Economy

A Real Look at Seattle’s Wage Growth

See how Seattle compares to national wage growth numbers.

By Leslie Helm August 31, 2018

Close-up Photo Of Person's Hand Giving Cheque

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the September 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription.

Since 2006, private-sector wages in the United States have climbed 12.9 percent. But factor in inflation, as PayScales Real Wage Index does, and the buying power of those paychecks has fallen 9.3 percent.

In the second quarter of 2018, nominal wages were up 1.1 percent from the year before, while real wages fell by 1.4 percent, the sharpest drop since 2014 because of rising inflation.

Heres a look at how Seattle compares to the national picture.

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