Rise in Wages in Queens Is Almost Highest in U.S.
Fear of more trouble on Wall Street has sent tremors throughout New York City, but in Queens, what may matter more to the borough?s economy is the continued flow of tourists and imports through the city?s two big airports. Buoyed by the boom in the travel and transportation business ? much of it dependent on Kennedy International and La Guardia Airports ? wages rose faster in Queens than in all but one other county in the country last year, according to the latest figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between June 2006 and June 2007, the average weekly wage in the borough rose by 12.7 percent to $886, the bureau reported on Wednesday. In Manhattan, which has the highest average weekly wage of all big counties in America, the average paycheck grew by 6.4 percent to $1,540, the new figures show.
See "Rise in Wages in Queens Is Almost Highest in U.S.", Patrick McGeehan, The New York Times, April 2, 2008