Sources & References
Metro Job Market Pulse · Wenatchee, WA MSA · October 2026
Every advertised-pay, job-posting and industry figure in this briefing comes from WageScape's own database of active job postings. The sources below back the external facts cited in the written analysis.
Sources cited in this report
Key Indicators
Washington lost approximately 14,500 jobs in September 2026, unemployment held at 4.5%
Washington Employment Security Department — Statewide monthly employment situation report
This Month's Takeaways
Gilbert Orchards (518 workers) and Sundquist Fruit (243 workers) filed WARN notices
Washington Employment Security Department WARN Notices — State WARN Act notice filings, September 2026
Local Economic Conditions
Chelan County unemployment rate fell to 3.0% in July 2026 from 3.6% in June
Washington Employment Security Department — County-level monthly unemployment data
Chelan County government cut 400 jobs in July 2026; county hiring freeze in place through 2026
Washington Employment Security Department / Chelan County Commissioners — County sector employment and hiring freeze announcement
Chelan County added 48,800 jobs in July 2026, unchanged from prior month
Washington Employment Security Department — County nonfarm payroll employment count
Looking Ahead
Washington wage growth of 3.1% year-over-year against 3.5% inflation
Washington Employment Security Department / BLS — State wage growth vs. CPI comparison
How the numbers are calculated
- Advertised pay is the median of the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro. It is not survey or payroll data.
- Percent changes compare the latest six full months with the six months before that, for the same metro and sector.
- Sectors group postings by the employer's industry (NAICS) classification into ten sectors. Where a metro has too few postings in a sector, the state figure is used instead.
- Role pay trends use the same comparison windows. "Stable" means a change of less than 3%; "moderate" 3–10%; "significant" more than 10%.
Official data for comparison