An economic study commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found the industry continues to outpace US economic growth, but is that really that hard these days? The report titled Video Games in the 21st Century: Economic Contributions of the US Entertainment Software Industry found between 2003 - '06 the industry grew 17% annually, while the US economy grew 4%. The shocker in the report is that for the 24,000 individuals employed in the US, the average salary was $92,300 in '06.There a lot of big numbers with billions attached to them speaking of the industry's economic impact on various states. California is currently the largest employer of industry professionals with 40% of the industry's population and a $1.7 billion contribution to the Cali economy. Of course, Washington state came in second with Microsoft and Nintendo's HQs located there. We're a little more curious about the mode salary rather than the mean. The $92,300 sounds peachy, but we're pretty sure that high-level executives screw up the average. We're guessing the quality assurance ground troops don't eat porterhouse every night and burn Benjamins on the weekends for fun.
