What does it cost to hire a college administrator in Tacoma?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $133,000 median wage in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,600 to $39,900 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a college administrator in Tacoma look like?

Employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area pay education administrators, postsecondary a median of $133,000, with the middle half of the market between $103,810 and $168,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,810 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Is the talent for this role already in Tacoma?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 33.5% of Tacoma adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring a college administrator in Tacoma, WA

Employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area pay education administrators, postsecondary a median of $133,000 a year, with the middle half of the market between $103,810 and $168,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-9033). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Tacoma residents in management work earn more than employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area pay?

Tacoma residents working in management occupations earn a median of $80,028 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $153,450 as the median of the 36 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 48%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole management group, not this one role. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area the group covers 36 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare at $70,470 to chief executives at $370,000 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with education administrators, postsecondary at $133,000 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 36 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Tacoma residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a college administrator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to education administrators, postsecondary by employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-9033.
25th percentile	$103,810
Median	$133,000
75th percentile	$168,900

Half of education administrators, postsecondary in this area earn between $103,810 and $168,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,810 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 11-9033 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Tacoma residents earn

$80,028

Median annual earnings of Tacoma residents working in management occupations, 11,056 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations.
Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions.
Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports.

Task statements for SOC 11-9033, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Student information systems SIS software, Facebook, Google Docs, Hypertext markup language HTML.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 11-9033 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Tacoma?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 11-9033.

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, residents of Tacoma aged 25 and over.

The average Tacoma commute runs 29 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 13.7% of Tacoma workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Tacoma.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Pierce County, management of companies and enterprises employs 2,534 and turns over 7.9% a quarter, with 311 hires against 302 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $5,304 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

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 education administrators, postsecondary. 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 $133,000 median in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $26,600 to $39,900 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.

Questions employers ask about hiring a college administrator in Tacoma

What does it cost to hire a college administrator in Tacoma?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $133,000 median wage in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,600 to $39,900 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a college administrator in Tacoma look like?: Employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area pay education administrators, postsecondary a median of $133,000, with the middle half of the market between $103,810 and $168,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,810 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Tacoma residents in management work earn more than employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area pay?: Tacoma residents working in management occupations earn a median of $80,028 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $153,450 as the median of the 36 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 48%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Tacoma?: This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 33.5% of Tacoma adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Price this search

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

Hiring a college administrator somewhere else?

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

Other management roles in Tacoma

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