Workers in Southern states are paid less than those in other regions, even when adjusted for regional cost of living: State median earnings adjusted for state differences in the cost of living, 2022
| State | 2022 earnings for FTYR Workers | 2022 COL-Adjusted Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $49,599 | $56,491 |
| Alaska | $62,595 | $61,368 |
| Arizona | $53,811 | $53,865 |
| Arkansas | $46,012 | $53,132 |
| California | $63,399 | $56,355 |
| Colorado | $63,809 | $62,374 |
| Connecticut | $69,869 | $65,666 |
| Delaware | $57,010 | $58,173 |
| Washington D.C. | ||
| Florida | $50,628 | $49,587 |
| Georgia | $53,186 | $55,518 |
| Hawaii | $58,626 | $52,912 |
| Idaho | $50,955 | $55,507 |
| Illinois | $60,437 | $59,661 |
| Indiana | $52,796 | $57,512 |
| Iowa | $53,907 | $60,981 |
| Kansas | $52,085 | $57,872 |
| Kentucky | $50,066 | $56,002 |
| Louisiana | $50,088 | $55,285 |
| Maine | $54,040 | $53,611 |
| Maryland | $69,530 | $66,219 |
| Massachusetts | $73,999 | $67,641 |
| Michigan | $55,432 | $59,349 |
| Minnesota | $62,485 | $63,956 |
| Mississippi | $44,499 | $50,973 |
| Missouri | $51,426 | $56,450 |
| Montana | $50,404 | $55,818 |
| Nebraska | $53,767 | $59,874 |
| Nevada | $50,902 | $52,803 |
| New Hampshire | $64,517 | $59,960 |
| New Jersey | $70,215 | $64,536 |
| New Mexico | $49,831 | $54,759 |
| New York | $64,583 | $60,021 |
| North Carolina | $51,729 | $54,914 |
| North Dakota | $55,044 | $62,056 |
| Ohio | $54,731 | $59,815 |
| Oklahoma | $47,623 | $53,630 |
| Oregon | $58,569 | $54,943 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,360 | $60,665 |
| Rhode Island | $62,628 | $59,817 |
| South Carolina | $50,184 | $53,615 |
| South Dakota | $50,930 | $57,875 |
| Tennessee | $50,788 | $55,325 |
| Texas | $53,944 | $55,327 |
| Utah | $58,019 | $61,396 |
| Vermont | $58,760 | $58,121 |
| Virginia | $63,583 | $62,275 |
| Washington | $69,439 | $63,241 |
| West Virginia | $49,650 | $55,661 |
| Wisconsin | $55,334 | $59,950 |
| Wyoming | $54,398 | $59,193 |
Notes: The cost-of-living-adjusted median earnings is the median annual earnings for each state normalized by the BEA’s Regional Price Parities index. The values effectively show what each state’s median earnings can afford if the cost of living was identical across all states.
Sources: Unadjusted 2022 median earnings for full-time, year-round workers by state are taken from the American Community Survey Table S2001. Regional Price Parities for 2022 are taken from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity by State and Metropolitan Statistical Areas.