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King County salary estimate

$58,262yearly

$28.01 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$36,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding King County Salaries

In 2025, King County offers an average salary of $58,262. This figure reflects the county's commitment to providing competitive wages across various roles. The highest-paying jobs are found in specialized departments, including administration and nonprofit services. For example, administrative positions often command higher salaries due to their critical functions in government operations.

Additionally, King County emphasizes equitable pay by department. Job seekers can expect varying salary scales depending on their specific roles and responsibilities. Exploring these details can help prospective employees gauge their earning potential and make informed career decisions.

Highest paying jobs at King County

The highest paying jobs at King County are division director, executive director, defense attorney, and program manager. Division director jobs at King County earn an average yearly salary of $126,755, King County executive director jobs average $106,780, and King County defense attorney jobs average $94,284.

The lowest paying King County roles include janitor and volunteer. King County janitor average salary is $32,352 per year. So while the average King County salary is $58,262 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at King County

RankJob titleAverage King County salaryHourly rate
1Division Director$126,755$60.94
2Executive Director$106,780$51.34
3Defense Attorney$94,284$45.33
4Program Manager$92,147$44.30
5Senior Software Engineer$89,056$42.82
6Capital Project Manager$83,680$40.23
7District Attorney$79,513$38.23
8Requirements Engineer$78,084$37.54
9Applications Developer$77,989$37.49
10Functional Analyst$76,562$36.81
11Electrician$76,358$36.71
12Public Health Nurse$72,498$34.85
13Transportation Planner$70,824$34.05
14Human Resources Analyst$69,625$33.47
15Finance Officer$68,996$33.17
16Education Consultant$68,587$32.97
17Registered Nurse$67,919$32.65
18Program Coordinator$67,490$32.45
19Legal Extern$66,527$31.98
20Administrator$66,111$31.78

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King County salaries by department

Salaries at King County vary depending on the department you work in. King County salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $77,156. Employees in the marketing department at King County receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $68,601 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at King County include the hospitality/service and the facilities organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $40,209 and $48,704, respectively.

Average King County salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage King County salaryHourly rate
1Engineering$77,156$37.09
2Marketing$68,601$32.98
3Finance$66,849$32.14
4Construction$64,704$31.11
5Human Resources$64,011$30.77
6Plant/Manufacturing$62,883$30.23
7Legal$60,928$29.29
8Non Profit/Government$57,703$27.74
9Accounting$56,620$27.22
10IT$56,330$27.08
11Healthcare$56,259$27.05
12Supply Chain$55,932$26.89
13Customer Service$54,361$26.14
14Education$52,019$25.01
15Administrative$51,329$24.68
16Facilities$48,705$23.42
17Hospitality/Service$40,210$19.33

How much does King County pay by department?

Best paying King County non profit/government salaries

RankPositionAverage King County salaryHourly rate
1Program Manager$92,147$44.30
2Program/Project Manager$83,594$40.19
3Children's Service Supervisor$66,715$32.07
4Fire Chief$64,752$31.13
5Juvenile Detention Officer$62,497$30.05
6Programming Specialist$61,836$29.73
7Deputy Sheriff$60,683$29.17
8Social Worker$59,391$28.55
9Crew Chief$58,639$28.19
10Forensic Investigator$58,029$27.90
11Sergeant$57,687$27.73
12Volunteer Services Director$54,888$26.39
13Probation Counselor$53,000$25.48
14Deputy Fire Marshal$50,549$24.30
15Victim Advocate$48,501$23.32
16Service Worker$47,229$22.71
17Correction Officer$46,979$22.59
18Social Work Internship$42,507$20.44
19Parking Control Specialist$39,877$19.17
20Court Appointed Special Advocate$39,028$18.76

Best paying King County administrative salaries

RankPositionAverage King County salaryHourly rate
1Administrator$66,111$31.78
2Confidential Secretary$63,440$30.50
3Intake Specialist$62,407$30.00
4Records Manager$60,585$29.13
5Administrative Specialist$53,454$25.70
6Case Coordinator$48,835$23.48
7Project Management Internship$46,775$22.49
8Records Clerk$45,731$21.99
9Office Assistant$42,925$20.64
10Administrative Assistant$42,119$20.25
11Eligibility Worker$41,627$20.01
12Receptionist$41,223$19.82
13Bookkeeper$40,770$19.60
14Legal Secretary$39,277$18.88
15Student Internship$37,333$17.95
16Office Clerk$37,216$17.89

Best paying King County IT salaries

RankPositionAverage King County salaryHourly rate
1Senior Infrastructure Architect$97,606$46.93
2Information Technology Project Manager$87,510$42.07
3Data Center Engineer$87,370$42.00
4Program/Project Manager$83,594$40.19
5Senior Network Engineer$81,464$39.17
6Technician System Specialist$76,648$36.85
7Functional Analyst$76,562$36.81
8Systems Administrator$70,305$33.80
9LAN Administrator$67,610$32.50
10Programmer Analyst$65,540$31.51
11Technical Supervisor$61,153$29.40
12Systems Specialist$60,750$29.21
13Unit Supervisor$59,268$28.49
14Transit Mechanic$47,657$22.91
15Information Technology Technical Trainer$46,176$22.20
16Transit Operator$41,963$20.17
17Child Support Officer$37,016$17.80

King County competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at King County competitors, like Emmet County, Lewis County Sheriff Department, and Hernando County, vary. Emmet County employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $68,389. The average salary at Lewis County Sheriff Department is $68,364 per year, and the average salary at Hernando County is $58,702 per year.

Highest paying King County competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1Emmet County3.8$68,389
2Lewis County Sheriff Department3.5$68,364
3Hernando County3.6$58,702
4Wayne County, Michigan4.0$58,247
5City of Seattle4.5$58,099
6Spokane County3.5$56,531
7St. Bernard Parish4.1$55,375
8City of Tacoma4.5$53,028
9Multnomah County4.4$50,247
10Polk County4.3$48,167
11Clark County4.2$48,114
12Kitsap County3.8$47,308
13Miami-Dade County4.6$47,217
14Santa Clara County4.4$44,381
15Fairfax County4.3$42,894
16City of Las Vegas4.4$42,763
17Clallam County3.7$42,693
18Shelby County4.5$41,438
19State of Arizona4.5$37,086
20S.C. Department of Commerce4.0$34,866

Recently added King County salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Attorney (3RD Year Law Student & Fellow/Clerk)Seattle, WA06/28/2025$103,272
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney-Juvenile DivisionSeattle, WA06/28/2025$103,272
Litigation Attorney-Tort/EmploymentSeattle, WA06/26/2025$118,237
Ballot Van DriverSeattle, WA06/25/2025$51,215
Legal Administrative Professional I-Victim ServicesSeattle, WA06/24/2025$58,833

Frequently asked questions about King County salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of King County, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about King County. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at King County. 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 King County. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of King County and its employees or that of Zippia.

King County may also be known as or be related to County of King, King County and King County, Wa.