I'm totally naive about this kind of work but I'm guessing most seasonal agricultural work would be apples, pears, cherries, and wine grapes. As far as I know, that kind of thing ramps up in the fall or possibly late summer for the grapes.

I'm guessing pay would reflect how much you can pick? Or is it a hourly wage?

I have no idea about the mechanics of working these kinds of jobs. The vast majority of these activities take place in the eastern half of the state. I live in Seattle.

Potato Harvest in Washington last from Sept-Nov. they are always looking for truck drivers to take spuds from field to storage( it is ag so no CDL required).

Hay harvest is a big deal also, it lasts from May-Nov. Places like https://www.anderson-hay.com have big harvest crews.

https://www.capitalpress.com is a NW ag newspaper that has job postings.

Also a cool seasonal job is firefighter for Washington Department of Resources or the US Forest Service. A lot of my friends when I was in college loved fighting forest fires in the summer.

It's piecework.

It is all minimum wage, mostly labor is migrant seasonal workers.

Weed trimming in the fall, apples, pears, maybe a logging crew . . .

there’s tons of berry picking in skagit county

Firefighting (forest fires) in the summer, though I’ve heard it’s hard work for minimal pay

In the winter, ski schools need instructors.

Outdoor lifeguarding is seasonal, but you need the actual class/cert

Tons of produce harvesting. But the majority is going to be completed by migrant workers. You’d want to look more at the warehouse processing jobs - I’m from eastern wa and many high school kids actually worked the warehouse for cherries in summer.

Camp host and/or trails maintenance.

You don’t want this type of job.

Not for a couple months.....

Berry harvest up here in NW Washington, always looking for seasonal workers

I've been picking blueberries and potatoes as peicework for the past 15 years here in the northeast..are there reason you say I wouldn't want this type of job in the northwest?

Why?

DNR is hiring right now. Engine and handcrews

well if they’re coming asap, but soon. there’s some produce but not much this time of year

In eastern wa where all the hops and cherries are… it’s 90F and sometimes hotter. If anything you want the warehouse sorter job. Western wa doesn’t get as hot but in eastern wa there’s a reason they bus people in on work visas to do the picking.

Do you have a specific part of the state you’re going to be in? That’s going to impact your choices. And the state itself is super varied on seasonal employment. Like there’s limited berries in yakima county (too hot) but all over skagit/Whatcom.

“The Northwest” is really like two different places in this state

Very good info..thank you

Fishing for the most money

How hard is it to find a boat? I have spent many years on fast paced boats here in maine trawl fishing lobster. but here it seems there are more people wanting a sternman job then there sternman jobs to be had. So securing a spot on the stern of a boat is very difficult task here in maine

I don't really know anything more than this: our maritime workers across the board are aging out rapidly without enough replacements.

Summer: All kinds of agricultural work; forest fire fighting; park staff for national and state parks.

Winter: Snow plow drivers, ski hill staff, retail workers (in store and warehouse).

Variable: Fishing boats.

Blueberries and potatoes? You want Whatcom and Skagit counties. Housing is super expensive, though.

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Depends on what part of the state. Here in the Columbia Basin you'll have spring asparagus harvest. Summer wheat harvest. Fall wine grapes, corn, and orchard fruit harvest.