Most of the conversations about tech workers in Seattle lately have touched on challenges such as a spate of layoffs at high-profile companies and the possibility that AI will eliminate many tech jobs.

But it’s not all bad news for these employees. New census data show that earnings for tech workers in King County have surged over the past decade, and tech is now far and away the highest-paying job category.

Last year, the median earnings for King County residents employed in “computer and mathematical” jobs — a category overwhelmingly composed of tech workers — hit $163,600. No other job category came close to that figure.

This wasn’t always the case.

In 2015, the typical tech worker in King County earned around $100,700, not adjusted for inflation. Legal workers were close behind at

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