Highest wages in the state? How about Wayne County?

On this map, the darker green counties have average weekly
 wages substantially above the state average, the reddest
 counties are substantially below average.
(Bridge illustration)

Which counties have the highest weekly wages in Michigan? Which counties are the bottom of that list?

I would bet a majority of Michiganders would put Wayne County near the bottom, yet Wayne ($1,018) is essentially tied with Oakland and Washtenaw counties (both at $1,019) for the highest weekly wages.

How can that be? I mean, Wayne has the Grosse Pointes but the population there is pretty small. So, how does Wayne sit at the top of the list, with all the poverty in Detroit?

The folks at Bridge Magazine crunched the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Labor and ranked Michigan’s 83 counties based on wages. Here’s what they wrote about the top of the field: 

“Washtenaw, Oakland and Wayne counties had the highest weekly wages in the state as of 2014 (at just over $1,000 each).

“The home of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw also has one of the most educated populations – 51 percent of adult residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, which accounts for the high earnings. Oakland County is home to several of Detroit’s high-end bedroom communities.

“While unemployment in Detroit is in the double digits, Wayne County average wages have remained high. Wayne County is home to several higher-income areas such as Palmer Woods, Livonia, Plymouth and the Grosse Pointes. Despite Detroit’s troubles, life hasn’t been so bad for those who actually held onto their jobs.

“Wayne County has seen the highest sheer number of jobs lost (22 percent 1990 to 2013), but those still working have an average pay that is higher than the national average. 'For some of those that are still working, it’s a great world,' (economist Paul) Traub said."

Midland County ranks fourth, at $939 per week, and Macomb is down to fifth, at $934, after a 10 percent decline in inflation-adjusted wages from 2000-14.