Local wages saw solid gains to begin 2024

Published 12:42 pm Monday, September 30, 2024

New data released this week shows that local workers continued to bring home higher wages to begin 2024 that easily outpaced the region’s inflation rate.

Preliminary data released by the Washington State Employment Security Department estimated that the average wage in Pacific County grew by 7.1% from the first three months of 2023 to the same period this year. The average weekly wage increased from $855 — an annual rate of $44,460 — in the first quarter of last year to $916 — or $47,632 annually — in January, February and March of 2024.

The wage growth in the county nearly doubled the 3.7% increase in inflation that the five Pacific Coast states — Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii — experienced in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, meaning the average wage not only kept up with inflation but easily outran it.

ESD’s data is based on lagging quarterly employment and wage data that employers are required to submit. The figures show that just over $77 million was paid out to Pacific County workers in the year’s first quarter, up from about $72 million over the same period in 2023.

Local workers in hotels, motels, restaurants, bars and other dining and drinking establishments saw some of the biggest year-over-year gains, with the average wage increasing from $416 per week in the first quarter of 2023 to $455 in the first three months of this year — a jump of 9.4%. Retail workers saw their weekly wages increase by 4.9%, from $629 to $660 per week.

Those working in administrative support and waste services saw their wages increase by an average of just over $50 per week, from $814 to $865, a gain of 6.3%. Finance and insurance workers also saw their weekly wages increase by an average of 6.3%, from $1,359 in the first three months of 2023 to $1,445 over the same period in 2024, while manufacturing wages increased by 4.6%, from $882 to $923 per week.

Construction and healthcare and social services workers saw their wages remain essentially flat over the year prior. The average weekly wage for the local construction industry increased by just 0.5%, from $843 to $847, while healthcare and social workers saw their wages dip slightly from $748 to $746 per week — a loss of 0.3%.

The biggest year-over-year local wage swing from the first quarter of 2023 to the same three-month period in 2024 was in the sector that covers agriculture, forestry and fishing and hunting; Wages increased by an average of 15.4%, from $831 to $959 per week.

The number of people employed in that sector declined notably from the previous year, however, from 578 per month in the first quarter of 2023 to 532 per month in the same period in 2024. The drop was most pronounced among fishers and hunters, which coincided with the fire that destroyed the Ilwaco Landing facility and millions of dollars in crabbing equipment in January of this year. The facility was a critical processor for independent local crabbers.

Unemployment dips below 6%

New data released by ESD last week also showed that Pacific County saw a small dip in its jobless rate as summer wore on.

The monthly report from the state agency found that the county’s unemployment rate dropped from 6% in July to 5.8% in August. That preliminary figure is down slightly from the 5.9% mark a year ago, and is tied with 2018 for the lowest August unemployment rate for the county in any year dating back to at least 1990.

Overall, the county unemployment rate ranked 33rd out of Washington’s 39 counties and ahead of neighboring Grays Harbor (6.4%) and Wahkiakum (6.5%) counties. As usual, Ferry County in the northeast corner of the state had the highest unemployment rate for July, at 8%.

The statewide unemployment rate sat at 4.9% for August, down from 5% in July and up from 4.3% a year ago. Twenty counties had an unemployment rate below 5%, with San Juan and Asotin counties having the lowest rates in the state at 3.6%.

An estimated 6,490 people in Pacific County were employed in nonfarm jobs in August, down 0.9% from July and up 1.4% from a year ago. The figures exclude farm workers, private household employees, business owners and those employed by nonprofits. It’s the county’s best nonfarm employment for the month of August since 2007.

Employment in the county’s biggest private industry, leisure and hospitality, was unchanged over the previous year, at 1,110 workers. The county’s public sector workforce, including local state and federal employees, was up 1.6% over last August, from 1,840 to 1,870.

Manufacturing jobs were up 2.9% over last August, from 680 to 700, while mining, logging and construction jobs were up 4.3%, from 460 to 480. The retail workforce was flat year-over-year, at 750.

Jobs in education and health services saw the biggest gains over last August, with the workforce increasing by 10% — from 600 to 660. In terms of employment, it’s the best August for the sector since 2008.

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