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Show In Our Opinion Per capita pay ranks Utah lo w The Utah economy is sound, they tell us, while much of the nation grapples with recessionary flu. Our residents are upscale and well educated, they tell us. So we feel pretty smug. Then comes word from the federal Department of Commerce, Com-merce, ranking Utah 48th in the 50 states in per capita income. Only Mississippi and West Virginia are worse. That's pretty bad company. The national per capita income average, according to figures compiled by the commerce department's Bureau of Economic Analysis, is $18,685. Utah ranks third from the bottom nationally at $14,083, just behind Arkansas and New Mexico ($14,218 and $14,228 respectively). Mississippi ranks last at $12,735, followed by West Virginia, $13,747. We can't help wondering why, if Utahns are educated on the whole more than the average and subject themselves to a work ethic that finds many still on the job past quitting time, employers don't pay more. We've got the Greatest Snow on Earth, clean air, towering mountains and a high tech center (in Utah County) that is nationally known. We've got picture book cities, broad streets, world class recreation and tiny paychecks. We've also got lots of children and some experts say that I drives the numbers down when you calculate things like per - I capita income. Spread a $28,000 paycheck among a family of 12 and the numbers just aren't that impressive. Per capita income is a reflection of our demographic situation situa-tion rather than Utah being a poor state, say the experts. Well, that could be true. Usually someone who signs the paychecks comes up with explanations like that. What we do know is that a comparison of Utah paychecks-be paychecks-be it a school teacher's, a state employee's or drawn by middle management in a local companywith the wages for similar employment in neighboring Nevada, Arizona or California, indicates in-dicates we're not a very impressive earning center. And it shouldn't be. Tell your boss we said so. |
