Union County workers averaged $1,688 per week in the fourth quarter of 2025, a 4.3 percent jump but still hundreds behind neighboring counties.

The figure comes from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data published June 12, the most recent county-level release. The BLS published updated statewide figures on Saturday, Sept. 5, showing New Jersey ranked seventh nationally with an average weekly wage of $1,879 in the first quarter of 2026. That topped the national average of $1,654 by $225 a week.

Statewide wages rose 3.3 percent over the prior year. Union County's 4.3 percent growth outpaced that rate, but the county still ranked just 56th nationally among large counties. Eight of New Jersey's 15 largest counties exceeded the national average.

Somerset County ($2,025 per week) and Morris County ($2,004) led the state's large counties in the fourth quarter of 2025. Both topped $2,000. At the other end, Gloucester County ($1,217) and Ocean County ($1,223) posted the lowest averages.

The wage gains arrive alongside steep living costs. New Jersey's cost of living runs about 15 percent above the national average, according to a cost-of-living index compiled by StateCalc.

The state carries the nation's highest property tax rates at 2.23 percent, and the statewide median home price reached $585,000 in October 2025, according to the New Jersey Real Estate Network.

In Summit, home prices amplify the gap. Most single-family homes are priced above $1 million, and a home assessed at $1.5 million carries an annual property tax bill of roughly $23,310, even with Summit's relatively low 1.554 percent tax rate.

The BLS data covers roughly 235,200 workers in Union County enrolled in unemployment insurance programs. It does not capture self-employed or gig workers, so actual earnings across the Summit area may differ.

New Jersey's minimum wage rose to $15.92 for most employees in 2026, one of the highest rates in the country.

Patch first reported on the statewide BLS release. The BLS plans to release second-quarter 2026 county wage data on Dec. 2.