Connecticut still leads the nation in offering the highest wages, but personal income in the state last year continued to grow at a slower pace compared to almost all other states, federal officials say.
Personal income in the state climbed at an annual rate of 3.2% in 2019, ranking only ahead of West Virginia and Illinois in growth, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said in a report Tuesday. Wages nationwide last year increased by an average of 4.4%.
In total, Connecticut workers earned more than $281.96 billion in 2019, up from $273.15 billion a year earlier, BEA data shows. The average worker earned $79,087 last year.
Among other New England states, Massachusetts had the country’s second-highest average wages ($74,967) and New Hampshire ($63,880) ranked eighth nationally. Connecticut was last in the region for personal income growth.
Connecticut also had the lowest percentage wage growth in the fourth quarter of 2019 at 1.8%, as New England averaged an increase of 2.8%.
The state’s wage growth in the fourth quarter was led by the healthcare and social assistance sector, followed by construction, finance/insurance and professional, scientific and technical services.
Workers continue to see minimal wage growth in-state as Connecticut labor officials this week reported that new unemployment compensation claims have now reached about 99,000 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Connecticut’s Department of Labor received more than 72,000 new unemployment claims from Friday, March 13 to Friday, March 20, according to agency spokesman Steve Jensen.
Over the weekend of March 21-22, the department received approximately 17,000 new claims, and another 10,000 new claims from unemployed workers on Monday.
