Construction & Real Estate · Seattle, WA
Seattle pays above the U.S. median for every construction and real estate role we track, and its deepest benches are estimators and civil engineers rather than field managers. As a national agency that recruits remotely, Careerscape pairs Puget Sound employers with recruiters who focus on construction and real estate.
Pay premium
Of the nine construction markets Careerscape covers, Seattle has the highest median for five of the ten roles we track: construction managers, first-line supervisors, civil engineers, building inspectors and property managers.
A median of $159,430, about 39% above the U.S. and the highest of our nine markets, with a location quotient of only 0.78. Set the range before the search opens; see the construction manager salary guide.
Foremen and superintendents earn a median of $121,130, about 52% above the U.S. The pool (11,040 jobs, location quotient 1.01) is about the national size, so the premium is about pay levels, not scarcity.
A median of $101,780, about 61% above the U.S. and second only to Chicago among the nine markets. Check offers against the electrician salary guide and the local 75th percentile of $125,950.
Property, real estate and community association managers earn $117,990, about 69% above the U.S., and have a location quotient of 0.50, the thinnest of our nine markets. Expect a longer search.
Full table
Civil engineers (7,680 jobs, location quotient 1.56) and cost estimators (4,340, 1.44) are more concentrated in Seattle than in any of the other eight construction markets we cover. Real estate sales agents are also deep (1.46), with a median of $79,990.
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Managers | 4,010 | $159,430+39% | 0.78 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 11,040 | $121,130+52% | 1.01 |
| Cost Estimators | 4,340 | $94,490+20% | 1.44 |
| Civil Engineers | 7,680 | $116,480+16% | 1.56 |
| Electricians | 9,750 | $101,780+61% | 0.96 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 6,350 | $95,230+49% | 1.02 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | 1,640 | $102,830+38% | 0.83 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | 2,110 | $117,990+69% | 0.50 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 3,790 | $79,990+51% | 1.46 |
| Construction Laborers | 13,040 | $59,740+27% | 0.89 |
Field roles sit close to the national share: supervisors 1.01, plumbers and pipefitters 1.02, electricians 0.96, laborers 0.89. Construction managers (0.78), building inspectors (0.83) and property managers (0.50) are thin. Every role in the table pays above the U.S. median, from about 16% more for civil engineers ($116,480) to about 69% more for property managers. Plumbers earn $95,230 and laborers $59,740. Jobs and median annual pay for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, all employers, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025). “Vs. U.S.” compares with the national median. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job makes up a bigger share of local employment than it does nationally.
Puget Sound now
The payroll figure covers the Seattle-Bellevue-Kent metro division, which excludes Tacoma. The rules apply statewide in Washington.
Apprentice rules
Washington's apprentice utilization requirement reaches more city projects each time the threshold drops. These are the steps a contractor's staffing plan has to cover. Confirm details with L&I; this is not legal advice.
State agencies, school districts and four-year universities are covered above $1 million, and WSDOT above $2 million. Municipal projects are covered above $1.5 million if advertised after July 1, 2026, and above $1 million after July 1, 2028.
Apprentices must work 15% of total labor hours, subcontractors included. A 10,000-hour project needs 1,500 apprentice hours.
Hours count only for apprentices registered in a program approved by the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, or a recognized reciprocal program. Ask for the registration when you add apprentices to a crew.
Since July 1, 2026, the contracting agency must receive the prime contractor's Apprentice Utilization Plan before it issues notice to proceed (RCW 39.04.350).
Anyone working in the electrical construction trade needs an L&I certificate. A journey-level (01) electrician needs 8,000 hours and 96 classroom hours, and renews every three years with 24 hours of continuing education.
Roles
Our national construction staffing and real estate recruiting practices handle these searches, including executive search for senior project and property leaders. For the region's wider job market and Washington's posting and fair-chance rules, see our Seattle staffing guide.
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FAQ
In BLS's May 2025 data for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro, every construction and real estate role we track paid above the U.S. median. Electricians earned $101,780 against $63,190 nationally, first-line supervisors $121,130 against $79,920, and construction managers $159,430 against $114,990. The smallest gap was for civil engineers, at $116,480 against $100,840. Use the local figures, not national ones, when you set a range.
Yes. Washington's Department of Labor and Industries says you must hold a valid electrician certificate to work in the electrical construction trade. A journey-level (01) electrician starts as a trainee, completes 96 hours of basic classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of work, then passes a PSI exam. Certificates renew every three years with 24 hours of continuing education.
Under RCW 39.04.320, registered apprentices must perform 15% of total labor hours on covered public works, including subcontractor hours. It covers state agency, school district and university projects over $1 million, WSDOT projects over $2 million, and municipal projects over $1.5 million if advertised after July 1, 2026. The municipal threshold drops to $1 million for projects advertised after July 1, 2028.
Washington licenses agents as real estate brokers through the Department of Licensing. A new broker completes 90 hours of approved education, a 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals course and a 30-hour Real Estate Practices course, then passes the state and national exams within six months of each other. Real estate sales agents in the Seattle metro earned a median of $79,990 in May 2025.
Sound Transit opened the Crosslake Connection on March 28, 2026, linking the 1 Line in Seattle with the 2 Line on the Eastside across the I-90 floating bridge. Railway Journal reported that the opening completes the network expansion voters approved in 2008. Construction payrolls in the Seattle-Bellevue-Kent division were 1.4% lower in August 2026 than a year earlier.
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