Workers in the Hartford area still earn on average far more than others across the U.S., new federal data shows.
A new report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says employees in dozens of municipalities surrounding Hartford earned an average hourly wage of $29.24 in May 2018, about 17 percent higher than the U.S. average of $24.98.
Local wages were also above the national average in 17 of the 22 major occupational groups. There were no employment groups that had an hourly wage “significantly lower” compared to its respective national average, according to BLS.
In particular, hourly wages in Greater Hartford were especially higher in several occupational groups such as farming, fishing and forestry (57 percent higher than the nationwide average); management and legal (17 percent); construction and extraction, office and administrative support, building and grounds cleaning/maintenance (16 percent); education, training and library (15 percent); and healthcare practitioners and technical (14 percent).
With an average hourly wage of $18.24, local workers in the transportation and material moving occupational group earned slightly less (1 percent) than their counterparts nationally.
Average hourly wages in Connecticut will continue to surpass U.S. averages as the state scales its minimum hourly wage to $15 by June 1, 2023. Connecticut became the seventh state to adopt a $15 minimum wage in May.
Findings in the BLS report were generated from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey, which draws on data shared between BLS and the state Department of Labor. BLS lists 54 cities and towns in the Hartford metropolitan area.
