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Are you losing money by living in the wrong state? This is the average salary in the USA

Salaries vary - not just depending on profession but also for age and where you live. We take a look at the latest figures on US wages.

Salaries vary - not just depending on profession but also for age and where you live. We take a look at the latest figures on US wages.
CARMEN MANDATOAFP

When it comes to salaries, it’s important to have some kind of transparency, if only for workers to know whether they are being underpaid or if coworkers are earning the same.

Earnings vary from state to state

Earnings depend on many factors: profession, experience, qualifications being foremost, but others come into the mix as well - gender and which part of the United States you are living and working in.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), US workers earned a median wage of $1,139 per week in the first quarter of 2024, that works out at $4,935 per month or an annual salary of $59,228. It represents a a 3.5% increase on the previous year’s data ($1,100 per week).

Surprisingly, the federal minimum wage has remained unchanged at $7.25/hr since July 2009.

The difference between median and average wages

It’s worthwhile explaining here the difference between median and average wages - median means taking the halfway point in a set of values while the average is the total set of numbers divided by the number of items in that set. In other words, the median and the average will give different figures. For example, the average weekly US wage in the US in December 2024 was $1,224.17, according to the BLS.

The average salary has also risen in the US. A decade ago, it stood at $851.95 per week and has risen almost without pause, dipping only occasionally since then.

In the BLS’ recent survey sample of 60,000 households, men earn a median wage of $1,227 per week ($63,804 per year) while women earn a median wage of $1,021 per week ($53,092 per year).

US median weekly wage in 2024 (media annual salary in brackets)

  • Alabama $1,121 ($58,292)
  • Alaska $1,328    $69,056)
  • Arizona $1,248    $64,896)
  • Arkansas $1,036    $53,872)
  • California $1,613    $83,876)
  • Colorado $1,431    $74,412)
  • Connecticut $1,480    $76,960)
  • Delaware $1,269    ($65,988)
  • Florida $1,218 ($63,336)
  • Georgia $1,249 ($64,948)
  • Hawaii $1,226 ($63,752)
  • Idaho $1,068 ($55,536)
  • Illinois $1,346 ($69,992)
  • Indiana $1,115 ($57,980)
  • Iowa $1,112 ($57,824)
  • Kansas $1,087 ($56,524)
  • Kentucky $1,092 ($56,784)
  • Louisiana $1,107($57,564)
  • Maine $1,129 ($58,708)
  • Maryland $1,424 ($74,048)
  • Massachusetts $1,643 ($85,436)
  • Michigan $1,228 ($63,856)
  • Minnesota $1,329 ($69,108)
  • Mississippi $927 ($48,204)
  • Missouri $1,152 ($59,904)
  • Montana $1,072 ($55,744)
  • Nebraska $1,111 ($57,772)
  • Nevada $1,201 ($62,452)
  • New Hampshire $1,350 ($70,200)
  • New Jersey $1,456 ($75,712)
  • New Mexico $1,096 ($56,992)
  • New York $1,610 ($83,720)
  • North Carolina $1,222 ($63,544)
  • North Dakota $1,205 ($62,660)
  • Ohio $1,185 ($61,620)
  • Oklahoma $1,052 ($54,704)
  • Oregon $1,301 ($67,652)
  • Pennsylvania $1,283 ($66,716)
  • Rhode Island $1,234 ($64,168)
  • South Carolina $1,086 ($56,472)
  • South Dakota $1,058 ($55,016)
  • Tennessee $1,199 ($62,348)
  • Texas $1,336 ($69,472)
  • Utah $1,195 ($62,140)
  • Vermont $1,141 ($59,332)
  • Virginia $1,383 ($71,916)
  • Washington $1,682 ($87,464)
  • Washington, DC $2,159 ($112,268)
  • West Virginia $1,044 ($54,288)
  • Wisconsin $1,133 ($58,916)
  • Wyoming $1,111 ($57,772)

Salaries also vary, although not disproportionately, depending on which state you live in. For example, the highly median weekly salary is earned in Washington DC - $2,159 per week or $112,268 per year while the lowest is in Mississippi - $927 per week or $48,204 per year.

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