Here is average salary in the U.S. in 2024. How does Ohio stack up?

Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·3 min read
The average salary in the United States is on the rise. Here's how Ohio compares. (AP File Photo/Matt Slocum)
The average salary in the United States is on the rise. Here's how Ohio compares. (AP File Photo/Matt Slocum)

The average salary in the United States has been increasing year over year, according to a breakdown of data by USA Today partner Blueprint. So how does Ohio fare?

Ohio's median salary, by the numbers

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, Ohio ranks 30th for the median annual salary, which has been growing each year from 2020 to 2023.

In 2020, the median salary was $53,612. That grew to $55,588 in 2021, an increase of 3.7%. In 2022, the median grew again to $58,500, up 5.2%. Likewise in 2023, it grew to $60,320, an increase of 3.1%. Ohio's median salary was $936 above the US average in 2023, according to the statistics.

In comparison with neighboring states, Ohio is ahead of No. 36 Indiana, No. 37 Kentucky and No. 44 West Virginia. The Buckeye State ranked behind No. 16 Pennsylvania and No. 22 Michigan.

The richest cities in Ohio

In 2023, Forbes compiled a list of the richest cities in Ohio, based on multiple datasets from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (which is the latest data available). The list included data on including median household income, mean household income, median home value, and median property taxes paid. The top 10 cities on the list are suburban communities surrounding Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, and include:

  1. Hunting Valley, Cuyahoga and Geauga counties

  2. Cold Stream, Hamilton County

  3. The Village of Indian Hill, Hamilton County

  4. Bentleyville, Cuyahoga County

  5. Concorde Hills, Hamilton County

  6. Gates Mills, Cuyahoga County

  7. New Albany, Franklin County

  8. Moreland Hills, Cuyahoga County

  9. Terrace Park, Hamilton County

  10. Pepper Pike, Cuyahoga County

Average salary in the U.S.

Average salaries and wages in the United States have been increasing year after year, but the landscape looks different depending on a range of factors, from where you live to how old you are.

Average salary statistics: Key findings

  • National average income: The national average salary in the U.S. in Q4 of 2023 was $59,384.

  • Average salary by age: The highest average earners are aged between 35 and 44, earning 13.8% more than the national average salary.

  • Average income by state: On average, Mississippi is the lowest-earning state with an average income of $48,048, and Massachusetts is the highest-earning state with an average income of $86,840.

  • Average salary by occupation: The highest earners in the U.S. in 2022 were cardiologists ($421,330), and the lowest earners were shampooers ($27,870).

  • Average income by race: The lowest earners in the U.S. were Hispanics and Latinos, with an average of $45,968, and the highest earners were Asians, with an average of $90,012.

  • Average family income: The average family household income was $74,755 in 2022.

  • Average income by gender: The gender pay gap decreased by 0.7% in the last year, but between 2021 and 2022, it grew by 1.3%.

  • Average salary by education: Full-time workers over 25 years old without a high school diploma earned an average of $47,580 per year.

  • Wage growth vs. inflation: The average salary grew by 5.4%, while there was a gain of 3.2% in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

U.S. average salary by age

  • The age group with the lowest average earnings is predictably 16 to 24-year-olds.

  • The highest average earners are aged between 35 and 44, earning 13.8% more than the national average.

  • Average earnings start to fall at age 45, and those aged 65 and over earn almost 8% less than the national average.

U.S. average income by state

  • Mississippi is the lowest-earning state with an average annual income of $48,048, over $11,000 below the U.S. average.

  • The highest-earning state is Massachusetts, with an average annual income of $86,840 in 2023 — more than $27,000 above the national average.

  • Missouri earns the closest to the U.S. average with an annual income of $59,800, just $416 above average earnings nationwide.

Mehdi Punjwani and Sierra Campbell of Blueprint contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Where does Ohio rank for average US salary? Here's what to know