Greene County wages decline in Q1

Greene County’s average weekly wage dropped 1.9 percent to $740 during the first quarter, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ranked by percent change compared with the same quarter of 2015, Greene County placed 264th among the 344 largest U.S. counties measured by the BLS.

St. Louis County had the largest first-quarter drop among seven ranked Missouri counties, with average weekly wages decreasing 2.3 percent to $1,074. Jackson County ranked 34th among the largest U.S. counties with 2.1 percent wage growth to $1,030 per week.

The U.S. average decreased 0.5 percent in the first quarter to $1,043 per week. The decline is one of only seven average quarterly wage dips since the government began recording the data in 1978, according to the BLS.