Senior Economist salary in Seattle, WA

Based on 29 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish.

Also listed as: Research Economist, Associate Economist

Median salary$165,600
Middle 50%$160k–$170k
vs. all levels here+10%comparison median $151,000
Filings29FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $135,657 and $192,328.
PercentileSalary
10th$151,000
25th$160,000
50th (median)$165,600
75th$170,000
90th$187,660

Salary by year

Median salary

$120k $150k $180k FY2021: median $158,400 (13 filings) FY2022: median $148,450 (16 filings) FY2023: median $143,195 (10 filings) FY2026: median $168,000 (24 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 2 filings FY20 FY2021: 13 filings FY21 FY2022: 16 filings FY22 FY2023: 10 filings FY23 FY2024: 8 filings FY24 FY2025: 5 filings FY25 FY2026: 24 filings FY26 24
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020–––2
FY2021$158,400$152,506$160,00013
FY2022$148,450$123,594$159,06716
FY2023$143,195$118,789$189,54010
FY2024–––8
FY2025–––5
FY2026$168,000$159,500$171,66524

Cost of living

Seattle's median senior Economist salary of $165,600 is worth about $149,000 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Seattle = 111.1).

Compared with all workers here

All Economists in the Seattle, WA area earned a median of $126,420 in May 2025 (200 employed). The H-1B median here is $165,600, 31% higher.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Amazon$165,00028

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $147,000 21
Mid-level · Level II $148,500 36
Senior · Level III $165,600 29
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$91,853$147,00021
Mid-level · Level II$118,810$148,50036
Senior · Level III$145,766$165,60029

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.