OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state Employment Security Department says the average annual wage in Washington increased 1.9 percent last year to $47,153.
The department said Thursday the loss of thousands of low-paying jobs contributed to the raise.
The average is used to compute jobless benefits, so they’ll be going up next month. The minimum weekly benefit will increase by $2 to $135 and the maximum will increase $10 to $570.
The average annual wage also is used to compute employers’ unemployment taxes and workers’ compensation benefits.
