US states by average weekly wage (QCEW)

District of Columbia had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 51 states in 2016, at $1,721. Mississippi had the lowest, at $734. The median was $912 and the figure for the United States was $1,031. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest1,721District of Columbia

Lowest734Mississippi

Median91251 states

United States1,031History

Map of states, 2016

Under 830
830 to 870
870 to 910
910 to 1,000
1,000 to 1,100
1,100 and over

USD, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

USD. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2016 USD	Change on 2015
1	District of Columbia	1,721	+1.5%
2	New York	1,307	+0.7%
3	Massachusetts	1,297	+1.1%
4	Connecticut	1,267	+0.6%
5	California	1,211	+2%
6	New Jersey	1,207	+0.7%
7	Washington	1,135	+4.1%
8	Maryland	1,117	+1.5%
9	Illinois	1,086	+0.8%
10	Virginia	1,055	+1.1%
11	Colorado	1,051	+0.9%
12	Texas	1,045	+0.1%
13	Minnesota	1,044	+1.5%
14	Delaware	1,034	-0.4%
15	Alaska	1,031	-2.1%
16	New Hampshire	1,030	+1.9%
17	Pennsylvania	1,009	+0.5%
18	Rhode Island	989	+1.5%
19	Michigan	980	+1.8%
20	Georgia	975	+2.3%
21	Oregon	951	+2.4%
22	North Dakota	940	-3.6%
23	Arizona	933	+1.2%
24	Hawaii	927	+2.8%
25	Ohio	917	+1.1%
26	Tennessee	912	+1.4%
27	North Carolina	909	+1.6%
28	Nevada	906	+3%
29	Florida	905	+1.7%
30	Missouri	887	+1.3%
31	Wisconsin	885	+1.5%
32	Louisiana	877	-0.7%
33	Utah	870	+2.1%
34	Vermont	866	+1.8%
35	Wyoming	865	-2.9%
36	Iowa	864	+1.9%
37	Alabama	862	+1.3%
38	Indiana	857	+1.5%
39	Kansas	849	+0.6%
40	Kentucky	848	+1.7%
41	Oklahoma	844	-0.9%
42	Nebraska	838	+1.7%
43	South Carolina	825	+2.1%
44	Maine	819	+1.9%
44	New Mexico	819	+0.1%
46	West Virginia	801	-0.1%
47	Arkansas	799	+1.7%
48	South Dakota	792	+2.5%
49	Montana	783	+1.7%
50	Idaho	762	+2%
51	Mississippi	734	+1.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages paid during the year divided by the average number of covered jobs and by 52, in US dollars, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

In current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. An average per job, so part-time jobs pull it down and high earners pull it up; for the typical job use median_annual_wage. Wages include bonuses, stock options exercised, severance pay and tips, which makes counties with corporate headquarters stand out. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (US states by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, US states by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. US states by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, US states by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{bureau_us_states_by_average_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: US states by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: US states by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which state has the highest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

District of Columbia, with $1,721 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Mississippi, with $734 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.