January 27, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Jacksonville, NC, has lowest annual pay

In 1998, workers in Jacksonville, North Carolina, recorded the lowest average annual pay of any metropolitan area in the country at $19,815.

Metropolitan areas in U.S. with lowest average annual pay for covered workers, 1998
[Chart data—TXT]

Yuma, Arizona, had the second lowest, at $19,891. Low annual pay levels also were found in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas ($20,717), Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ($20,762), and Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, Texas ($20,962).

In contrast, average annual pay of employees in metropolitan areas nationwide was $33,381 in 1998. Average annual pay in nonmetropolitan areas was $24,997

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. Annual pay differences among areas may reflect many factors, including the industrial and occupational mix of jobs and pay levels within industries or occupations. Find additional information in "Average Annual Pay Levels in Metropolitan Areas, 1998,"

Of interest

Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009

The most recent recession in the United States began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, though many of the statistics that describe the U.S. economy have yet to return to their pre-recession values. In this Spotlight, we present BLS data that compare the recent recession to previous recessions. Read more »