Region gets a $2k boost to pay pack
THE Gympie region's average wage has increased by about $2000 in three years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The latest data, sourced from the Australian Tax Office, listed Gympie's average wage at $38,284, below the state average of $47,054.
In 2009 Gympie's average wage was $36,180 at a time when the Queensland average sat at $44,501.
Gympie's neighbouring regions fared a little better in the latest statistical report, with Sunshine Coast's wage averaging in at $41,365, Fraser Coast at $39,463 and South Burnett topping the list with a wage average of $41,565.
Outside of the Brisbane area, the highest average income for Queensland was found in Moranbah ($75,662) - a mining region near Mackay.
The latest wage data also shows the average male worker earns over $13,000 more a year than his female counterpart.
Despite efforts to close the gap, the average female weekly wage rose by only 3.3% to $821 in the past year compared with men's rising 3.9% to $1285.
The wage gap is mostly due to the more male-dominated sectors such as mining and construction.
The tax office data shows mine workers are the country's highest-paid, with an average annual pay of almost $120,000 or $2274 a week.
Workers in electricity, gas, water and waste are the second-best paid, with an average weekly wage of $1584.
Those employed in the information technology and insurances services industries earn weekly pays of about $1400.
WAGE COMPARISONS BY REGION
| Area | Earners | Total income | Average income |
| Gympie | 16,280 | 623,259,037 | 38,284 |
| Sunshine Coast | 128,304 | 5,307,287,642 | 41,365 |
| Fraser Coast | 33,220 | 1,310,961,159 | 39,463 |
| South Burnett | 11,381 | 473,051,312 | 41,565 |
| Brisbane | 523,570 | 27,669,892,136 | 52,849 |
