November 22, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

New York County had highest pay level in 2001

In 2001, New York County, N.Y.—comprised entirely of the borough of Manhattan—regained the top position among the highest paid large counties after losing it for the first time in 2000. This county led the nation with average annual pay of $74,641.

[Chart data—TXT]

Santa Clara County, Calif., moved back into second place with average annual pay of $65,926. Other counties in the top five in average pay were Fairfield, Conn., at $63,123, San Mateo, Calif. at $62,509 and San Francisco, Calif. at $61,122.

The five large counties with the lowest pay in 2001 were all much below the national average of $36,214. The lowest level of average annual pay was reported in Cameron County, Texas ($22,146), followed by the counties of Hidalgo, Texas ($22,317), Tulare, Calif. ($24,706), El Paso, Texas ($25,836), and Volusia, Fla. ($26,093).

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 2001 in "Employment and Average Annual Pay for Large Counties, 2001," news release USDL 02-650.  The largest counties are defined as those with covered employment levels of 100,000 or more in 2001.