Average wage in Nevada grows but lags behind price increases

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 | 10:18 p.m.

The average weekly wage in Nevada in 2014 was $860, a gain of 1.3 percent from the prior year, but that didn’t keep pace with increases in prices.

The state Department of Employment Security, Training and Rehabilitation reported Tuesday prices rose 1.6 percent during the past year.

Department economist Bill Anderson said, “While I’m encouraged by four straight years of wage growth, gains are perhaps described as moderate.”

The highest weekly average wage in Nevada was $1,560 in the mining industry, up 0.8 percent from the previous year, according to a news release from the department.

During the fourth quarter of 2014, the agency said the average salary statewide was $899, an increase of 1.6 percent from the same period of 2013. Anderson said the state experiences the highest growth in the fourth quarter due to bonuses.

Clark County posted a wage gain of 1.3 percent to $848 per week in the last three months of the year. That is below the statewide average for the quarter.

The largest average salary in the state was in Esmeralda County at $1,039, a gain of 4.8 percent for the three months period.