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.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »