Wages on the rise in Arizona, but rising costs still pinching residents
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - New data reveals that wages are increasing for many workers in Arizona, with job-stayers in the state seeing higher wage growth compared to the national average.
Despite these gains, the rising cost of living continues to be a concern for many residents.
According to the latest findings from ADP Pay Insights, Arizona workers who have stayed in their jobs for at least a year saw their wages increase by 5% between August 2023 and August 2024. This figure is slightly higher than the national average wage increase of 4.8% over the same period.
However, while wage growth is positive, the average salary in Arizona still lags behind the national figure. The average annual salary for workers in Arizona is now just over $52,000—about $6,000 less than the national average.
For locals like Jeff Sarratt, these wage increases are not enough to keep up with rising costs. Sarratt, who lives in a Yuma trailer park, shared his frustration with the cost of housing.
"It has to be, obviously. I'm paying 900 dollars a month; it will go up next month to 950 in a trailer park over here. It's like, Jesus Christ, I remember paying 1500 for a house," Sarratt said.
While wage growth for those staying in their current jobs has been moderate, those who switched jobs saw even larger increases nationwide, with wages jumping over 7%. Experts believe this trend could continue, potentially providing a boost to local economies, including Yuma.
ADP Research's Lead Data Scientist, Liv Wang, provided insight into how the data is collected.
"An individual has to stay in the sample from the same months for two consecutive years. Then we calculate this individual's wage change. So, we have ten million individual wage changes, then we take the median of that ten million," Wang explained.
As wages rise across the state, Arizona residents may experience some financial relief. However, with costs continuing to climb, it remains uncertain how much impact these wage increases will have on the day-to-day lives of local communities.
For more updates on Arizona’s economic trends and how they affect Yuma, stay tuned to our coverage.
