1996 Annual Pay Levels in Metropolitan Areas — 1997-10-30

Average annual pay of employees within the nation's 313 metropolitan areas increased by 4.0 percent from 1995 to 1996, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The 4.0 percent increase from 1995 to 1996 was the largest over-the-year gain since 1992. Average annual pay was $30,250 in 1996, up from $29,099 in 1995. Average annual pay for the entire nation, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas combined, was $28,945 in 1996. (Average annual pay data by state and industry were issued on September 11, 1997, in USDL 97-315.) Average annual pay data are compiled from reports submitted by employers subject to state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) laws covering 118.0 million full- and part-time workers. Average annual pay is computed by dividing the total annual payrolls of employees covered by UI programs by the average monthly number of these employees.