Maricopa County Arizona Leads U.S. In New Jobs

The Arizona Republic reports that Maricopa County led the nation by creating 75,700 net new jobs from December 2003 to December 2004.

Maricopa County outdistanced runner-up Clark County, Nev. (Las Vegas) by 29%. But the average weekly wage here was dead last among the 10 most populated counties. The average weekly wage of $801 trailed the U.S. average of $812. Construction accounted for the most new jobs, 12.9%, followed by health care and education, with 7%.

But local economist Elliott Pollack said the numbers did not take into account our lower cost of living, and when that is factored into the equation, "we have more spendable income here than virtually any California city," Pollack noted.

An Arizona State University study recently placed the state's job quality below the nation's average. It examined each state's share of jobs and industries and the average wages for those jobs and sectors.

The goal is to make Arizona attractive to industries that bring higher paying jobs, several economic development experts said. More...