grasp a little more detail of what’s happening, consider the indicator Average Annual Wage in the Top 4 Sectors. Manufacturing jobs generated an average wage of $58,206 in Washington compared to $42,823 in Spokane. Or, Spokane County’s industrial workers earned 25% less than their Washington counterparts in 2006. Smaller differences exist for the remaining top three sectors, but the manufacturing data help explain why the gap between Spokane and the State average has grown over the years.

 

View the Average Annual Wage indicator.