October 23, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Santa Clara County had top pay level in 2000

Workers in Santa Clara County, California, had the highest average annual pay among all of the largest counties in 2000. Average pay in Santa Clara County was $76,076.

[Chart data—TXT]

The next highest pay level—$71,115—was in New York County, New York, which is comprised entirely of the borough of Manhattan. Other counties in the top five in average pay were San Mateo, California, at $66,943, Fairfield, Connecticut, at $61,105, and Morris, New Jersey, at $60,503.

The five large counties with the lowest pay in 2000 were all much below the national average of $35,296. The lowest level of average annual pay was reported in Cameron County, Texas ($21,561), followed by the counties of Hidalgo, Texas ($21,695), Horry, South Carolina ($22,881), Yakima, Washington ($23,245), and Tulare, Calif. ($23,722).

The BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program produced these data. Pay data presented here are for all workers covered by State and Federal unemployment insurance programs. Find more information on pay in large counties in 2000 in "Employment and Average Annual Pay for Large Counties, 2000," news release USDL 01-352. The largest counties are defined as those with covered employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2000.