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Eureka, NV and Butte, ID are real headscratchers, but this America and oppurtunities abound everywhere I guess!
What's really interesting is that you some relatively affordable counties earning as much if not more than far more expensive counties.
This is the average wage of the people who work in these counties, not necessarily those who live there.
US Counties with average annual wage $45,000+
Released Apr 24, 2008 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis
New York, NY $90,555
Santa Clara, CA $76,562
North Slope Borough, AK $74,434
Fairfield, CT $73,511
Arlington, VA $72,200
San Francisco, CA $70,961
Eureka, NV $70,737
Washington, DC $69,124
Suffolk, MA $68,868
Somerset, NJ $68,284
Butte, ID $68,130
San Mateo, CA $66,846
Fairfax, VA $63,661
Los Alamos, NM $63,295
Morris, NJ $62,225
Carson, TX $60,181
Goochland, VA $59,383
King George, VA $59,126
Hudson, NJ $58,969
Middlesex, MA $58,134
Surry, VA $58,095
Broomfield, CO $56,054
Westchester, NY $57,616
Alexandria, VA $55,980
Fulton, GA $55,980
Montgomery, MD $55,918
Alameda, CA $55,667
King, WA $54,115
Durham, NC $54,094
Chester, PA $54,024
Middlesex, NJ $53,908
Essex, NJ $53,889
Montgomery, PA $53,868
Union, NJ $53,689
Mercer, NJ $53,387
Bergen, NJ $53,350
Hunterdon, NJ $53,331
Marin, CA $53,243
Loudon, VA $53,119
Contra Costa, CA $53,038
Hartford, CT $52,558
Hennepin, MN $52,268
Dallas, TX $52,129
Denver, CO $52,088
Harris, TX $51,932
Norfolk, MA $51,880
Lake, IL $51,844
New Castle, DE $51,404
Union, OH $51,375
Arapahoe, CO $51,348
Mecklenberg, NC $51,295
Martin, IN $50,876
Southeast Fairbanks, AK $50,667
DuPage, IL $50,420
Oakland, MI $50,163
Hancock, KY $49,977
Somervell, TX $49,317
Chatahoochee, GA $49,294
Boulder, CO $49,171
Howard, MD $49,122
Collin, TX $49,077
Orange, CA $48,976
Baltimore, MD $48,692
Anne Arundel, MD $48,678
St Mary's, MD $48,634
Philadelphia, PA $48,622
Plaquemines, LA $48,590
Los Angeles, CA $48,524
Steuben, NY $48,524
St Charles, LA $48,261
Travis, TX $48,201
Tazewell, IL $47,789
Wayne, MI $47,753
Campbell, WY $47,587
Middlesex, CT $47,380
Washington, OR $47,248
Nassau, NY $47,122
Midland, MI $47,063
Hillsborough, NH $46,965
Sacramento, CA $46,884
Crane, TX $46,869
St Louis, MO $46,743
Boone, IL $46,388
Orleans, LA $46,176
Calhoun, TX $46,085
Sweetwater, WY $46,013
Prince George's, MD $45,948
St Bernard, LA $45,948
Ventura, CA $45,884
Cobb, GA $45,759
Howard, IN $45,757
Suffolk, NY $45,611
San Diego $45,610
In general average incomes are misleading, because you can have one or two billionaires (or a few millionaires) who skew the average to the high end. That probably explains why NY, NY is so much higher than the rest. More useful are median incomes (the income where half the population makes more and half make less).
Yes I agree that this is skewed - NYC has a lot of billionaires and millionaires but also a lot of poor. I live in Fairfield County and tens of thousands of residents work in NY, NY (Manhattan).
Also in places like NYC, SF and Fairfield County, that average annual wage doesn't go too far.
9 NJ counties made this list. I agree it's skewed, especially Hudson County NJ. You have ppl in cities like Hoboken and Downtown JC with big bucks, but the remainder of the county is *very* much lower income (one of the lowest incomes for median income in the state).
However, my county, Morris, has a much higher median income than average - somewhere in the $90's I think.
In general average incomes are misleading, because you can have one or two billionaires (or a few millionaires) who skew the average to the high end. That probably explains why NY, NY is so much higher than the rest. More useful are median incomes (the income where half the population makes more and half make less).
Just like we can have the hundreds of thousands of poor people drag it down. This list is accurate, IMO. It's no secret that New York is wealthy. San Francisco as well.
Just like we can have the hundreds of thousands of poor people drag it down. This list is accurate, IMO. It's no secret that New York is wealthy. San Francisco as well.
My point is that a single extremely wealthy person can skew the average much more than single poor person can. Sure averages are accurate for the mean income, by definition. Much more useful, however, in getting a sense of the the typical joe schmoe earns, is the median income.
You guys are missing one of the important sentences in the post. "This is the average wage of the people who work in these counties, not necessarily those who live there." I suggest that many of the the highest earners who LIVE in counties like Somerset do not have their place of business in Somerset, but someplace else. Say, NYC. Little streets like Wall, Madison, and 5th.
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