Home / Washington / Water Well Driller / Benton County group
Washington · Water Well Driller · 9 counties
Water Well Driller prevailing wage, Benton County group, Washington (9 counties)
L&I sets the same water well driller rates, row for row, in 9 counties: Adams, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Stevens and Walla Walla. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$18.00an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Well Driller
$18.00 base wage + $0.00 fringe benefits
On Washington public works in each of these 9 counties, 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 each of these counties, 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 the Benton County group
As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Well Driller$18.00
- Irrigation Pump Installer$17.13
- Oiler$17.13
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation Pump Installer | $11.15 | $5.98 | $17.13 | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Oiler | $9.20 | $7.93 | $17.13 | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Well Driller | $18.00 | $0.00 | $18.00 | Sep 1, 2010 |
How the Benton County group 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
- Benton County groupbase $18.00$18.00
- Franklin Countybase $18.00$18.00
- Walla Walla Countybase $18.00$18.00
- Klickitat Countybase $15.00$17.13
Which county is in which water well driller group
Every Washington county with a water well driller rate. Counties L&I treats alike share one page; the rest have their own. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done.
| Counties | Main classification | Base wage | Total rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | Well Driller | $21.30 | $21.30 |
| Snohomish County | Well Driller | $19.01 | $19.01 |
| Mason County | Well Driller | $18.61 | $18.61 |
| Pierce County | Well Driller | $18.30 | $18.30 |
| Whatcom County | Well Driller | $18.02 | $18.02 |
| Benton County group, 9 counties: Adams, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Franklin County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Grant County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| King County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Lewis County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Spokane County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Thurston County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Whitman County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Yakima County | Well Driller | $18.00 | $18.00 |
| Cowlitz County | Well Driller | $17.97 | $17.97 |
| Skagit County group, 5 counties: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Pacific, Skagit | Well Driller | $11.60 | $17.13 |
| Asotin County group, 4 counties: Asotin, Garfield, Skamania, Wahkiakum | Well Driller | $11.15 | $17.13 |
| Clark County | Well Driller | $16.16 | $17.13 |
| Ferry County | Well Driller | $14.45 | $17.13 |
| Jefferson County | Well Driller | $11.60 | $17.13 |
| Kitsap County | Well Driller | $14.40 | $17.13 |
| Kittitas County | Well Driller | $11.15 | $17.13 |
| Klickitat County | Well Driller | $15.00 | $17.13 |
| San Juan County | Well Driller | $13.73 | $17.13 |
3 groups of counties with identical L&I rates, and 21 counties with rates of their own.
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).
Every trade's rates, county by county: Adams · Benton · Chelan · Columbia · Douglas · Okanogan · Pend Oreille · Stevens · Walla Walla
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, Well Drillers & Irrigation Pump Installers (WELL), published August 2, 2010, effective September 1, 2010: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/. L&I keeps a wage record for each county; for the row this page leads with:
- Adams County: L&I wage record 136472
- Benton County: L&I wage record 136474
- Chelan County: L&I wage record 136475
- Columbia County: L&I wage record 136478
- Douglas County: L&I wage record 136480
- Okanogan County: L&I wage record 136495
- Pend Oreille County: L&I wage record 136497
- Stevens County: L&I wage record 136504
- Walla Walla County: L&I wage record 136507
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 every Washington rate as CSV · Report an error