CT Counties Among Best Places in US to Make Big Bucks

When people decide where they want to settle down and build a home, they look at local schools, taxes, nearby recreation and entertainment, and a host of other things. An important factor that is often overlooked, however, is a community's proximity to good jobs.

The interactive map above shows a ranking of counties by the average salary paid by local businesses, using data reported to the U.S. Census Bureau (total reported annual payroll divided by the number of paid employees).

Every county in Connecticut was above the national average — $33,292 — with Fairfield County breaking into the Top 5 with an average paid salary of $77,922.

Zoom in on the map above (use full-screen for a better view) to see the breakdown for each county in Connecticut and compare against other counties nationwide.

Below are the 16 counties paying the highest average salaries and check out these lists to find the Connecticut communities with the highest and lowest paying jobs.

Best Paying Counties in America

• Average Pay: $68,436
• Total Payroll: $36,545,000
• Paid Employees: 534
• Number of Businesses: 63

• Average Pay: $68,795
• Total Payroll: $789,007,000
• Paid Employees: 11,469
• Number of Businesses: 594

• Average Pay: $68,824
• Total Payroll: $32,872,009,000
• Paid Employees: 47,623
• Number of Businesses: 21,545

• Average Pay: $69,108
• Total Payroll: $118,382,000
• Paid Employees: 1,713
• Number of Businesses: 73

• Average Pay: $69,662
• Total Payroll: $19,012,614,000
• Paid Employees: 272,926
• Number of Businesses: 16,622

• Average Pay: $70,480
• Total Payroll: $40,130,401,000
• Paid Employees: 569,388
• Number of Businesses: 28,871

• Average Pay: $72,739
• Total Payroll: $12,740,309,000
• Paid Employees: 175,150
• Number of Businesses: 9,677

• Average Pay: $72,944
• Total Payroll: $9,781,155,000
• Paid Employees: 134,091
• Number of Businesses: 6,101

• Average Pay: $73934
• Total Payroll: $40,711,776,000
• Paid Employees: 550,649
• Number of Businesses: 19,724

• Average Pay: $74,756
• Total Payroll: $312,407,000
• Paid Employees: 4,179
• Number of Businesses: 113

• Average Pay: $77,320
• Total Payroll: $24,098,810,000
• Paid Employees: 311,675
• Number of Businesses: 19,724

• Average Pay: $77,922
• Total Payroll: $31,039,729,000
• Paid Employees: 398,342
• Number of Businesses: 26,725

• Average Pay: $80,166
• Total Payroll: $39,599,522,000
• Paid Employees: 493,972
• Number of Businesses: 30,924

• Average Pay: $90,433
• Total Payroll: $78,230,572,000
• Paid Employees: 865,069
• Number of Businesses: 44,568

• Average Pay: $92,593
• Total Payroll: $15,463
• Paid Employees: 167
• Number of Businesses: 53

• Average Pay: $101,590
• Total Payroll: $202,981,197,000
• Paid Employees: 1,998,051
• Number of Businesses: 103,800