The average annual compensation per job in the United States in 2008 failed to keep pace with inflation, growing just 2.6 percent to $56,116. The rate of inflation rose 3.3 percent during that same 12-month period, according to statistics just released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

The U.S. durable goods manufacturing sector -- those big-ticket items meant to last three years or more -- suffered the largest rate of contraction at minus 2 percent in the 2,265 small U.S. counties covered in the survey.

"Small counties" are defined as those with total compensation of less than US$1 billion. BEA said small counties represent 72.8 percent of all U.S. counties, but only 8.3 percent of total national compensation.

EBA's definition for "compensation" is the sum of wage/salary plus employer contributions for government social insurance, employee pension and insurance funds.