Hiring an actuary in Tacoma, WA

Employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area pay actuaries a median of $134,720, with the middle half of the market between $104,140 and $176,710. Tacoma residents working in computer and mathematical occupations report a median of $88,950, which is 34% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does an actuary earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$104,140
Median	$134,720
75th percentile	$176,710

Half of actuaries in this area earn between $104,140 and $176,710. A band set below $104,140 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Tacoma residents earn

$88,950

Median earnings of Tacoma residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 3,877 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 34% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Tacoma rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Ascertain premium rates required and cash reserves and liabilities necessary to ensure payment of future benefits.
Collaborate with programmers, underwriters, accounts, claims experts, and senior management to help companies develop plans for new lines of business or improvements to existing business.
Analyze statistical information to estimate mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates.
Design, review, and help administer insurance, annuity and pension plans, determining financial soundness and calculating premiums.
Determine, or help determine, company policy, and explain complex technical matters to company executives, government officials, shareholders, policyholders, or the public.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 15-2011.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA, Python, R, SAS.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Tacoma?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 33.5% of Tacoma adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Tacoma commute runs 29 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 13.7% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Pierce County, computer systems design and related services employs 1,818 and turns over 9.4% a quarter, with 278 hires against 204 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $10,069 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about actuaries. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $26,944 to $40,416 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring an actuary somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other computer and mathematical roles in Tacoma

Tacoma is the 3th largest of 3 Washington cities in this dataset.