The Bureau of Labor Statistics said today that the average weekly wages in the state grew 4 percent during second quarter 2006 to $704 from the year-earlier quarter. By contrast, the national average increased 4.4 percent to $784.

Hawai'i's average pay ranked 26th in the country and the state's growth rate ranked 31st nationwide, the bureau said.

The highest wages were in the District of Columbia where the average worker earned $1,300 a week, the bureau said. South Dakota, where workers earn an average of $563 a week, was at the bottom.