December 16, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Washington State reports biggest pay gain again

In 1998, Washington State led the nation in pay growth for the second year in a row. Average annual pay in Washington State advanced by 7.5 percent last year.

[Chart data—TXT]

Five other States had pay gains in excess of 6.0 percent in 1998: Colorado (7.3 percent), Georgia (6.3 percent), Virginia (6.2 percent), Minnesota (6.1 percent), and Texas (6.1 percent). In the U.S. overall, average annual pay rose by 5.1 percent from 1997 to 1998.

Annual wages in the faster-growth States were very close to the U.S. average. Average pay in Washington State was $33,076, which was not much higher than the comparable U.S. figure of $31,908. Colorado workers were paid $32,246 and in Minnesota workers received $32,073, both slightly above the U.S. average. Pay was somewhat below the U.S. average in Texas ($31,512), Virginia ($31,384) and Georgia ($30,873).

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 1998 in "Average Annual Pay By State and Industry, 1998," news release USDL 99-357.