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Washington laborer prevailing wage, county by county

A laborer's prevailing wage on Washington public works runs from $57.75 an hour in Whitman County to $71.10 in Clallam County, wages and fringe benefits together. The median county is $63.89.

Main laborer classification in each county (General laborer), L&I period 2026-2, commercial rates. Checked October 24, 2026.

Pierce County laborer: $71.10 per hourAdams County laborer: $60.82 per hourPend Oreille County laborer: $60.82 per hourKing County laborer: $71.10 per hourChelan County laborer: $58.14 per hourKittitas County laborer: $58.14 per hourGarfield County laborer: $57.75 per hourGrant County laborer: $60.82 per hourOkanogan County laborer: $60.82 per hourFranklin County laborer: $57.75 per hourKlickitat County laborer: $63.89 per hourClark County laborer: $63.89 per hourSkagit County laborer: $71.10 per hourWalla Walla County laborer: $57.75 per hourPacific County laborer: $71.10 per hourCowlitz County laborer: $63.89 per hourWahkiakum County laborer: $63.89 per hourLewis County laborer: $71.10 per hourClallam County laborer: $71.10 per hourGrays Harbor County laborer: $71.10 per hourJefferson County laborer: $71.10 per hourLincoln County laborer: $57.75 per hourMason County laborer: $71.10 per hourSan Juan County laborer: $71.10 per hourStevens County laborer: $60.82 per hourWhatcom County laborer: $71.10 per hourDouglas County laborer: $60.82 per hourSnohomish County laborer: $71.10 per hourThurston County laborer: $71.10 per hourColumbia County laborer: $60.82 per hourYakima County laborer: $58.14 per hourBenton County laborer: $57.75 per hourIsland County laborer: $71.10 per hourSpokane County laborer: $57.75 per hourWhitman County laborer: $57.75 per hourFerry County laborer: $60.82 per hourSkamania County laborer: $63.89 per hourAsotin County laborer: $57.75 per hourKitsap County laborer: $71.10 per hour
$57$57$60$63$71$71Laborer, main rate, total per hour. Each shade holds about a fifth of the counties.

How much does a laborer make on prevailing wage in Washington?

1 group of counties with identical rates and 37 counties with rates of their own, highest main rate first, each split into wage and fringe benefits on one scale. The table below lists which counties are in each group.

  1. Clallam County1 county$71.10
  2. Grays Harbor County1 county$71.10
  3. Island County1 county$71.10
  4. Jefferson County1 county$71.10
  5. King County1 county$71.10
  6. Kitsap County1 county$71.10
  7. Lewis County1 county$71.10
  8. Mason County1 county$71.10
  9. Pacific County1 county$71.10
  10. Pierce County1 county$71.10
  11. San Juan County1 county$71.10
  12. Skagit County1 county$71.10
  13. Snohomish County1 county$71.10
  14. Thurston County1 county$71.10
  15. Whatcom County1 county$71.10
  16. Clark County1 county$63.89
  17. Cowlitz County1 county$63.89
  18. Klickitat County1 county$63.89
  19. Skamania County1 county$63.89
  20. Wahkiakum County1 county$63.89
  21. Adams County1 county$60.82
  22. Columbia County1 county$60.82
  23. Douglas County1 county$60.82
  24. Ferry County1 county$60.82
  25. Grant County1 county$60.82
  26. Okanogan County1 county$60.82
  27. Pend Oreille County1 county$60.82
  28. Stevens County1 county$60.82
  29. Chelan County1 county$58.14
  30. Kittitas County1 county$58.14
  31. Yakima County1 county$58.14
  32. Lincoln County group2 counties$57.75
  33. Asotin County1 county$57.75
  34. Benton County1 county$57.75
  35. Franklin County1 county$57.75
  36. Spokane County1 county$57.75
  37. Walla Walla County1 county$57.75
  38. Whitman County1 county$57.75

Which counties pay which rate

CountiesMain classificationTotalBase
Clallam CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Grays Harbor CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Island CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Jefferson CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
King CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Kitsap CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Lewis CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Mason CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Pacific CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Pierce CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
San Juan CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Skagit CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Snohomish CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Thurston CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Whatcom CountyGeneral Laborer$71.10 $52.92 
Clark CountyGeneral Laborer$63.89 $45.71 
Cowlitz CountyGeneral Laborer$63.89 $45.71 
Klickitat CountyGeneral Laborer$63.89 $45.71 
Skamania CountyGeneral Laborer$63.89 $45.71 
Wahkiakum CountyGeneral Laborer$63.89 $45.71 
Adams CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Columbia CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Douglas CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Ferry CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Grant CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Okanogan CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Pend Oreille CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Stevens CountyGeneral Laborer$60.82 $41.63 
Chelan CountyGeneral Laborer$58.14 $40.28 
Kittitas CountyGeneral Laborer$58.14 $40.28 
Yakima CountyGeneral Laborer$58.14 $40.28 
Lincoln County group, 2 counties: Garfield, LincolnGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 
Asotin CountyGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 
Benton CountyGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 
Franklin CountyGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 
Spokane CountyGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 
Walla Walla CountyGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 
Whitman CountyGeneral Laborer$57.75 $38.63 

1 group of counties with identical L&I rates, and 37 counties with rates of their own.

These are journey-level rates. Registered apprentices are paid L&I's apprentice rate for the trade (RCW 39.12.021), which L&I publishes in its wage lookup.

L&I also sets residential laborer rates for 39 county listings. They apply only to the residential projects defined in WAC 296-127-010(9), and each county page shows them separately.

Questions about Washington laborer pay

What is the laborer prevailing wage in King County?

$71.10 an hour: a $52.92 base wage plus $18.18 in fringe benefits, under L&I period 2026-2. Overtime and every laborer classification in King County.

Does laborer prevailing wage include fringe benefits?

Yes. In King County the $71.10 total is a $52.92 base wage plus $18.18 in fringe benefits, about 26% of the total. The employer owes the full amount for every hour worked.

Do apprentice laborers get this rate?

Registered apprentices get L&I's apprentice rate for the trade (RCW 39.12.021), which L&I publishes in its wage lookup. Anyone else on the job is paid as a journey-level worker.

Why do some counties have the same laborer rate?

L&I often publishes the same laborer rates for several counties. Across Washington, the 39 counties with a laborer rate fall into 38 distinct sets of rates, and 1 of those sets are shared by more than one county; the largest covers 2 counties (the Lincoln County group).

Which county pays laborers the most in Washington?

Clallam County, at $71.10 an hour for the main classification. The lowest is Whitman County at $57.75, and the median county is $63.89.