Pay and cost of living in King County, WA
Across the 68 occupations we cover in King County, WA, the middle median salary is $61,825 a year. Pay runs from $39,150 for Fast Food and Counter Workers up to $214,680 for Computer and Information Systems Managers, a spread of $175,530. Wages come from the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in King County, WA has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,180 a month and a two-bedroom $2,549. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $33,210 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $64,425 a year, and every one of the 68 occupations listed here earns enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in King County, WA
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for King County, WA, set beside the Washington and national medians.
Median household income in King County, WA is $124,746, 27% above the Washington median of $98,141 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($26,160) equals 21.0% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $61,825, is 50% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in King County, WA pay a median of $7,114 a year in real estate taxes, 56% above the Washington median of $4,556. With a median home value of $859,900, 52% above the Washington median of $564,600, the ratio of the two medians is 0.83% a year.
Renters in King County, WA pay a median gross rent of $2,092 a month in the Census survey, 19% above the Washington median of $1,760. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $2,180; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in King County, WA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 27.6 minutes each way, 4% above the Washington average of 26.6. 29.2% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.