If the country is in a recession, someone better tell Virginia.

A new report says average wages in the state went up again last year, to $17.83 and hour.

That's 11 percent above the national average and the eighth highest in the country.

The report is by the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis based in Richmond, described as a left-leaning think tank.

The group found the median household income in Virginia held steady at $60,674 last year and that college educated workers continued to be paid higher wages.

Among the study's other findings, the wage gap between the highest and lowest earners has reached a 30-year high.

The group found the top 10 percent of wage earners make at least 5.7 times more than those in the bottom 10 percent.

The group says that gap is second to only New Jersey.