Skagit unemployment falls as its labor force shrinks.
3.8%
Skagit County unemployment rate
Down from 4.4% in June; vs 4.9% statewide
12%
Manufacturing share of county jobs
vs 7.5% Washington state average
3.1% vs 3.5%
Washington wage growth vs inflation
Real wages declining ~0.5% annually statewide
0.81%
Projected regional job growth, 2024-2029
~8,500 jobs across Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan, Island counties
This Month's Takeaways
01
Falling unemployment masks a shrinking labor force.
Skagit County's drop to 3.8% unemployment looks favorable on its face, but Whatcom and Skagit counties are simultaneously losing labor force participants. A declining rate driven by workers exiting the labor pool, rather than new hiring, is a weaker signal for economic momentum than the headline suggests.
02
Manufacturing's outsized local footprint cuts both ways.
At 12% of county employment versus 7.5% statewide, manufacturing is a defining feature of Skagit's economy, but advertised manufacturing and construction pay are both down significantly this month. A concentrated sector in wage retreat carries more weight here than in more diversified metros.
03
Wage-inflation gap looks worse locally than nationally in blue-collar trades.
Electrician and construction laborer advertised pay fell significantly locally even as national figures for the same roles held stable or rose, diverging from Washington's already-weak 3.1% wage growth against 3.5% inflation. That divergence is consistent with softer local demand in trades tied to construction and industrial activity specifically, not just a statewide cooling story.
04
Healthcare and skilled technical pay offer a counterweight.
Registered nurse and HVAC technician advertised pay remain stable-to-up and well above national medians, echoing the national pattern of healthcare and hands-on technical work outperforming white-collar and trades-adjacent sectors. This suggests the local economy's resilience is concentrated in a narrower set of sectors than before, worth tracking for diversification planning.
Local Economic Conditions
Skagit County's unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in July, outperforming both Washington's 4.9% state rate and signaling tighter labor conditions even as the county's overall labor force contracts — a pattern consistent with slower population and workforce growth rather than accelerating business demand. Manufacturing remains the structural backbone of the local economy at 12% of county employment (versus 7.5% statewide), leaving the metro more exposed than most Washington peers to goods-sector wage softness, now visible in declining advertised pay for manufacturing production workers, construction laborers, and electricians.
Open Threads in the Data
Shrinking labor force participation alongside a falling unemployment rate points to a tightening available labor pool rather than surging demand, a distinction that matters for commerce leaders weighing local expansion versus relocation to faster-growing Puget Sound submarkets. Mount Vernon's prior municipal hiring freeze and the state's broader government payroll contraction suggest public-sector spending will not offset softness in goods-producing trades, reinforcing that any near-term economic lift will need to come from private investment. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether Skagit's shrinking labor force reflects out-migration or retirement, since the answer shapes whether local business investment should target automation, recruitment from outside the county, or patience for a cyclical rebound.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$38,750 |
→ Stable |
325 |
| Retail Cashier |
$36,660 |
→ Stable |
163 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$43,680 |
→ Stable |
133 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$69,303 |
↓ Moderate decline |
281 |
| Delivery Driver |
$40,777 |
↓ Significant decline |
868 |
| Warehouse Manager |
$75,000 |
↑ Significant increase |
19 |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$43,680 |
↓ Significant decline |
29 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$77,232 |
↓ Significant decline |
37 |
| HVAC Technician |
$109,200 |
↑ Significant increase |
13 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$41,600 |
↓ Significant decline |
36 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$43,680 |
→ Stable |
92 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$41,600 |
↓ Significant decline |
25 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$53,664 |
→ Stable |
283 |
| Registered Nurse |
$113,708 |
→ Stable |
669 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$50,960 |
→ Stable |
80 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$165,594 |
↑ Moderate increase |
46,303 |
| Data Engineer |
$148,461 |
↑ Moderate increase |
11 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$74,526 |
→ Stable |
98 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$80,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
22 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$84,000 |
↑ Significant increase |
10 |
| Business Analyst |
$102,200 |
↑ Moderate increase |
10,776 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$101,200 |
↑ Moderate increase |
6,180 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$46,612 |
↓ Significant decline |
167 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$100,000 |
↑ Significant increase |
22,071 |
Industry Snapshot · Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
→ +1.9% |
↑ +53.1% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +36.4% |
↑ +202.6% |
| Retail Trade |
↓ −4.1% |
↑ +65.2% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −30.8% |
↑ +178.3% |
| Information |
↑ +12.5% |
↑ +77.3% |
| Financial Activities |
↑ +9.8% |
↑ +201.9% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +34.7% |
↑ +53.9% |
| Education & Health Services |
→ −2.9% |
↑ +32.9% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ +1.7% |
↑ +39.2% |
| Government |
↑ +92.3% |
↑ +1037.9% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
Whether Skagit and Whatcom counties' labor force contraction continues through fall will clarify if July's unemployment improvement reflects genuine tightening or population attrition. Government economists should watch the next two Employment Security Department releases for confirmation.
Emerging pressure point
Washington's statewide WARN filings were heaviest in September, including notices from Gilbert Orchards and Sundquist Fruit affecting agricultural and food-processing workers in the broader northwest Washington labor shed. Any filings naming Skagit-based employers in October would mark a meaningful local escalation.
Potential inflection point
National wage growth has slipped to its lowest annual pace since May 2021 at 3.0%, trailing 3.4% inflation; if that gap persists into Washington's next wage release, local consumer spending capacity — a core input for retail and hospitality activity in Mount Vernon and Anacortes — may soften further.
Early indicator
Projected regional job growth of just 0.81% through 2029 implies limited organic expansion; watch for any named-employer investment or relocation announcements in Skagit County as a test of whether this projection undercounts current momentum.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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