November 20, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Washington State, Massachusetts lead in pay gains
Leading the nation in pay growth for the third year in a row, Washington State's average annual pay advanced 8.0 percent in 1999. The next highest pay increase occurred in Massachusetts, where wages climbed 6.8 percent.
[Chart data—TXT]
Three other States had pay gains in excess of 5.0 percent in 1999: California (6.3 percent), Colorado (6.0 percent), and Virginia (5.2).
Overall, pay gains moderated in 1999 compared with the previous year. In the U.S. overall, average annual pay rose by 4.3 percent in 1999, compared with 5.2 percent in 1998.
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. Data for 1999 are
preliminary and subject to revision. Find more information on pay in 1999
in "Average Annual Pay By
State and Industry, 1999," news release USDL 00-339.
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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