Report: Greene ranks near bottom in wage growth

Greene County’s wage growth was slower than the vast majority of the country in the third quarter, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With a 0.8% increase in the third quarter compared with a year earlier, Greene County ranked No. 342 among the 355 largest U.S. counties by percent change in average weekly wages, according to a news release. The BLS tallies counties with annual average employment levels of at least 75,000 for the list.

Greene County’s average weekly wage was $838 during the period, according to the BLS data. Employment was up 1.5% to 170,800 as of Sept. 30, 2019.

Below are the Missouri counties, by wages, percent growth and national wage-growth rank, in third quarter 2019:
• City of St. Louis (which also is considered a county), $1,172, 4.7%, No. 55;
• County of St. Louis, $1,131, 4.3%, No. 85;
• Jackson, $1,070, 2.5%, No. 267;
• Clay, $920, 2%, No. 295;
• Boone, $896, 6.7%, No. 13;
• St. Charles, $862, 2.9%, No. 238; and
• Greene, $838, 0.8%, No. 342;

Of the 355 largest U.S. counties, 350 posted year-over-year increases in average weekly wages during the third quarter, according to the release.