Washington is proud to put the health of its residents first, which is why its proposed 2021-2023 budget allocates an ambitious $22.9 billion to fund its health care authority. Investments like this are the reason the state is grabbing headlines for things like being among the top-10 most healthy in the nation, according to the United Health Foundation’s recent 2020 ranking.
Maximizing the benefits of a healthcare system means attracting cream-of-the-crop managers. Washington takes this seriously, which is why it ranks among the top-five states nationally for offering the best average salaries for healthcare managers.
Healthcare administrators here earn a median salary of $119,380, or over $15,000 more than the national median, while jobs for these professionals from 2018 to 2028 are projected to increase by 22.5%. The average salary is an impressive $132,620.
A Closer Look at Opportunities for Healthcare Administrators in Washington
Healthcare in Washington isn’t just growing in response to a rising population, it’s rising to the top in the U.S. for the quality of its healthcare system.
A report by U.S. News & World Report named Washington State as the top state in the nation in 2019, with its healthcare system being a major contributor to this state’s #1 ranking. The report referred to healthcare in this state as a major focus, recognizing many of the hospitals here among the nation’s best, including the University of Washington Medical Center, the Virginia Mason Medical Center, and Evergreen Health in Kirkland.
Healthcare Administrator Salaries in Washington State, by Location
Not surprisingly, Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area came out on top for its number of healthcare administrators (4,000) and for their median salary ($125,650). Among the state’s top 10% of earners, Wenatchee took first place, at $184,250, followed closely by Yakima, at $182,790.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
- 25th percentile: $103,270
- Median: $125,650
- 90th percentile: NA
Bremerton-Silverdale
- 25th percentile: $65,310
- Median: $92,230
- 90th percentile: $139,330
Olympia-Tumwater
- 25th percentile: $101,390
- Median: $123,760
- 90th percentile: $170,610
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a further breakdown of salaries among Washington’s healthcare administrators in 2020:
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from the Washington Employment Security Department and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.