The average weekly wage rose from $992 to $1,012.
These figures are based on wages of employees who are covered for unemployment-insurance purposes, which includes around 96 percent of total wage and salary positions.
Much of the increase was driven by a 6.5 percent increase in the number of insured workers earning more than $75,000. Overall, the average number of workers in Washington covered by unemployment insurance grew by 75,497 in 2013, an increase of 2.7 percent, and total earnings grew by nearly $6.9 billion, an increase of 4.8 percent.
According to the report, the three industries with the highest wage growth in 2013 were the company management sector (+11.7 percent); arts, entertainment and recreation (+11.1 percent); and retail trade (+8.7 percent).
The average annual wage is used in calculating employers’ unemployment taxes, unemployment benefits for jobless workers and worker’s compensation benefits.