Commercial trade rates in Seattle.
Estimated commercial rates for all 8 trades tracked in Seattle, built from O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates wage data, for facility and property teams benchmarking vendor invoices.
Rates by trade
Plumbing (estimated)$126/hr median · $75–$183 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Electrical (estimated)$135/hr median · $91–$182 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
HVAC and Refrigeration (estimated)$106/hr median · $75–$146 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
General Maintenance (estimated)$80/hr median · $61–$109 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Janitorial and Cleaning (estimated)$61/hr median · $50–$82 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Landscaping and Grounds (estimated)$64/hr median · $56–$84 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Roofing (estimated)$85/hr median · $68–$133 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Carpentry (estimated)$101/hr median · $77–$144 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
What's different in Seattle
- Labour market: Washington has relatively high union density in the building trades for a US market, and among the highest cost-of-living and wage levels in the country, both visible in the wage figures here.
- Climate and seasonality: Mild but wet year-round climate drives roofing and moisture-related maintenance; the region sits in an active seismic zone, which affects commercial building and mechanical-system code requirements.
- Code and licensing: Washington state licenses most trades (L&I for electrical, contractor registration statewide); Seattle overlays its own commercial energy and seismic code requirements on top of state licensing.
Frequently asked questions
- What do commercial trade rates cost in Seattle?
- Across the 8 trades tracked here, the median commercial hourly rate in Seattle runs around $95/hr, though it varies significantly by trade: see the table above for each one.
- Is this a real measured rate, or an estimate?
- Every rate on this page is currently an estimate: each trade's Seattle wage, multiplied by a documented service multiplier that converts an employee wage into a billed commercial rate. It is not drawn from actual invoices or job records. The full model is on the methodology page.
- Why a range instead of a single number?
- A single average hides the real spread: in the underlying wage data for estimated trades, and between emergency/scheduled and contract/ad-hoc work for measured ones. We show low, median, and high so the range reflects that honestly.
- Is this a residential or commercial rate?
- Commercial. These figures track facility-side trade work for businesses, property managers, and multi-site operators in Seattle. Commercial rates typically run above residential rates for the same trade, reflecting insurance, code compliance, and scheduling requirements that residential work doesn't carry.
- What's driving trade rates in Seattle specifically?
- Washington has relatively high union density in the building trades for a US market, and among the highest cost-of-living and wage levels in the country, both visible in the wage figures here.
Methodology
These figures are built from regional wage data multiplied by a documented service multiplier, or, where enough real job records exist, measured directly from vendor work logged in Evalystar. See the full model, sources, and what upgrades an estimate to a measured rate on the methodology page.
Nearby cities
Cite this data
These Seattle benchmarks are published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them anywhere, including commercially, as long as you attribute Evalystar. The machine-readable version is at /api/rates/us/seattle.json.
Evalystar (2025). Commercial facility trade rate benchmarks, Seattle. Retrieved from https://evalystar.com/rates/us/seattle. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.