Inflation-adjusted wages for the typical American worker haven’t changed much over the past several decades. Just how much workers are feeling the pinch from low wages, though, depends in large part on where they live.
Average wages can vary greatly from region to region, and adjusting for the cost of living provides an approximation of how far workers need to stretch their paychecks. Governing compiled federal earnings data for private-sector workers, adjusting for the cost of living using an index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research.
Image: An employee at a ski resort near Flagstaff, Ariz., which has the nation's lowest wages and largely depends on tourism. (AP/Felicia Fonseca)
