Average weekly wages by county in Maryland, second quarter 2008 (Based on preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics data). Click for larger image.
(Feb. 9, 2009)—In the second quarter of 2008, St. Mary's County had an average weekly wage of $1,017, the highest among Maryland's small counties (employment below 75,000) and the second highest among Maryland’s 24 counties overall, according to a report released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Montgomery County had the highest state-wide number at $1,110, also the highest among Maryland’s eight large counties as measured by 2007 annual average employment. As of June 2008, St. Mary's County employed 40,200 people and Montgomery County employed 462,800.
Charles County had an average weekly wage of $717, employing 42,500 as of June 2008, and Calvert County had an average weekly wage of $736, employing 22,600 people.
Worcester County reported the lowest wage at $494. When all 24 counties in Maryland were considered, only Worcester County had wages below $500. Nine of the counties in Maryland reported average weekly wages from $501 to $700 in the second quarter of 2008, while another nine recorded wages from $701 to $900. Among the higher-paid counties, Montgomery was the only county with wages above $1,101, while four others had wages ranging from $901 to 1,100. Nearly all of the better-paid counties were located in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. The lowest-paid county, Worcester, was on the Delmarva Peninsula.
The average weekly wage in Maryland was $920, $79 above the national average, ranking it 7th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nationally, 15 states had average weekly wages surpassing the U.S. average; 8 of these, including Maryland, fell in a contiguous band along the east coast stretching from Massachusetts to Virginia. The five highest average wages in the nation were in the District of Columbia ($1,433), Massachusetts ($1,044), New York ($1,040), Connecticut ($1,036), and New Jersey ($1,004).