Greene County wages grow by nearly 7% in Q1

Greene County wages were up by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the data released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

During the three-month period, the average weekly wage in the local county was $916, according to a news release. By year-over-year percentage growth, Greene County ranked No. 70 among the 343 largest U.S. counties measured by the BLS for the report.

Greene County's average take-home pay was lower than the other largest counties in Missouri. The highest average weekly wage was in the city of St. Louis, which operates as its own county, at $1,377.

Missouri's largest counties, ranked by first-quarter percent increase and wage growth rank nationally, are as follows:
• Boone County: $1,005, up 10.4%, No. 11 ;
• Greene County: $916, up 6.6%, No. 70;
• Jackson County: $1,212, up 4.8%, No. 136;
• St. Louis City (which operates as its own county): $1,377, up 4.6%, No. 145;
• St. Louis County: $1,302, up 3.1%, No. 228;
• St. Charles County: $1,017, up 2.3%, No. 258; and
• Clay County: $972, down 2.6%, No. 331.

Greene was among 312 of the largest counties in the country that posted an average weekly wage increase in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the release. Nationwide, first-quarter average weekly wages were up 5.6% to $1,289.