December 12, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

San Jose ranks first in annual pay

In 1999, San Jose, California, led the nation in highest average annual pay among metropolitan areas. Annual pay in the San Jose area averaged $61,110, well above the national average of $34,868.

[Chart data—TXT]

New York, New York, had the second highest pay level at $52,351, followed by San Francisco, California ($50,169), New Haven-Bridgeport-Stamford-Waterbury-Danbury, Connecticut ($47,142), and Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington ($43,921). The first four of these five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) occupied the same slots last year. Seattle moved up from sixth to fifth.

Average pay levels for these five MSAs ranged from 26 to 75 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 Levels in Metropolitan Areas, 1999," news release USDL 00-349.