Map shows workers in America's best-paid state earn five figures more than employees in worst-paid state

Average workers in the best-paid state in America can expect to earn $23,000 more annually than employees in the nation’s worst-paid state.

The latest available figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the median annual wage in Massachusetts is $60,690.

That’s the wage that 50% of salaries fall below, which is considered a more accurate way of measuring average earnings than by taking the mean amount, which can be skewed by a small number of very high-paid jobs.

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That means that the average worker in Massachusetts earns $23,190 more than the average employee toiling at work in Mississippi , where median annual pay is $37,500, the lowest in mainland America.

Massachusetts workers also earn a median hourly wage of $29.18. That’s $11 higher than their counterparts in the Magnolia State, where pay is much lower at $18.03 per hour.

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The Northeast and Western regions tend to have higher-earning workforces compared with the South and some Midwest states.

After Massachusetts, Washington has the best-paid workforce with a median salary of $59,920, followed by New York at $56,840 and Alaska at $56,140.

Arkansas has the next lowest wage after Mississippi with an annual median salary of $39,060, followed by West Virginia at $39,770 and Louisiana at $40,400.

Wages are typically in line with costs of living, which means the states with the highest earners are also the most expensive to live in. Massachusetts had the second-highest cost of living, while Mississippi was the fourth cheapest state to live.

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And while times are hard for many average working Joes across America, spare a thought for employees living in Puerto Rico. The median wage in this unincorporated territory of the US is just $25,140 - that’s $12,360 lower than even in Mississippi. Yet the cost of living is slightly higher than average in America.