How many jobs were added in Washington state last month?
Refreshed monthly
Washington state gained 11,600 jobs in July 2026, ranking it third among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 4,500 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+11.6K
month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)
3rd
rank among states in monthly job growth (July 2026)
Washington state’s job gain of 11,600 in July 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 4,100 loss in June 2026.
During the latest five year period (August 2021 to July 2026), Washington state gained jobs in 39 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the 11th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+35,000) while job growth was weakest in October 2024 (-38,000).
There were 11,600 more jobs in July 2026 in Washington state than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, August 2021–July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Washington state sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in July 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in July 2026 were health care and social assistance, retail trade, and construction. Health care and social assistance added 2,600 jobs. Retail trade gained 1,600 jobs, while construction added 1,600. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were state government, federal government, and other services. State government lost 500 jobs in July 2026, while federal government lost 400 jobs and other services lost 400 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 2,600 jobs during July 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Washington state (July 2026)
How has Washington state's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Washington state gained an average of 317 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 2,850, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as 16th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 10,500 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 8,000 on average every month in 2016.
In 2025, Washington state gained an average of 317 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 11 metro areas primarily in Washington during July 2026 ranged from a loss of 500 jobs in the Spokane, WA area metro area to a gain of 3,100 jobs in the Seattle, WA area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Washington state
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +3,100 | |
| 2. | +800 | |
| 3. | +400 | |
| 4. | +300 | |
| 5. | +200 | |
| 6. | +100 | |
| 7. | +100 | |
| 8. | +0 | |
| 9. | +0 | |
| 10. | -100 |
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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.
