Economy
Average Wage Per Job
Description: The average wage is a measure of individual economic well-being of those working in wage and salary jobs. It is calculated from wage and salary disbursements and wage and salary employment.
Annual data are presented on the dashboard since 1969 for the United States, Arizona, and the state’s 15 counties. Unadjusted and inflation-adjusted dollars are presented, as well as the inflation-adjusted percent change and the percentage of the national average. The data are inflation adjusted using the gross domestic product (GDP) implicit price deflator. The inflation-adjusted dollars are expressed in terms of the latest year of data available.
Data Sources: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. The average wage is available from Table CA34 http://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/default.cfm?catable=CA34§ion=2. The GDP implicit price deflator is available from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/SelectTable.asp?Selected=Y (Table 1.1.9).
Comments on the Quality of the Data: The employment figures are estimates. The primary source is the Census of Employment and Wages, but the BEA must estimate employment for those not counted in the census. The employment data do not distinguish between full- and part-time employment. Thus, the average wage has not been adjusted for those jobs in which more or less than 40 hours per week are worked. Proprietors are not included.
