Washington State University salaries

Q: Is the pay good at Washington State University?

Yes, the pay is good at Washington State University. Compared to the industry average of $47,831 per year, the average annual salary at Washington State University is $50,045, which is 4.63% higher.

Q: What is the starting pay at Washington State University?

The starting pay at Washington State University is $33,000 per year, or $15.87 per hour.

Q: How much does Washington State University pay an hour?

Washington State University pays $24.06 an hour, on average.

Zippia score 4.3

Washington State University salary estimate

$50,045yearly

$24.06 hourly rate

Entry-level salary

$33,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Washington State University Salary Overview

At Washington State University, salaries can range significantly based on the role and department. The average salary for employees is $50,045 per year. Among the highest paying positions are directors at an average of $92,549, followed closely by assistant professors earning about $78,741. Information technology administrators and psychologists also enjoy competitive salaries, around $74,742.

On the lower end of the pay scale, positions such as food service workers and student ambassadors earn approximately $33,106 and $35,545 respectively. Salary disparities are evident across departments; for instance, engineering roles offer the highest average salary of $63,911, while finance positions average $58,770. In contrast, hospitality/service and administrative roles see lower averages of $35,545 and $42,416.

When comparing salaries with peer institutions, WSU's figures align closely with competitors like the University of Southern California and Princeton University, where average salaries are approximately $66,195 and $61,494. This context provides a clearer picture of WSU's standing in the academic job market.

Highest paying jobs at Washington State University

The highest paying jobs at Washington State University are director, assistant professor, information technology administrator, and psychologist. Director jobs at Washington State University earn an average yearly salary of $92,549, Washington State University assistant professor jobs average $78,741, and Washington State University information technology administrator jobs average $74,742.

The lowest paying Washington State University roles include food service worker and student ambassador. Washington State University food service worker average salary is $33,106 per year. So while the average Washington State University salary is $50,045 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Washington State University

Rank	Job title	Average Washington State University salary	Hourly rate
1	Director	$92,549	$44.49
2	Assistant Professor	$78,741	$37.86
3	Information Technology Administrator	$74,742	$35.93
4	Psychologist	$73,776	$35.47
5	Psychology Associate	$70,256	$33.78
6	Information Technology Applications Developer	$68,720	$33.04
7	Project Manager	$67,977	$32.68
8	Adjunct Professor	$67,133	$32.28
9	Industrial Hygienist	$66,475	$31.96
10	Registered Nurse	$65,678	$31.58
11	Forensic Scientist	$64,416	$30.97
12	Program Manager	$64,371	$30.95
13	Communications Consultant	$60,587	$29.13
14	Data Analyst	$59,220	$28.47
15	Project Coordinator	$57,951	$27.86
16	Programming Specialist	$56,333	$27.08
17	Instructor	$56,080	$26.96
18	Supervisor	$55,816	$26.83
19	Construction Inspector	$55,565	$26.71
20	Doctoral Fellow	$54,799	$26.35

Rate Washington State University's promotion and raise policies.

How much does Washington State University pay by location?

The average Washington State University salary varies by location. Washington State University salaries are the highest in Washington, DC, at $53,881 per year. Washington State University pays the second highest average salary in Olympia, WA, at $50,977 per year. It's important to factor in the cost of living when negotiating a salary or choosing a place to work.

Highest paying Washington State University locations

Rank	Location	Average Washington State University salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington, DC	$53,881	$25.90
2	Olympia, WA	$50,977	$24.51
3	Idaho Falls, ID	$46,852	$22.53

Do you work at Washington State University?

Did Washington State University's compensation package meet your expectations?

Washington State University salaries by department

Salaries at Washington State University vary depending on the department you work in. Washington State University salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $63,911. Employees in the finance department at Washington State University receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $58,770 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Washington State University include the hospitality/service and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $35,545 and $42,416, respectively.

Average Washington State University salary by department

Rank	Department	Average Washington State University salary	Hourly rate
1	Engineering	$63,911	$30.73
2	Finance	$58,770	$28.25
3	IT	$56,356	$27.09
4	Education	$55,217	$26.55
5	Marketing	$54,980	$26.43
6	Healthcare	$54,561	$26.23
7	Human Resources	$53,327	$25.64
8	Research & Development	$50,811	$24.43
9	Non Profit/Government	$50,265	$24.17
10	Accounting	$50,035	$24.06
11	Customer Service	$45,701	$21.97
12	Facilities	$43,444	$20.89
13	Administrative	$42,416	$20.39
14	Hospitality/Service	$35,546	$17.09

How much does Washington State University pay by department?

Best paying Washington State University research & development salaries

Rank	Position	Average Washington State University salary	Hourly rate
1	Natural Resource Specialist	$67,245	$32.33
2	Hydrogeologist	$65,707	$31.59
3	Forensic Scientist	$64,416	$30.97
4	Environmental Engineer	$60,819	$29.24
5	Environmental Specialist	$55,561	$26.71
6	Doctoral Fellow	$54,799	$26.35
7	Postdoctoral Research Associate	$54,447	$26.18
8	Microbiologist	$53,342	$25.65
9	Researcher	$52,989	$25.48
10	Fish And Wildlife Biologist	$50,822	$24.43
11	Laboratory Technician	$46,724	$22.46
12	Research Assistant	$46,689	$22.45
13	Scientific Technician	$36,255	$17.43
14	Laboratory Assistant	$36,123	$17.37

Best paying Washington State University education salaries

Rank	Position	Average Washington State University salary	Hourly rate
1	Associate Professor	$94,335	$45.35
2	Science Teacher	$86,895	$41.78
3	Assistant Professor	$78,741	$37.86
4	Adjunct Faculty	$77,713	$37.36
5	Automotive Engineering Teacher	$64,149	$30.84
6	Guest Lecturer	$63,418	$30.49
7	Training Manager	$61,546	$29.59
8	Intramural Supervisor	$59,508	$28.61
9	Instructor	$56,080	$26.96
10	Job Trainer	$54,903	$26.40
11	Training Coordinator	$53,793	$25.86
12	Education Director	$51,571	$24.79
13	Strength And Conditioning Internship	$51,053	$24.54
14	Student Athlete	$50,395	$24.23
15	Educator	$45,751	$22.00
16	Early Childhood Specialist	$44,024	$21.17
17	Teaching Assistant	$40,048	$19.25
18	Residential Counselor	$39,271	$18.88
19	Student Mentor	$37,745	$18.15
20	Tutor	$36,318	$17.46

Best paying Washington State University non profit/government salaries

Rank	Position	Average Washington State University salary	Hourly rate
1	Social Work Administrator	$67,327	$32.37
2	Correction Lieutenant	$64,718	$31.11
3	Correctional Supervisor	$64,579	$31.05
4	Children's Service Supervisor	$63,860	$30.70
5	Hearing Examiner	$59,489	$28.60
6	State Fire Marshal	$58,563	$28.16
7	Child Protective Investigator	$57,347	$27.57
8	Programming Specialist	$56,333	$27.08
9	Correctional Sergeant	$55,650	$26.75
10	Social Services Specialist	$54,783	$26.34
11	Case Manager	$53,765	$25.85
12	Correction Officer	$51,036	$24.54
13	Enforcement Officer	$50,962	$24.50
14	Family Support Worker	$49,007	$23.56
15	Program Coordinator	$46,885	$22.54
16	Facilitator	$43,599	$20.96
17	Program Assistant	$40,799	$19.61
18	Service Worker	$40,695	$19.56
19	Resident Advisor	$40,694	$19.56
20	Direct Care Provider	$39,727	$19.10

Washington State University competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Washington State University competitors, like University of Southern California, Princeton University, and University of Massachusetts Boston, vary. University of Southern California employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $66,195. The average salary at Princeton University is $61,494 per year, and the average salary at University of Massachusetts Boston is $61,234 per year.

Highest paying Washington State University competitors

Rank	Company name	Zippia score	Average salary
1	University of Southern California	4.1	$66,195
2	Princeton University	4.3	$61,494
3	University of Massachusetts Boston	4.1	$61,234
4	University of Washington	4.4	$53,857
5	Oregon State University	4.4	$53,047
6	Portland State University	4.1	$52,914
7	Florida State University	4.6	$48,981
8	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	4.6	$46,880
9	Gonzaga University	4.3	$46,279
10	Arizona State University	4.0	$45,751
11	University of North Carolina	4.2	$45,381
12	Eastern Washington University	3.8	$44,131
13	University of Florida	4.5	$44,102
14	Cal Poly	4.1	$42,414
15	University of Nebraska System	4.2	$42,093
16	Texas Tech University	4.2	$42,034
17	Central Washington University	3.8	$41,330
18	Iowa State University	4.6	$41,305
19	University of Wyoming	4.5	$40,799
20	FC Boulder	3.8	$36,400

Recently added Washington State University salaries

Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Contracts Analyst Coordinator	Spokane, WA	06/28/2025	$54,104
Academic Coordinator/Advisor 1 or 2	Pullman, WA	06/28/2025	$45,010
Director of Communications and Branding	Seattle, WA	06/24/2025	$110,000
Arts & Social Sciences Adjunct Faculty \| College of Arts & Sciences	Richland, WA	06/22/2025	$25,952
Research Winemaker	Richland, WA	06/20/2025	$52,642

What employees say about salary at Washington State University

Employee reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023

Pros of working at Washington State University

Great benefits and time off.

Cons of working at Washington State University

Management doesn’t listen to lower levels and are sometimes inconsiderate of employees.They also make decisions based on what they want before those with a disability can go through HR.

Washington State University benefits

The discount I get at the CUB.

Is this useful?

Frequently asked questions about Washington State University salaries

Is the pay good at Washington State University?

What is the starting pay at Washington State University?

How much does Washington State University pay an hour?

Have more questions? See all answers to common company questions.

Search for jobs

Companies
Washington
Pullman, WA
Washington State University
Washington State University Salaries

Updated December 15, 2025

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

Washington State University may also be known as or be related to Bridle Farm and Washington State University.