Washington employment estimates (WA-QB &CES)

View current and past data about non-agricultural job numbers in Washington.

These data series provide monthly estimates of nonfarm employment. Use these reports to understand how industries, communities, and the broader economy are performing, including trends in employment, earnings, and business activity.

Washington quarterly benchmark (WA-QB)

These are monthly reports of job counts by industry and of job gains and losses. This data is good for planning, budgeting and workforce analysis.

Latest reports

Data sets not adjusted for seasonality of jobs (NSA)

Data sets adjusted for seasonality of jobs (SA)

Find other reports about jobs in the report library.

We base Washington employment estimates on Current Employment Statistics (CES) data developed by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, our employment estimates for Washington industries are different from those in the CES data series. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Glossary.

Current employment statistics (CES)

These monthly estimates give a quick snapshot of employment trends. This data is good for timely estimates of employment by industry (nonfarm) and workers’ hours and earnings.

Latest reports

Data sets adjusted for seasonality of jobs (SA)

Data sets not adjusted for seasonality of jobs (NSA)

Additional CES data

Find other reports about jobs in the report library.

Current Employment Statistics (CES) is a federal/state cooperative program developed from a monthly survey of Washington employers. BLS conducts the survey and validates the data. BLS gathers the data based on employment in the Sunday-to-Saturday week including the 12th of the month. CES is also known as the payroll or establishment survey.

The survey sample includes about 7,000 businesses and government agencies, which cover more than 20,000 individual worksites. CES estimates are among the earliest economic information available to analyze current economic conditions.

From the survey, we produce the statewide and local employment reports.

Uses for employment estimates

Private and public sectors use employment estimates of Washington industries to:

  • Guide decisions on plant location, sales and purchases.
  • Compare businesses and the industry or economy.
  • Negotiate labor contracts based on industry or local earnings and hours.
  • Determine the employment base of states and areas for bond ratings.
  • Detect and plan for swings in the business cycle.
  • Evaluate the economic health of the state and its communities.
  • Guide monetary policy decisions.
  • Assess the growth of industries.
  • Forecast tax revenue for states and areas.
  • Measure employment, hours and earnings to determine economic growth.

For more information, contact an economist.

The difference between WA-QB and CES

To develop our employment estimates for Washington industries, we replace CES survey data with data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). QCEW data are actual counts of employees, while CES data come from a survey of employers.

Each month, economists estimate monthly job gains and losses based on the survey of employers (CES). Then, at the end of each quarter, economists revise the estimates based on actual numbers from employer tax records (QCEW). Benchmarking is the process we use to replace employment estimates with the actual number of job gains or losses. While we benchmark our data quarterly, the BLS benchmarks its data only once a year.

By benchmarking our data quarterly rather than annually, we provide the most accurate and current information possible on Washington’s economy and labor market.

About the data

Seasonality

You can find these data both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted numbers account for normal seasonal patterns occurring year after year, such as retail-trade hiring around the holidays or students entering the labor force in the summer. Not seasonally adjusted numbers are raw or actual employment counts without seasonal patterns. Learn more about the BLS explanation of seasonality.

Historical data

Historical data includes information from 1990 to present. Rounded data has fewer decimal places for easy reading and general presentation purposes, not for analysis.

Data source

BLS evaluates all CES series annually for sample size, coverage, and response rates which are based on the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries.