Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The City of Tacoma provides a variety of career paths, with salaries that can differ widely based on the specific role. The average salary across all positions stands at $53,028, but top earners such as data scientists and city attorneys receive significantly higher compensation, averaging $87,450 and $86,393 respectively.
Conversely, entry-level positions like customer service representatives earn around $32,337, showing the disparity based on job responsibilities. Pay also varies by department; for instance, the engineering department offers an average salary of $67,819, while the IT department follows closely with $63,292.
When comparing salaries with competitors such as the City of Gary and City of Chicago, Tacoma’s pay structure remains competitive. Employees at the City of Gary earn an average of $63,587, indicating Tacoma's commitment to fair compensation. Understanding these salary differences is crucial for job seekers evaluating their options within the city.
The highest paying jobs at City of Tacoma are data scientist, city attorney, sap/abap developer, and engineering associate. Data scientist jobs at City of Tacoma earn an average yearly salary of $87,450, City of Tacoma city attorney jobs average $86,393, and City of Tacoma sap/abap developer jobs average $81,360.
The lowest paying City of Tacoma roles include customer service representative and volunteer. City of Tacoma customer service representative average salary is $32,337 per year. So while the average City of Tacoma salary is $53,028 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
| Rank | Job title | Average City of Tacoma salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data Scientist | $87,450 | $42.04 |
| 2 | City Attorney | $86,393 | $41.54 |
| 3 | Sap/Abap Developer | $81,360 | $39.12 |
| 4 | Engineering Associate | $80,947 | $38.92 |
| 5 | Operation Supervisor | $79,889 | $38.41 |
| 6 | City Treasurer | $79,069 | $38.01 |
| 7 | Power Distribution Engineer | $78,942 | $37.95 |
| 8 | SAP Fico Consultant | $77,247 | $37.14 |
| 9 | Systems Engineer | $76,539 | $36.80 |
| 10 | Service Manager | $74,601 | $35.87 |
| 11 | Electrician | $73,699 | $35.43 |
| 12 | Information Technology Supervisor, Information Technology | $73,491 | $35.33 |
| 13 | Program Manager | $70,759 | $34.02 |
| 14 | SAP Abap Consultant | $70,145 | $33.72 |
| 15 | Information Technology Senior Analyst | $70,114 | $33.71 |
| 16 | Journeyman Lineman | $68,644 | $33.00 |
| 17 | Field Tax Auditor | $67,857 | $32.62 |
| 18 | Permit Specialist | $60,591 | $29.13 |
| 19 | Police Sergeant | $60,316 | $29.00 |
| 20 | Police Officer | $59,954 | $28.82 |
Rate the fairness of City of Tacoma's compensation policies.
Do you work at City of Tacoma?
Were you satisfied with City of Tacoma's salary and benefits?
Salaries at City of Tacoma vary depending on the department you work in. City of Tacoma salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $67,819. Employees in the it department at City of Tacoma receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $63,292 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at City of Tacoma include the retail and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $36,886 and $37,103, respectively.
| Rank | Department | Average City of Tacoma salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $67,819 | $32.61 |
| 2 | IT | $63,292 | $30.43 |
| 3 | Research & Development | $61,387 | $29.51 |
| 4 | Marketing | $60,275 | $28.98 |
| 5 | Finance | $59,384 | $28.55 |
| 6 | Non Profit/Government | $54,716 | $26.31 |
| 7 | Legal | $54,479 | $26.19 |
| 8 | Construction | $54,081 | $26.00 |
| 9 | Supply Chain | $53,197 | $25.58 |
| 10 | Accounting | $51,186 | $24.61 |
| 11 | Customer Service | $48,384 | $23.26 |
| 12 | Human Resources | $47,343 | $22.76 |
| 13 | Plant/Manufacturing | $46,769 | $22.49 |
| 14 | Education | $45,616 | $21.93 |
| 15 | Facilities | $41,993 | $20.19 |
| 16 | Administrative | $37,104 | $17.84 |
| 17 | Retail | $36,887 | $17.73 |
| Rank | Position | Average City of Tacoma salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Principal Developer | $94,006 | $45.20 |
| 2 | Data Scientist | $87,450 | $42.04 |
| 3 | Sap/Abap Developer | $81,360 | $39.12 |
| 4 | Abap-Developer | $81,187 | $39.03 |
| 5 | Engineering Associate | $80,947 | $38.92 |
| 6 | Power Distribution Engineer | $78,942 | $37.95 |
| 7 | SAP Fico Consultant | $77,247 | $37.14 |
| 8 | Systems Engineer | $76,539 | $36.80 |
| 9 | Energy Manager | $76,002 | $36.54 |
| 10 | SAP Business Analyst | $74,046 | $35.60 |
| 11 | Waste Management Specialist | $70,799 | $34.04 |
| 12 | Senior Project Manager | $69,775 | $33.55 |
| 13 | Data Analyst | $61,851 | $29.74 |
| 14 | GIS Specialist | $58,953 | $28.34 |
| 15 | Gis Internship | $58,708 | $28.23 |
| 16 | Engineering Technician | $51,077 | $24.56 |
| 17 | Communications Officer | $40,324 | $19.39 |
| 18 | Refuse Collector | $36,866 | $17.72 |
| 19 | Solid Waste Collector | $35,916 | $17.27 |
| Rank | Position | Average City of Tacoma salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Journeyman Lineman | $68,644 | $33.00 |
| 2 | System Technician | $55,638 | $26.75 |
| 3 | Safety Officer | $53,539 | $25.74 |
| 4 | Facilities Coordinator | $46,649 | $22.43 |
| 5 | Maintenance Technician Supervisor | $41,886 | $20.14 |
| 6 | Heavy Equipment Mechanic | $41,179 | $19.80 |
| 7 | Locomotive Mechanic | $40,750 | $19.59 |
| 8 | Utility Worker | $38,656 | $18.58 |
| 9 | Custodian | $33,010 | $15.87 |
| 10 | Janitor | $29,118 | $14.00 |
| 11 | Grounds Maintenance Worker | $28,978 | $13.93 |
| 12 | Woodworking Shop Hand | $28,199 | $13.56 |
| 13 | Irrigation Installation Specialist | $26,213 | $12.60 |
| Rank | Position | Average City of Tacoma salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delivery Manager | $73,482 | $35.33 |
| 2 | Program Manager | $70,759 | $34.02 |
| 3 | Latent Print Examiner | $64,047 | $30.79 |
| 4 | Programming Specialist | $62,825 | $30.20 |
| 5 | Police Sergeant | $60,316 | $29.00 |
| 6 | Police Officer | $59,954 | $28.82 |
| 7 | Recreational Programs Director | $47,449 | $22.81 |
| 8 | Council Member | $46,891 | $22.54 |
| 9 | Program Assistant | $46,018 | $22.12 |
| 10 | Law Enforcement Officer | $43,374 | $20.85 |
| 11 | Social Work Internship | $39,598 | $19.04 |
| 12 | Court Appointed Special Advocate | $36,685 | $17.64 |
| 13 | Field Investigator | $32,719 | $15.73 |
Average salaries at City of Tacoma competitors, like City of Gary, City of Chicago, and City Of Hartford, vary. City of Gary employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $63,587. The average salary at City of Chicago is $63,559 per year, and the average salary at City Of Hartford is $62,688 per year.
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Gary | 4.1 | $63,587 |
| 2 | City of Chicago | 3.9 | $63,559 |
| 3 | City Of Hartford | 4.4 | $62,688 |
| 4 | King County | 4.5 | $58,262 |
| 5 | City of Seattle | 4.5 | $58,099 |
| 6 | Mayor Ethan Berkowitz | 4.6 | $54,775 |
| 7 | City of Ann Arbor | 3.9 | $51,552 |
| 8 | Atlanta Regional Commission | 4.2 | $50,829 |
| 9 | City of Newark | 3.9 | $49,994 |
| 10 | City and County of Denver Government | 4.6 | $49,854 |
| 11 | City of Middletown | 4.0 | $47,795 |
| 12 | San Mateo County Grant Corporation | 3.8 | $45,458 |
| 13 | Porterville, California | 4.1 | $44,653 |
| 14 | U.S. Department of the Interior | 4.8 | $43,882 |
| 15 | City Of Toledo | 3.9 | $42,774 |
| 16 | Ohio Department of Higher Education | 3.9 | $41,191 |
| 17 | City of Olympia | 4.0 | $40,936 |
| 18 | Chicago Housing Authority | 4.4 | $40,698 |
| 19 | City of Sacramento | 4.3 | $35,908 |
| 20 | Alaska Housing Finance | 4.2 | $34,827 |
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Treatment Plant Operator | Tacoma, WA | 05/14/2025 | $104,851 |
| Cushman Hydro Seasonal Grounds Worker | Tacoma, WA | 02/05/2025 | $42,804 |
| Safety Intern | Tacoma, WA | 01/28/2025 | $34,895 |
| Customer Accounts Supervisor | Tacoma, WA | 01/28/2025 | $91,661 |
| Water Professional Engineer | Tacoma, WA | 01/23/2025 | $118,560 |
The people are great to work with. For the most part, we are united as one giant team.
There is one big political agenda. Decisions are driven by City Council and a lot of times those decisions are outside of standard policies and are citizen requests (think squeaky wheel). For example, equity is a huge topic right now and making sure we pave streets evenly throughout the City and not just focus on one neighborhood is critical. We have KPI's and report tto the public that we have steps in place to ensure the upgrades and improvements are spread out evenly. One day a member of the city council will contact a director and say "so and so's road needs paved. Make it happen" and they do it! Because they have to! But there are time where "so and so" is a relative or friend of said councilmember OR it's an annoying citizen who complains daily and they are tired of hearing about it. That goes against EVERYTHING the City says it stands for. Also, there are a lot of employees, particularly office staff, who are union represented and management fears them and will not hold them accountable. It is as if a Union employee can be the worst employee ever and get away with it, while the non-represented are working harder and not getting recognized or getting laid off due to budget cuts because management is to scared to deal with the Union. A lot of really messed up things happen at the city. One really bad thing that I will never forget was that because the new City Manager was African American, he forced all employees to essentially give black employees and potential hires special attention and preferential treatment over everyone else, regardless of if they were a minority or not. That sounds absurd, but its true. I have a handbook that was drafted by the City Manager that essentially said hire anyone black, but only hire anyone else after you've interviewed xx amount of black people regardless of their experience.
Salary and benefits are very nice. You have to pay for parking at most locations.
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of City of Tacoma, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about City of Tacoma. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at City of Tacoma. 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 Tacoma. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of City of Tacoma and its employees or that of Zippia.
City of Tacoma may also be known as or be related to City Of Tacoma, City of Tacoma and City of Tacoma (Washington).