In a bit of a longer post I bring a bit more data to the discussion in terms of wages in Grand Forks compared to the other ND MSAs. It is a mixed bag but the data would not dispel the “notion” of Grand Forks as a low wage economy.
I take a look at the local data and the issue of the level of benefits compared to local wages.
Continuing with some of the comparison points of different areas in North Dakota I look at metro area wages and the differences between them.
I create a county map for North Dakota and look at the deviations of average weekly wage in those counties from the state average.
So after the post yesterday and some of the discussion today I realized I could smooth out the picture a bit more. I kind of kicked myself for breaking one of the main bits of guidance I give to my forecasting students. So I take a look at the quarterly data from last time, but this time we look at the percentage change from a year ago levels, thereby controlling for seasonal factors.
Continue reading Another Look at ND Wage data