Aerospace engineers working in Arizona earn more than most of their counterparts across the United States while elementary school teachers here earn less.
Workers across Arizona earn an average of $34,530 a year, slightly less than the national average of $37,020.
"Even though the average wage in Arizona was less than the U.S. average, Arizona ranked 25th — or roughly right in the middle — among all 50 states for wages," said Amar Mann, a Bureau of Labor Statistics economist.
"Overall, the average wage in Arizona is lower than the rest of the nation, but a lot of occupations are paid well above the national average."
While the average salary of an elementary school teacher is $45,670 nationally, those in Arizona earn almost $10,000 less ats $36,270, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
New York state has the highest annual elementary school teacher salary at $64,000.
Arizona is the nation’s third-largest employer of aerospace engineers with 4,090 of them working across the state, Mann said.
And their earnings, at an annual average of $86,050, ranks second only to New Mexico’s $89,280, he said.
"And with over 4,000 people, that’s a significant portion of Arizona’s labor force," Mann said. And that’s not the only workers in Arizona who earn above the national average.
"Real estate brokers average $118,000 a year, significantly more than the U.S. average of $78,000. Real estate agents average about $64,000 compared to about $48,000 for the rest of us," Mann said.
Meanwhile, financial analysts in Arizona "aren’t doing too hot. They are pretty much dead last," Mann said.
Financial analysts here earn an average $52,650, compared to the national average of $70,500. Those analysts working in Connecticut earn the most, with an average annual salary of $94,160.
Pay comparison
The average salary in Arizona is 7.2 percent less than the national average:
ARIZONA
$34,530
U.S.
$37,020
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics TRIBUNE
