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Occupational employment and wage statistics (OEWS)

OEWS is a program of the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This federal-state cooperative program produces employment and wage estimates annually for about 867 occupations. Each year, the Employment Security Department’s Data Architecture, Transformation and Analytics (DATA) Division compiles occupational employment and wage estimates for Washington state. These data are presented statewide, for metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and nonmetropolitan areas (NMAs). All data are at the cross-industry level. 

For more information, data and maps at the national level, see the BLS map tool, the 2018 standard occupational classification (SOC) codes, and the BLS glossary of terms.

Occupational employment and wage estimates for 2023

The 2023 OEWS are available in PDF and Excel formats, and in the dashboard below. Additional reports are available for download in the report library.

The source of the occupation and wage estimates and technical notes

The occupational employment and wage estimates are based on the spring 2022 Occupational Employment Statistics survey. Data collected from the survey includes employment counts, occupations and wages from 4,396 Washington state employers. Data from the spring 2022 survey are combined with the fall 2019, spring and fall 2020 and spring and fall 2021 survey panels to create a sample size of more than 26,000 employers. Wage estimates are updated to a March 2022 level using Employment Cost Index (ECI) factors. Employment estimates are benchmarked to an average of November 2021 and May 2022 employment.

The estimates in this publication are based on the 2010 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) area definitions, the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes at the four-digit level and the full 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code manual. Occupation and wage estimates are not provided for farms, the self-employed, owner/partners in unincorporated firms, the military, household workers or unpaid family workers. Estimates for some occupations or wage levels may be suppressed because they do not meet BLS publication standards or due to small sample size. These include occupations with an estimated employment of fewer than 10 people. Dashes shown in the data columns indicate suppressed data.

The OEWS program now uses a new estimation methodology for May 2021 estimates. The new model-based estimation methodology, called MB3, has advantages over the previous methodology, as described in the Monthly Labor Review article “Model-Based Estimates for the Occupational Employment Statistics program.” More information on MB3 is available at bls.gov/oes/mb3-methods.pdf. The May 2022 percentile wages can be estimated to $100.00+ per hour or $208,000+ per year. All of the microdata in the estimates were collected under these newer wage intervals. National estimates, state estimates, and more information about the program are available online at bls.gov/oes. If you have questions about these data, contact the Employment Security Department Labor Market Information Center at 1-833-572-8421.

How can I use this information?

  • To set wages for employees.
  • To compare wages regionally.
  • To compare wages by occupation.
  • For career planning.