Seattle employers reported 2,141,500 payroll jobs in September 2026, an estimated 15,000 more than in September 2025.
Payroll jobs2,141,500September 2026 · Jobs at workplaces
Annual jobs change+15,000Compared with September 2025
Annual payroll growth+0.7%Compared with September 2025
Unemployment rate4.9%September 2026 · Unchanged from September 2025
BLS total nonfarm payroll · Not seasonally adjusted. Payroll counts jobs at workplaces; unemployment measures residents. These are different measures.
BLS does not mark this annual payroll change statistically significant at 90% confidence. This does not establish a statistically significant difference between metros.
Historical detail below: Census QWI 2025 Q3 · BLS OEWS May 2025 occupation estimates. Each source keeps its own date and coverage.
Historical workforce detail · Census QWI 2025 Q3
Hiring, worker flows and pay in Seattle
Census workforce data arrive with a publication lag. These findings compare 2025 Q3 with 2024 Q3 and do not describe later conditions. Open "How this was calculated" for the arithmetic.
Census recorded 2,141,455 jobs in the Seattle metro at the start of 2025 Q3, down 0.2% from the same quarter a year earlier. This is historical workforce detail from the latest complete Census quarter saved for this metro. QWI covers private employers and state and local government; federal jobs are excluded. Its job counts differ from monthly BLS payroll coverage.
Jobs, start of quarter2,141,455-0.2% vs. 2024 Q3
Hires in the quarter307,02714.3 per 100 jobs · -3.0% vs. 2024 Q3
Avg. monthly earnings$10,141Stable workers, nominal · +6.5% vs. 2024 Q3
Occupations with local data653BLS OEWS May 2025
JobsCensus QWI · 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
-0.2%
Jobs fell 0.2% from 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
Beginning-of-quarter employment was 2,141,455 in 2025 Q3, against 2,145,063 in 2024 Q3, a change of -3,608 jobs. That change was larger than in 10 of the 49 other covered metros with matching data for the same quarters.
How this was calculated
(2,141,455 - 2,145,063) / 2,145,063 = -0.2%. Same quarter, one year apart; all industries, all ownership, not seasonally adjusted.
Health care and social assistance had the largest job gain of any major industry
Health care and social assistance added 8,599 jobs (+3.1%) between 2024 Q3 and 2025 Q3, and holds 13.4% of metro jobs. 7 of 16 industries with at least 2% of metro jobs grew. One year-over-year comparison is not a trend.
How this was calculated
286,151 - 277,552 = +8599 jobs; ranked by absolute change among sectors with at least 2% of 2025 Q3 employment and published values in both quarters.
92% of comparable occupations have local medians above the U.S. median
Of 643 occupations with a published annual median both here and nationally, 593 have a higher local median, 48 a lower one and 2 the same. The largest such occupation, software developers (92,770 jobs), has a median of $167,280 versus $135,980 nationally. Annual figures are published annualized OEWS wage estimates, not actual annual take-home pay; pay is nominal and not adjusted for cost of living.
How this was calculated
Above: 593/643 = 92.2%; below: 48/643 = 7.5%; equal: 2/643. Occupations with both metro and national annual medians published (top-coded or suppressed values excluded), OEWS May 2025.
Information is a larger part of the job base than in most covered metros
7.5% of jobs here are in information, compared with a median of 1.7% across 49 other covered metros in 2025 Q3, about 4.4 times the typical share.
How this was calculated
Sector employment / all-industry employment for 2025 Q3; compared with the median share of the same sector in the other covered metros with the same quarter. Only sectors with at least 3% of local jobs are considered.
14.3 hires per 100 jobs in 2025 Q3, at or below the comparison median
Employers recorded 307,027 hires during 2025 Q3 against 2,141,455 jobs at the start of the quarter. The median across 49 other covered metros was 15.8. This is a flow ratio, not a chance of being hired, and hires are not job openings.
Jobs changed -0.2% and hires -3.0% between the same quarter one year apart. During 2025 Q3 employers recorded 307,027 hires and 312,243 separations, a difference of -5,216. That difference is a flow measure and is not the same as the official change in employment.
Census QWI beginning-of-quarter employment, all industries, private employers and state and local government; federal jobs excluded. Not seasonally adjusted. The axis is truncated: bars start above zero to show change. Compare the same quarter across years because seasonal patterns repeat. The highlighted bar is 2025 Q3.Show as a table
Quarter
Employment
Hires
Separations
2023 Q1
2,088,216
297,071
279,924
2023 Q2
2,105,522
313,470
293,981
2023 Q3
2,125,029
348,338
346,547
2023 Q4
2,126,390
309,994
310,337
2024 Q1
2,128,062
261,038
269,239
2024 Q2
2,119,316
318,770
293,271
2024 Q3
2,145,063
316,558
320,007
2024 Q4
2,142,070
327,783
334,202
2025 Q1
2,135,558
273,185
282,937
2025 Q2
2,125,659
300,622
285,315
2025 Q3
2,141,455
307,027
312,243
Careers · BLS OEWS May 2025
Explore careers in Seattle
653 detailed occupations with local estimates, 646 with a published local median wage. Figures describe one survey reference period, not growth, openings or forecasts.
Try:
Showing 1 to 25 of 653 matching occupations. Local jobs are OEWS employment estimates; medians are for all workers in the occupation in this metro, compared with the U.S. median for the same occupation and pay basis.
BLS OEWS May 2025, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (CBSA 42660). Unknown values sort last.
Occupation
Local jobs
Annual median
Hourly median
vs. U.S. median
National context
Software developers15-1252 · Computer and mathematical
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (CBSA 42660), one survey reference period. They show levels, not growth, openings or forecasts.
Largest occupations by local jobs: software developers (92,770), home health and personal care aides (54,670), fast food and counter workers (49,190), retail salespersons (46,620), registered nurses (39,900).
Medians are for all workers in the occupation in this metro. "vs. U.S." compares with the national median for the same occupation, same release and same pay basis. 643 occupations have published annual medians both here and nationally. 7 have no published local median.
Annual figures are published annualized OEWS wage estimates, not actual annual take-home pay. Pay is nominal and not adjusted for cost of living.
Some occupations are paid and published on an hourly or annual basis only; the other column then says so rather than showing a converted figure.
"Not released" means BLS did not publish that local estimate. 2 occupations have a median above the BLS reporting ceiling, shown as such rather than as a number. Nothing is filled in or treated as zero.
"U.S. profile" links open national data for the occupation, not Seattle figures.
Compare metros
How Seattle compares with similar metros
Monthly payroll comparison · September 2026
All payroll rows compare September 2026 with September 2025 from the same BLS release, not seasonally adjusted. These are the same suggested peers used in the quarterly profiles. Estimates do not establish statistically significant differences between metros.
Payroll measures jobs at workplaces. Unemployment rates measure residents and are shown only when a validated estimate matches the same month and metro.
Historical comparison · Census QWI 2025 Q3
Quarterly hiring, jobs and earnings
Every metro in this historical table uses 2025 Q3 and 2024 Q3, from one saved Census release. Monthly payroll comparisons above use a separate BLS source and are not combined with these measures.
Showing Seattle with Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, San Francisco. Default: the 3 covered metros closest in total employment (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, San Francisco).
Choose metros (3 of 49 selected)
Census QWI, 2025 Q3 compared with 2024 Q3 for Seattle and selected metros.
Census QWI, 2025 Q3 compared with 2024 Q3 for every metro. Hires per 100 jobs is hires during the quarter divided by beginning-of-quarter employment, times 100: a flow ratio, not a chance of being hired. Earnings are average monthly earnings of stable workers, nominal, not adjusted for cost of living.
Suggested peers are the covered metros closest in total QWI employment (smallest ratio difference) for the same quarter. Differences of a few tenths of a point are within normal revision and should not be read as a ranking.
By industry · Census QWI 2025 Q3
Industries behind the numbers
Hires are a count of hires made during the quarter, not unique people or job openings. A large count reflects industry size and turnover.
Largest job gains, 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
Health care and social assistance+8,599 jobs+3.1%
Educational services+3,403 jobs+2.2%
Transportation and warehousing+3,277 jobs+2.3%
Largest job declines, 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
Manufacturing-6,708 jobs-4.1%
Construction-3,883 jobs-3.2%
Wholesale trade-3,532 jobs-4.1%
Show all 20 industry sectors
Census QWI NAICS sectors, private employers and state and local government; federal jobs excluded. Not seasonally adjusted. Change compares 2025 Q3 with 2024 Q3, the same quarter a year earlier. Not published = not published for every state portion or no matching prior-year quarter. Sectors do not add exactly to the total.
Industry
Employment
Share of jobs
Employment change, 1 yr
Hires
Hires change, 1 yr
Avg. monthly earnings
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
5,324
0.2%
-2.5%
2,031
+26.4%
$5,521
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
630
0.0%
-1.1%
49
-29.0%
$8,290
Utilities
9,205
0.4%
+2.4%
485
+42.6%
$10,814
Construction
117,731
5.5%
-3.2%
21,013
-7.0%
$8,024
Manufacturing
156,822
7.3%
-4.1%
11,033
-8.7%
$10,402
Wholesale trade
82,563
3.9%
-4.1%
7,114
-13.3%
$9,939
Retail trade
181,934
8.5%
-1.5%
25,757
-8.2%
$5,272
Transportation and warehousing
144,930
6.8%
+2.3%
23,803
-17.2%
$7,309
Information
161,102
7.5%
-0.2%
10,462
-3.6%
$32,550
Finance and insurance
59,622
2.8%
-0.9%
19,801
+202.3%
$12,320
Real estate and rental and leasing
42,580
2.0%
-1.0%
5,075
-10.3%
$7,226
Professional, scientific, and technical services
183,750
8.6%
-1.2%
19,678
-6.3%
$15,774
Management of companies and enterprises
91,385
4.3%
+1.0%
7,556
-8.9%
$14,416
Administrative and support and waste management
113,733
5.3%
-1.3%
32,779
-7.2%
$6,930
Educational services
155,715
7.3%
+2.2%
17,950
-1.6%
$6,348
Health care and social assistance
286,151
13.4%
+3.1%
36,411
-1.7%
$6,780
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
53,387
2.5%
+3.3%
11,086
-4.7%
$4,968
Accommodation and food services
161,015
7.5%
-0.9%
38,747
-10.2%
$3,692
Other services (except public administration)
67,808
3.2%
+0.2%
11,801
-4.0%
$5,763
Public administration
66,068
3.1%
+3.0%
4,397
-8.9%
$9,287
Sources and limits
Where these numbers come from
Monthly BLS payroll estimates cover September 2026. Census workforce detail covers 2025 Q3, and the wage survey covers OEWS May 2025. Each source retains its own observation period, coverage and publication dates. None is a real-time measure.
BLS monthly metro estimates
Current Employment Statistics (CES) total nonfarm payroll employment. Jobs at workplaces, not unique people, job openings or forecasts. Compare the same month one year apart because these estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) measures unemployment among residents of the metro. Its rate is shown separately from workplace payroll employment.
U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators. Jobs, hires, separations and earnings by industry for private employers and state and local government. Federal jobs are excluded.
Monthly payroll estimates measure nonfarm jobs at workplaces, not hiring events, job openings or resident employment. Annual changes are estimates, may be revised and do not establish acceleration or statistically significant differences between metros.
Hires are not job openings and not your odds of being hired. We make no claim about layoffs, AI or other causes behind any change.
Census QWI covers private employers and state and local government; federal jobs are excluded. Its data typically run about three quarters behind publication. This report uses the latest complete saved quarter, 2025 Q3; any newer partial measures are not substituted for the complete quarterly package.
QWI earnings are averages for workers who held the same job all quarter, before taxes, in nominal dollars. They are not salary offers and are not adjusted for cost of living.
BLS OEWS figures (OEWS May 2025) describe one survey reference period. They show levels, not growth, and are a different period from the QWI quarter, so the two are never combined into one measure.
BLS does not release some local estimates; they appear as "Not released", and wages above its reporting ceiling appear as such rather than as a number. None is filled in or treated as zero.
Both sources use the metro boundary shown above. Census labels follow the 2023 metro definitions.
Single-quarter swings in an industry can reflect employer reclassification or reporting changes. Compare several quarters before drawing conclusions.