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Map of Washington showing 11 metro areas with skilled trade pay data
Washington: 11 metros with trade pay data

Rigger pay in Washington

Statewide and by city · BLS, May 2025

$77,100statewide median a year
$37.07median an hour
#12of 43 states
910riggers employed statewide

Statewide pay Government data

Riggers in Washington earn a statewide median of $77,100 a year, 28% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #12 of 43 states. About 910 people work in the trade statewide.

Statewide pay range

$58,120Entry · 10th$64,00025th$77,100Median$95,56075th$105,100Top · 90th

States ranked near Washington

Illinois$81,860
Nevada$81,720
North Dakota$77,890
Washington$77,100
Colorado$73,720
Idaho$72,850
Connecticut$67,560

See all states on the riggers nationwide.

Pay by city Government data

BLS publishes rigger pay for 2 Washington metros: Bremerton and Seattle.

BremertonWASHINGTON · WA$85,300
SeattleWASHINGTON · WA$78,840
MetroMedian payReal payJobs
BremertonWASHINGTON · WA$85,300$80,771570
SeattleWASHINGTON · WA$78,840$70,942160

Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate

Pay outside the cities Government data

BLS also reports pay for Washington's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.

Western Washington$72,240

BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.

The job (national)

Blueprint-style drawing of a steel frame with a fillet weld in progress, illustrating rigger work in Washington
Rigger pay in Washington: $77,100 statewide median, BLS May 2025.

Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,700 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.

Nationally, riggers have 79 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, about the same as all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.

What the work is like Government data

How often riggers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.

Outdoors, in all kinds of weatherVery often
Indoors with heating and air conditioningOccasionally
Very hot or cold conditionsVery often
Working at heightsSometimes
Climbing ladders, scaffolds or polesSometimes
Cramped spaces and awkward positionsOften
Loud noiseVery often
Hazardous conditionsSometimes
Standing, bending, kneeling and walkingOften
SittingRarely

Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).

O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.

Registered apprenticeships Government data

Of rigger apprentices in Washington who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 84% completed (U.S.: 72%), about 10 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.

U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.

Licensing in Washington Official source

The main state licensing office in Washington is the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. It can point you to the right license for riggers.

Official Washington licensing site ↗

Requirements for riggers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.

Union membership

In 2025, 18.0% of wage and salary workers in Washington were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#4 of 51 states and D.C.), and 19.4% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only riggers.

BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.

Cities in Washington

BremertonWASHINGTON · WA+2.7%population since 2020 · 4.2% unemployment
SeattleWASHINGTON · WA+3.3%population since 2020 · 4.6% unemployment

All trades in Washington.

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