March 12, 2008 3:38 PM

Bay State good for wages
Posted by Jesse Nunesat 3:38 PM

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released today, weekly wages in Massachusetts rose almost 5 percent in this year's second quarter over a year earlier. Among New England states, the Bay State's increase was behind Connecticut (6.4 percent) and New Hampshire (6.3) in growth percentage, yet the Massachusetts average wage clocked in at No. 4 in the US – behind only Washington D.C., Connecticut, and New York – at $1,008 a week.

Here is some more Massachusetts-related numbers from the Globe's report on the BLS numbers:

In Massachusetts, wages grew fastest in Middlesex County, rising 6 percent to $1,179 in the three month period from April to June compared to a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Suffolk County had that state's highest average weekly wage at $1,284, up 4.7 percent. Among the state's most populous counties, average week wages and year-over-year growth in the second quarter were: Norfolk, $986, up 1.2 percent; Essex, $879, up 4.5 percent; Worcester, $843, up 3.7 percent; Plymouth, $803, up 3.6 percent; Bristol, $758, up 3.7; Hampden, $748, up 3.7 percent; and Barnstable, $708, up 3.7 percent.