via biztimes.com by Arthur Thomas
In May, for example, the average weekly private sector wage in Wisconsin increased 6.4 percent from the same time in 2017, to $869.66. Nationwide, the increase was 3.1 percent, to $923.98. Account for inflation, and Wisconsin’s average wage was up $29.36 per week while the country’s was up just $2.27 per week.
Wage gains outpacing the national average are not a one-month phenomena for the state, either. Wisconsin averaged a year-over-year increase of 5.7 percent in the first five months of 2018, compared to 2.7 percent for the U.S. For all of 2017, the state averaged an increase of 3.6 percent, while the country averaged 2.8 percent.
Metro Milwaukee has seen a similar trend, with wages increasing 4.9 percent in May compared to the same time last year and averaging a 5.6 percent year-over-year increase in the first five months of 2018. The region also averaged an increase of 4.1 percent in both 2017 and 2016, outpacing U.S. wage growth both years.
The wage growth roughly coincides with when the state’s unemployment rate dipped below 4.5 percent. It has continued to trend downward, reaching a seasonally-adjusted 2.8 percent in April and May.
The complete story here > Wage growth in Wisconsin outpacing U.S.