I crunched that wage number as well.
CA wages are a bit less than double WV wages.
Folks in CA in high cost areas are getting taken for a ride.
They seem to like it. I know some are leaving but it’s still the most populous state by a lot. I’d never live there, but I do like Southern California. I’d love to live on Coronado. But that’s a dream today.
One of the things about CA is that a lot of higher earners don’t really make a “wage.” Stock grants and options have made middle managers millionaires several times over. Their net worth is high, but their “wages” are moderate.
25 years ago when I worked at a bank, my salary is about “mid point” of my peers. I doubled that with options and stock grants—most of which I went yers without cashing out.
Statistics are fun to play with. But without significant context they are often intentionally misleading.