Salary & Rate Guide
What tech and knowledge-work talent costs in Seattle and Portland — full-time salaries and contract bill rates for 25 roles.
2026 reshuffled the Seattle talent market
75%
of Seattle–King County layoff notices through mid-August 2026 were in IT (6,766 of 9,027).
−800
information-sector jobs in King County in July vs. a year earlier, while total employment grew by 6,700.
4.9%
King County unemployment in July, above Washington's 4.5% statewide rate.
Sources: Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and Washington Employment Security Department, as reported by Axios Seattle, Sept. 21, 2026.
What's inside
Software & data
Software engineers, full-stack and application developers, data engineers, BI developers and AI/ML engineers.
Cloud, infrastructure & security
Cloud/DevOps, systems and network engineers, cybersecurity analysts, security engineers and IT support.
Project, product & quality
IT project and program managers, scrum masters, business analysts, product managers and QA.
Marketing & digital
Digital marketing, marketing ops, content, SEO/paid media and UX/UI designers.
Contract or full-time?
When to use contract, contract-to-hire or direct hire — plus Washington and Oregon pay-transparency rules.
A preview: Seattle ranges
Four of the 25 roles. Download the guide for every role, Portland ranges and premium skills.
| Role | Full-time ($K/yr) | Contract ($/hr) | Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer (mid-level) | 135–175 | 90–115 | Cooling |
| Data Engineer | 125–185 | 105–130 | High |
| IT Project Manager | 120–180 | 105–145 | Steady |
| Digital Marketing Manager | 105–150 | 95–115 | Steady |
Download the guide
Free PDF, 9 pages. We'll also email you a copy.
Get a free Role Market Check
Reply within 3 business days. We take five requests a week.
- The pay range for your roleFor your market and level, full-time and contract.
- How many qualified candidates are out thereA realistic read on how hard the role will be to fill.
- Specific fixes to your job descriptionReviewed by people who've done the work, so it attracts the right candidates.
Clients include
- Seattle Public Schools
Questions about the guide
- Where does the data come from?
- Seattle ranges come from 72 Redtech placements and searches, January–September 2026. Portland ranges adjust Seattle ranges by each occupation's Portland–Seattle pay difference in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data (May 2025).
- What does a contract bill rate include?
- What a company pays per hour for a W-2 contractor through an agency: the contractor's pay, payroll taxes, insurance and the agency's margin.
- How do I compare a salary with a bill rate?
- Divide salary by 2,080 hours for an hourly equivalent ($130K ≈ $62.50/hr), then compare bill rates with a hire's fully loaded cost — not base pay alone.
- Is the Market Check really free?
- Yes, for Pacific Northwest hiring managers. We take five requests a week and reply within three business days.
Ranges are guidance, not offers. Pay-transparency notes are general information, not legal advice.