GeraJobs / US Wage Premium / Whatcom County, WA
Whatcom County, Washington — Wages & Employment (2023)
Ranked #407 of 3,141 US counties by the Gera Local Wage Premium US (85.6, US = 100) — computed from real BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data.
What is the average wage in Whatcom County, WA?
Whatcom County, WA has a GLWP-US of 85.6 (rank #407 of 3,141), below the US average. Average weekly wage: $1192 (~$61,984/year, US = $1392/wk). Its highest-concentration sector is Construction (LQ 1.62x). Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
Gera Local Wage Premium US
Whatcom County's wage premium vs US average (rank #407 of 3,141). Below the US average.
How this is calculated$1,192
Avg weekly wage (2023)
$61,984
Approx annual pay
85.6
GLWP-US (US = 100)
#407 / 3,141
National rank
93,260
Average employment
$1,392
US avg weekly wage
Whatcom County vs US average — wage comparison
| Metric | Whatcom County | US Average | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg weekly wage | $1,192 | $1,392 | -$200 |
| Approx annual pay | $61,984 | $72,384 | -$10,400 |
| GLWP-US index | 85.6 | 100.0 | -14.4 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023, all industries, all ownership types. Annual pay = weekly wage × 52 (derived). GLWP-US = (county wage / US $1392/wk) × 100.
Whatcom County — top industries by employment concentration
Location Quotient (LQ) > 1.0 means the industry is more concentrated here than the US average. Private sector, BLS QCEW 2023.
| Industry (NAICS sector) | LQ | Avg Wk Wage (sector) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 1.62x | $1,610 |
| Other Services | 1.27x | $903 |
| Manufacturing | 1.15x | $1,461 |
| Retail Trade | 1.12x | $795 |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1.04x | $515 |
LQ = (county sector employment share) / (US sector employment share). Source: BLS QCEW 2023, agglvl_code=74, own_code=5 (private sector).
Whatcom County — GLWP-US breakdown
GLWP-US
85.6
US = 100
National Rank
#407
of 3,141 counties
Wage Premium
$200
vs US avg/wk
GLWP-US = 85.6 (rank #407 of 3,141, below the US average). Formula: ($1192/wk ÷ $1392/wk) × 100 = 85.6.
Explore US County Wage Premiums — Interactive
US average = $$1,392/wk (GLWP-US 100). Showing top 50 results.
| Rank | County | State | GLWP-US | Avg Wk Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7 | King County | WA | 166.5 | $2,317 |
| #90 | Snohomish County | WA | 109.0 | $1,517 |
| #214 | Clark County | WA | 95.3 | $1,326 |
| #231 | Thurston County | WA | 94.3 | $1,312 |
| #242 | Kitsap County | WA | 93.5 | $1,301 |
| #253 | Columbia County | WA | 92.7 | $1,290 |
| #255 | Benton County | WA | 92.6 | $1,289 |
| #256 | Pierce County | WA | 92.6 | $1,289 |
| #328 | Cowlitz County | WA | 89.1 | $1,240 |
| #390 | Spokane County | WA | 86.2 | $1,200 |
| #407 | Whatcom County | WA | 85.6 | $1,192 |
| #411 | Skagit County | WA | 85.3 | $1,187 |
| #443 | Whitman County | WA | 84.1 | $1,170 |
| #473 | Grant County | WA | 83.3 | $1,160 |
| #474 | Klickitat County | WA | 83.3 | $1,160 |
| #487 | Garfield County | WA | 82.9 | $1,154 |
| #615 | Pend Oreille County | WA | 80.5 | $1,121 |
| #851 | Lewis County | WA | 76.2 | $1,061 |
| #858 | Franklin County | WA | 76.1 | $1,059 |
| #859 | Island County | WA | 76.1 | $1,060 |
| #888 | Jefferson County | WA | 75.9 | $1,056 |
| #893 | Mason County | WA | 75.8 | $1,055 |
| #966 | Chelan County | WA | 74.9 | $1,042 |
| #986 | Grays Harbor County | WA | 74.6 | $1,039 |
| #1,019 | Walla Walla County | WA | 74.1 | $1,032 |
| #1,147 | Clallam County | WA | 72.6 | $1,010 |
| #1,223 | San Juan County | WA | 71.8 | $1,000 |
| #1,294 | Asotin County | WA | 71.0 | $989 |
| #1,320 | Kittitas County | WA | 70.8 | $986 |
| #1,430 | Adams County | WA | 69.8 | $971 |
| #1,431 | Skamania County | WA | 69.8 | $972 |
| #1,458 | Stevens County | WA | 69.5 | $968 |
| #1,538 | Douglas County | WA | 68.9 | $959 |
| #1,555 | Yakima County | WA | 68.8 | $958 |
| #1,593 | Lincoln County | WA | 68.5 | $954 |
| #1,784 | Ferry County | WA | 66.8 | $930 |
| #1,997 | Pacific County | WA | 65.1 | $906 |
| #2,366 | Okanogan County | WA | 62.1 | $865 |
| #2,640 | Wahkiakum County | WA | 59.4 | $827 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023 Annual Single File, US public domain. GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage ÷ US avg $1,392/wk) × 100. Top sector LQ = employment location quotient (private sector). Computed by GeraJobs.
Whatcom County wages — FAQ
- What is the GLWP-US score for Whatcom County, WA?
- Whatcom County, WA has a Gera Local Wage Premium US (GLWP-US) of 85.6 (US average = 100), ranking #407 of 3,141 US counties. This puts it below the US average. Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
- What is the average weekly wage in Whatcom County, Washington?
- The BLS QCEW 2023 data shows the annual average weekly wage in Whatcom County, Washington is $1192, equating to approximately $61,984/year. The US average is $1392/wk ($72,384/year). GLWP-US: 85.6 (US = 100).
- How many people are employed in Whatcom County?
- In 2023, Whatcom County, Washington had an annual average employment of 93,260 workers covered by unemployment insurance, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This covers private-sector and government workers across all industries.
- What industries are most concentrated in Whatcom County?
- Based on BLS QCEW 2023 employment Location Quotients, the most concentrated private-sector industries in Whatcom County, Washington are: Construction (LQ 1.62x, avg $1610/wk); Other Services (LQ 1.27x, avg $903/wk); Manufacturing (LQ 1.15x, avg $1461/wk); Retail Trade (LQ 1.12x, avg $795/wk); Accommodation & Food Services (LQ 1.04x, avg $515/wk). An LQ above 1.0 means the county has a higher share of that industry than the US overall.
- How does Whatcom County's wage compare to Washington overall?
- Whatcom County has a GLWP-US of 85.6 vs the US average of 100. To see how Whatcom County compares to other counties in Washington, explore the full GeraJobs US Wage Premium rankings. The GLWP-US is computed from BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data covering all industries and ownership types.
How the Gera Local Wage Premium US is calculated
GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage / US avg weekly wage) × 100. US average $1392/wk in 2023 → US = 100 by construction. Data: BLS QCEW 2023 annual singlefile, all industries, all ownership. Suppressed cells excluded. No imputation. Full methodology · Licence: US public domain.
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Other counties in Washington by GLWP-US
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2023 Annual Single File (data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2023/csv/2023_annual_singlefile.zip). US public domain. Area title from BLS area_titles.csv. FIPS: 53073. No figure is modelled or estimated.