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If you're looking for a fat paycheck, Washington's not a bad place to be.
Driving the news: The Evergreen State had the country's 11th highest median annual pay as of December 2024, at $64,000 per year, per an analysis by payroll firm ADP.
Yes, but: Seattle is among the major U.S. metro areas where a six-figure income is required to comfortably afford a typical starter home, according to a recent Redfin analysis.
Zoom out: Residents of Washington, D.C. had the highest median annual pay, at $100,800, followed by Massachusetts ($75,700) and Alaska ($70,000), ADP said.
- New Mexico was home to the country's lowest average median pay ($40,300), followed by Mississippi ($46,000) and Arkansas ($49,800).
The bottom line: Sure, getting a big beefy check every payday is nice. But the highest-paid areas also tend to have higher costs of living, and vice versa.