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Thurston County · Water Well Driller
Water Well Driller prevailing wage in Thurston County, Washington
$18.00an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Well Driller
$18.00 base wage + $0.00 fringe benefits
On Washington public works in Thurston County, a water well driller working as well driller must be paid at least $18.00 an hour in total: $18.00 in wages plus $0.00 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect September 1, 2010.
L&I published this rate on August 2, 2010 and it took effect September 1, 2010. L&I hasn't changed it since, so it is still current in period 2026-2. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.
L&I lists 3 commercial water well driller rates for Thurston County, from $17.13 to $18.00 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $18.00 + $0.00
The wage is the taxable hourly rate. The other lines are what Washington law calls "usual benefits": contributions to health, pension, vacation and holiday, apprenticeship and similar plans. A contractor that doesn't provide a benefit pays its value as wages instead (RCW 39.12.010).
| Base wage (taxable) | $18.00 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $18.00 |
Set from: L&I wage survey (weighted average). Where a county has a collective bargaining agreement, L&I adopts its wage and benefits; with more than one, the higher rate prevails. Otherwise L&I uses wage surveys (RCW 39.12.015).
When does this rate change?
- Rates lock at the bid date. A project uses “the rates that are in effect on the date when bids by prime contractors are due”, and they stay for the life of the contract. If the contract isn't awarded within six months of the bid date, the award-date rates apply. Contracts without bids use the date they're signed (WAC 296-127-011).
- L&I publishes on the first business day of February and August, and rates take effect 30 days later. Corrections can be published at any time and also take effect 30 days later (WAC 296-127-011(1); L&I publications and corrections). L&I's next set is due February 1, 2027, effective March 3, 2027.
- L&I doesn't republish every rate each period. A rate stays until L&I changes it, so each one has its own date. This one was published August 2, 2010 and took effect September 1, 2010.
Every water well driller rate in Thurston County
As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Well Driller$18.00
- Irrigation Pump Installer$17.53
- Oiler$17.13
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation Pump Installer | $17.53 | $0.00 | $17.53 | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Oiler | $12.44 | $4.69 | $17.13 | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Well Driller | $18.00 | $0.00 | $18.00 | Sep 1, 2010 |
Davis-Bacon water well driller rate in Thurston County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.
The federal determinations for Thurston County list no water well driller classification.
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Washington Davis-Bacon changes
How Thurston County compares
The main water well driller rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in Washington
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Thurston Countybase $18.00$18.00
- Lewis Countybase $18.00$18.00
- Mason Countybase $18.61$18.61
- Pierce Countybase $18.30$18.30
Water Well Driller rates in nearby counties
Current L&I rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done. The statute defines “locality” as “the largest city in the county wherein the physical work is being performed”, and L&I publishes rates county by county (RCW 39.12.010).
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Thurston County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County | Well Driller | $18.61 | $18.61 | +$0.61 |
| Pierce County | Well Driller | $18.30 | $18.30 | +$0.30 |
| Thurston County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 | |
| Lewis County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 | same |
| Grays Harbor County | Well Driller | $11.60 | $17.13 | −$0.87 |
| Kitsap County | Well Driller | $14.40 | $17.13 | −$0.87 |
| Pacific County | Well Driller | $11.60 | $17.13 | −$0.87 |
Washington water well driller prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from L&I on this rate
- Scope of work, WAC 296-127-01391: which tasks this trade covers. L&I says the right classification “depends upon determinations published by L&I” (L&I).
- L&I's prevailing wage lookup, for any county, trade and bid date
- Apprentices: registered apprentices are paid L&I's apprentice rate for the trade. Anyone without a registered agreement counts as a journey-level worker (RCW 39.12.021).
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $18.00. Each contractor files an L&I-approved Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages before it's paid, and an Affidavit of Wages Paid when the job is accepted (RCW 39.12.040). On contracts over $10,000 the approved intent and L&I's contact details are posted on the job site (RCW 39.12.020).
Source
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, prevailing wage lookup, Thurston County, Well Drillers & Irrigation Pump Installers (WELL), L&I wage record 136505, published August 2, 2010, effective September 1, 2010: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/
Each figure comes from L&I's lookup and is checked against L&I's CSV export and a second, separate query. How we check · Download Thurston County as CSV · Report an error