Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Spokane, WA MSA — September 2026
Spokane's low jobless rate hides a shrinking labor force.
Spokane County's unemployment rate sits at a favorable 3.4% against the state's 4.9% and the nation's 4.1%, but a 2,500-job payroll decline and retirement-driven labor force attrition suggest the tight rate reflects fewer workers, not stronger demand.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Spokane County unemployment rate: 3.4% — July 2026, vs 4.9% WA and 4.1% US
- Spokane payroll change: -2,500 jobs — Month-over-month to 264,000 total, July 2026
- Spokane average weekly wage growth: 6.9% — Q4 2025 YoY, to $1,369/week
- Washington state wage vs. inflation: 3.1% vs 3.5% — Real wages declining ~0.5% annually statewide
Key takeaways
Low unemployment is masking a shrinking labor pool.
Spokane County's 3.4% July rate looks strong against the state's 4.9% and the nation's 4.1%, but it coincides with a 2,500-job payroll decline and a labor force reduced by retirements rather than new entrants. A tight rate driven by exits, not demand, points to a different economic trajectory than the headline number implies.
Healthcare is nearly the only sector adding jobs locally.
Private education and health services added 1,200 jobs over the year and now represent close to one in five jobs countywide, while most other sectors regressed. Concentration this heavy leaves the metro's broader job growth story dependent on a single sector's continued expansion.
Wage growth locally has outpaced the state's inflation-adjusted decline — for now.
Spokane's average weekly wage rose 6.9% year-over-year through Q4 2025 to $1,369, a stronger showing than the statewide 3.1% wage growth against 3.5% inflation that is producing real wage declines elsewhere in Washington. Whether Spokane's wage gains hold up against the same inflation pressure will be a key test in coming quarters.
Retirements are becoming a structural, not cyclical, labor force story.
Workers voluntarily leaving the labor force are reducing Spokane's available workforce by about 3% annually, a trend regional economists expect to intensify toward 4% by 2029. That demographic arithmetic, more than cyclical hiring swings, may be the more consequential long-run variable for the metro's economic capacity.
Median advertised pay by role — Spokane, WA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $33,761 | $37,169 | $39,520 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $30,894 | $36,519 | $37,710 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $35,665 | $41,600 | $43,680 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,066 | $69,879 | $79,961 | Stable | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $32,380 | $39,608 | $45,760 | Moderate increase | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $37,440 | $47,840 | $49,920 | Moderate increase | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $71,760 | $83,200 | $93,600 | Significant increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $36,920 | $40,455 | $42,640 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $37,292 | $42,640 | $44,969 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $34,268 | $41,650 | $43,848 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $43,535 | $50,305 | $53,061 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $39,520 | $45,760 | $51,233 | Moderate increase | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $63,087 | $72,840 | $78,000 | Stable | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $92,759 | $114,804 | $122,774 | Significant increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $105,305 | $139,569 | $152,136 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $80,723 | $83,573 | $106,911 | Significant decline | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $56,511 | $69,680 | $75,633 | Moderate decline | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $79,627 | $90,118 | $97,916 | Moderate decline | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $56,355 | $67,500 | $78,389 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $55,748 | $66,186 | $77,500 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $79,389 | $100,489 | $105,250 | Significant decline | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $38,615 | $62,030 | $75,080 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $56,400 | $81,310 | $99,734 | Stable | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $51,506 | $75,000 | $80,000 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $73,033 | $84,711 | $92,267 | Stable | $98,279 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $59,280 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $73,455 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $41,864 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $55,120 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $70,720 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $62,400 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $70,942 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $62,400 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $36,400 | Moderate decline | Moderate increase |
| Government | $67,157 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Spokane County's unemployment rate held at a low 3.4% in July 2026, well below both the state's 4.9% and the national 4.1%, even as total nonfarm payrolls slipped by 2,500 jobs month-over-month to 264,000 — a divergence consistent with a civilian labor force that is shrinking rather than a job market that is strengthening. Healthcare and private education continue to carry the metro's growth, adding 1,200 jobs over the year, while retirements are pulling roughly 3% of workers out of the labor force annually, a structural drag state economists expect to peak near 4% by 2029.
What it means
Spokane's low headline unemployment rate is flattering relative to Washington's statewide softening — the state cut roughly 14,500 jobs in September and ranked 44th nationally in job growth — but local payroll contraction alongside a shrinking labor force suggests the tight rate reflects fewer available workers more than robust demand. For commerce leaders weighing local investment or expansion, that distinction matters: a metro posting 3.4% unemployment on a flat-to-declining labor force is a materially different growth environment than one posting the same rate on rising participation. Consider evaluating expansion or investment timelines against labor force trend data specifically, not the unemployment rate alone.
Looking ahead
Expected: BLS and Washington ESD data for August and September Spokane employment should publish within the next two months; watch whether the 2,500-job July payroll decline was a one-month dip or the start of a trend.
Emerging pressure point: Statewide WARN filings were heaviest in September, including notices from Amazon, Gilbert Orchards, and MultiCare Health System; confirm whether any similar filings surface specifically within Spokane County given the metro's reliance on healthcare employment.
Early indicator: Washington's wage growth (3.1%) now trails inflation (3.5%), producing real wage declines statewide; watch whether Spokane's stronger Q4 2025 wage gain (6.9%) narrows toward the state pattern in upcoming quarterly data.
Worth watching: Labor force participation tied to retirements is the metro's defining structural trend; local economic development groups may find workforce participation data more predictive of business climate than the unemployment rate alone over the next several quarters.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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