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Whatcom County · Sign Installer
Sign Installer prevailing wage in Whatcom County, Washington
$17.13an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$16.03 base wage + $1.10 fringe benefits
On Washington public works in Whatcom County, a sign installer must be paid at least $17.13 an hour. L&I's wage and benefit figures for this rate add up to $16.03, below the state minimum wage, so L&I publishes the rate at the 2026 minimum wage of $17.13.
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 2 commercial sign installer rates for Whatcom County, from $17.13 to $17.13 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $16.03 + $1.10
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) | $16.03 |
| Raised to the state minimum wage | $1.10 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $17.13 |
L&I's wage and benefit columns for this row add up to $16.03. That is below Washington's 2026 minimum wage, so L&I publishes the total at $17.13, the minimum wage (L&I minimum wage).
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.
- This rate sits at the state minimum wage, which L&I applies by date. From January 1, 2027 the minimum wage is $17.73 (L&I minimum wage), and L&I's lookup already returns this rate at $17.73 for 2027 award dates.
Every sign installer rate in Whatcom County
As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journey Level | $16.03 | $1.10 | $17.13 | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Journey Level | $14.23 | $2.90 | $17.13 | Sep 1, 2010 |
Davis-Bacon sign installer rate in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County list no sign installer 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 Whatcom County compares
The main sign installer 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
- Whatcom Countybase $16.03$17.13
- Skagit Countybase $16.03$17.13
- Snohomish Countybase $26.56$26.56
- San Juan Countybase $9.75$17.13
Sign Installer 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 Whatcom County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelan County | Journey Level | $68.05 | $103.56 | +$86.43 |
| Okanogan County | Journey Level | $68.05 | $103.56 | +$86.43 |
| Snohomish County | Sign Installer | $26.56 | $26.56 | +$9.43 |
| Whatcom County | Journey Level | $16.03 | $17.13 | |
| Skagit County | Journey Level | $16.03 | $17.13 | same |
| San Juan County | Journey Level | $9.75 | $17.13 | same |
| Island County | Journey Level | $16.03 | $17.13 | same |
Washington sign installer prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from L&I on this rate
- Scope of work, WAC 296-127-01374: 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 $17.13. 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, Whatcom County, Sign Makers & Installers (Electrical) (SIGE), L&I wage record 134775, 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 Whatcom County as CSV · Report an error