October 04, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

San Jose again leads nation in annual pay

Annual pay in San Jose, California averaged $76,076 in 2000, well above the national average for metropolitan areas of $36,986. The San Jose area has had the highest average annual pay every year since 1997.

[Chart data—TXT]

San Francisco, California, had the second highest pay level at $59,314, followed by New York, New York with $56,377, New Haven, Connecticut, at $50,585 and the Middlesex, New Jersey area with $48,977. The San Jose and New Haven areas occupied the same position as last year, while San Francisco moved ahead of New York into the second slot. Middlesex, New Jersey, replaced Seattle, Washington, in the fifth position.

Average pay levels for these five areas ranged from 32 to 106 percent above the average for all metropolitan areas in the nation.

These data on average annual pay are a product of the BLS Covered Employment and Wages program. Pay data presented here are for workers covered by State and Federal unemployment insurance programs. Find additional information in "Average Annual Pay in Metropolitan Areas, 2000," news release USDL 01-318.