How many job openings are there in Washington state?
Refreshed annually
In 2025, there was an average of 125,500 job openings each month. The average number of job openings decreased by 22,250 compared to 2024. A job opening is defined as a position open on the last business day of the month. To be considered "open," a job must meet three conditions: (1) There’s work available for the position; (2) the job could start within 30 days; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting.
126K
average job openings each month in Washington state (2025)
22.3K
fewer average job openings each month in Washington state in 2025 than in 2024
The number of job openings is one measure of employer demand for workers and is a commonly referred-to economic indicator. An increase in the number of job openings often indicates the economy is growing, while a decline may indicate slowed growth.
The number of job openings in Washington state has declined over the last year.
Monthly job openings (seasonally adjusted), December 2000–December 2025
Following the Great Recession, monthly job openings in Washington state increased from 54,000 in January 2010 to 165,000 in February 2020. By April 2020, job openings had dropped to 80,000. Job openings in Washington state then reached all-time highs during recovery from the COVID-19 recession. In December 2025, there were 110,000 job openings, down 34.9% from one year prior.
What is the job openings rate in Washington state?
The job openings rate is another way to consider this data. It tells us what percentage of all jobs, filled and unfilled, were open during a given time period. This allows for better comparisons across time, industries, and places by adjusting for differences in the size of the working population.
A lower share of jobs were open in Washington state compared to the US in 2025.
Average monthly job openings rate, 2025
In 2025, an average of 3.3% of all jobs in Washington state each month were unfilled. This was 1.0 percentage points lower than the job openings rate US-wide.
Job openings also differ across states and regions for many reasons, including differing economies and dominating industries. Washington state’s 2025 average monthly job openings rate was lower than 49 states.
In 2025, Washington state's average monthly job openings rate was lower than 49 states.
Average monthly job openings rate by state, 2025
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
