A new interactive map produced by the Wall Street Journal confirms that despite Florida’s falling unemployment rate, the sunshine state’s wage growth lags behind almost everyone’s.
Between 2004 and 2013, three-quarters of Florida counties experienced wage declines during this period, leading to lower living standards. Fifty Florida counties saw wages decline and only 17 reported average wage gains.
In Orange County, wages dropped 4 percent to $43,145 from $44,946 in 2004. Neighboring Volusia County also saw a drop of 3.4 percent from $36,190 in 2004 to $34,947 in 2013. In Osceola County the decline in wages was 1.0 percent, falling to $34,138 from $34,486 in 2004.
In the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties saw a slight uptick in wage growth, 2.8 and 2.7 percent, respectively, during that decade.
The biggest decline was in Flager County where wages dropped 17.3 percent to $31,425 in 2013 from $38,013 in 2004. Glades County saw the biggest gain with wages rising 16.1 percent.
Nationwide, states that show booming wage increases were Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and the Dakotas, where the energy sector is dominant.
