Seattle Minimum Wage Rises to $22.14; Amazon Lifts Starting Pay to $20

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 29, 2026

Seattle's minimum wage will increase to $22.14 per hour on January 1, surpassing neighboring cities Burien and Tukwila, in response to rising living costs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue corridor. Amazon separately announced it will raise starting pay for full-time U.S. employees to $20 per hour effective September 27, pushing average warehouse worker earnings to nearly $24 per hour — a 17% increase over three years. Staffing firms placing warehouse, logistics, and light industrial workers in the Seattle metro will need to adjust bill and pay rates to remain competitive and compliant with the new wage floor.