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City of Seattle salaries
City of Seattle salary estimate
$58,099yearly
City of Seattle Salary Overview
The City of Seattle provides a competitive salary structure that reflects the city's commitment to fair compensation. In 2025, the average salary stands at $58,099, with significant variations across departments. For instance, administrative and engineering roles tend to offer higher salaries due to the specialized skills required.
High-demand positions, particularly in public safety and engineering, are among the best paying jobs. For example, engineering roles command salaries that exceed the average, making them attractive options for job seekers. Understanding these dynamics is essential for those considering employment with the city, as it can greatly influence career choices and financial planning.
For a comprehensive look at salary ranges by department, refer to the specific sections that detail earnings in various roles, ensuring you have a clear understanding of your potential compensation.
Highest paying jobs at City of Seattle
The highest paying jobs at City of Seattle are division director, city attorney, program manager, and applications developer. Division director jobs at City of Seattle earn an average yearly salary of $127,186, City of Seattle city attorney jobs average $99,856, and City of Seattle program manager jobs average $95,748.
The lowest paying City of Seattle roles include recreation attendant and recreation leader. City of Seattle recreation attendant average salary is $23,828 per year. So while the average City of Seattle salary is $58,099 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at City of Seattle
| Rank | Job title | Average City of Seattle salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Division Director | $127,186 | $61.15 |
| 2 | City Attorney | $99,856 | $48.01 |
| 3 | Program Manager | $95,748 | $46.03 |
| 4 | Applications Developer | $90,422 | $43.47 |
| 5 | Policy Advisor | $90,170 | $43.35 |
| 6 | Senior Engineering Technician | $90,140 | $43.34 |
| 7 | Transportation Planner | $88,691 | $42.64 |
| 8 | Software Developer | $82,951 | $39.88 |
| 9 | Civil Engineer | $81,260 | $39.07 |
| 10 | Program Coordinator | $80,611 | $38.76 |
| 11 | Business Analyst | $80,505 | $38.70 |
| 12 | Executive Assistant | $77,099 | $37.07 |
| 13 | Project Manager | $76,644 | $36.85 |
| 14 | Principal Accountant | $76,353 | $36.71 |
| 15 | Senior Investigator | $74,775 | $35.95 |
| 16 | Human Resources Business Partner | $74,603 | $35.87 |
| 17 | Project Coordinator | $73,652 | $35.41 |
| 18 | Systems Analyst | $72,419 | $34.82 |
| 19 | Adult Services Librarian | $72,072 | $34.65 |
| 20 | Public Relations Specialist | $71,676 | $34.46 |
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City of Seattle salaries by department
Salaries at City of Seattle vary depending on the department you work in. City of Seattle salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $79,542. Employees in the finance department at City of Seattle receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $78,041 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at City of Seattle include the hospitality/service and the facilities organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $24,299 and $42,355, respectively.
Average City of Seattle salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average City of Seattle salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $79,542 | $38.24 |
| 2 | Finance | $78,041 | $37.52 |
| 3 | Marketing | $74,239 | $35.69 |
| 4 | IT | $72,422 | $34.82 |
| 5 | Legal | $68,482 | $32.92 |
| 6 | Human Resources | $65,936 | $31.70 |
| 7 | Plant/Manufacturing | $61,662 | $29.65 |
| 8 | Supply Chain | $61,073 | $29.36 |
| 9 | Accounting | $55,229 | $26.55 |
| 10 | Non Profit/Government | $54,490 | $26.20 |
| 11 | Administrative | $52,565 | $25.27 |
| 12 | Customer Service | $51,399 | $24.71 |
| 13 | Construction | $51,087 | $24.56 |
| 14 | Education | $50,963 | $24.50 |
| 15 | Facilities | $42,356 | $20.36 |
| 16 | Hospitality/Service | $24,300 | $11.68 |
How much does City of Seattle pay by department?
Best paying City of Seattle administrative salaries
| Rank | Position | Average City of Seattle salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Project Coordinator | $86,426 | $41.55 |
| 2 | Executive Assistant | $77,099 | $37.07 |
| 3 | Office Lead | $75,171 | $36.14 |
| 4 | Administrator | $71,035 | $34.15 |
| 5 | Administrative Specialist | $60,195 | $28.94 |
| 6 | Scheduler | $49,652 | $23.87 |
| 7 | Office Manager | $45,467 | $21.86 |
| 8 | Library Associate | $40,580 | $19.51 |
| 9 | Administrative Assistant | $37,563 | $18.06 |
| 10 | Front Desk Receptionist | $29,835 | $14.34 |
| 11 | Student Internship | $29,536 | $14.20 |
Best paying City of Seattle engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average City of Seattle salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Database Administrator | $94,811 | $45.58 |
| 2 | Engineering Specialist | $91,657 | $44.07 |
| 3 | Applications Developer | $90,422 | $43.47 |
| 4 | Senior Engineering Technician | $90,140 | $43.34 |
| 5 | Software Developer | $82,951 | $39.88 |
| 6 | Middleware Administrator | $82,765 | $39.79 |
| 7 | Senior Project Manager | $82,668 | $39.74 |
| 8 | Civil Engineer | $81,260 | $39.07 |
| 9 | Cable Splicer Apprentice | $78,907 | $37.94 |
| 10 | Technical Project Manager | $78,149 | $37.57 |
| 11 | Data Analyst | $75,762 | $36.42 |
| 12 | Software Consultant | $71,987 | $34.61 |
| 13 | Operations Engineer | $69,809 | $33.56 |
| 14 | Technical System Analyst | $69,164 | $33.25 |
| 15 | Police Communications Dispatcher | $65,073 | $31.29 |
| 16 | Gis Internship | $62,955 | $30.27 |
| 17 | Radio Dispatcher | $57,080 | $27.44 |
| 18 | Zoning Technician | $53,740 | $25.84 |
Best paying City of Seattle non profit/government salaries
| Rank | Position | Average City of Seattle salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Program Manager | $95,748 | $46.03 |
| 2 | Programming Specialist | $87,204 | $41.93 |
| 3 | Program Coordinator | $80,611 | $38.76 |
| 4 | Senior Investigator | $74,775 | $35.95 |
| 5 | Police Officer | $64,192 | $30.86 |
| 6 | Community Advisor | $63,373 | $30.47 |
| 7 | Deputy Fire Marshal | $53,694 | $25.81 |
| 8 | Parking Enforcement Officer | $50,542 | $24.30 |
| 9 | Center Coordinator | $47,606 | $22.89 |
| 10 | Crew Chief | $47,397 | $22.79 |
| 11 | Probation Counselor | $46,819 | $22.51 |
| 12 | Facilitator | $44,653 | $21.47 |
| 13 | Social Services Aide | $38,455 | $18.49 |
| 14 | Case Manager | $37,299 | $17.93 |
| 15 | Recreation Leader | $29,085 | $13.98 |
City of Seattle competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at City of Seattle competitors, like City of Palo Alto, City of Chicago, and King County, vary. City of Palo Alto employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $67,557. The average salary at City of Chicago is $63,559 per year, and the average salary at King County is $58,262 per year.
Highest paying City of Seattle competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Palo Alto | 3.8 | $67,557 |
| 2 | City of Chicago | 3.9 | $63,559 |
| 3 | King County | 4.5 | $58,262 |
| 4 | City of Beaumont | 3.7 | $56,190 |
| 5 | City of Tacoma | 4.5 | $53,028 |
| 6 | City of San Jos | 4.4 | $51,913 |
| 7 | City of Newark | 3.9 | $49,994 |
| 8 | City and County of Denver Government | 4.6 | $49,854 |
| 9 | City of Los Angeles | 4.0 | $49,427 |
| 10 | City of San Antonio | 4.4 | $45,964 |
| 11 | Arizona Department of Education | 4.3 | $44,597 |
| 12 | U.S. Department of the Interior | 4.8 | $43,882 |
| 13 | City of New York | 4.2 | $43,564 |
| 14 | City of Houston | 4.1 | $42,702 |
| 15 | Town of Marana | 3.5 | $42,471 |
| 16 | City of San Diego | 4.4 | $41,287 |
| 17 | City of Atlanta | 3.9 | $40,958 |
| 18 | Maryland Department Of Business & Economic Development | 3.8 | $40,601 |
| 19 | City of Redlands | 3.4 | $38,940 |
| 20 | Faith Farm Ministries | 3.8 | $34,394 |
Recently added City of Seattle salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Advisor 1-Park Community Fund | Seattle, WA | 06/28/2025 | $104,517 |
| Seattle Conservation Corps Supervisor | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $75,320 |
| Watershed Engineer (Civil Engineer, Associate) | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $125,533 |
| Seattle Conservation Corps Counselor | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $87,362 |
| Applications Developer (Itp-B, BU) | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $109,839 |
What employees say about salary at City of Seattle
A lot of expertise.
Mediocrity is accepted from troubled employees and hard working good employees are not rewarded. Good old white boy advancement opportunity is alive and well in SDCI
None really
Nothing at all
Fire all of the under-performers and the lazy managers
Didn’t prepare. Just went in and laid out my qualifications
Lower than regional comparisons
Not present. The city talks equity and diversity but it does not exist within
Going home every day
Frequently asked questions about City of Seattle salaries
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of City of Seattle, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about City of Seattle. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at City of Seattle. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by City of Seattle. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of City of Seattle and its employees or that of Zippia.
City of Seattle may also be known as or be related to City Of Seattle, City of Seattle and The City of Seattle-City Light Department.