Interesting chart: wages+salaries since 2015 for MA/CT/NY/NJ.
All four states had steady growth post-COVID, but very different stories in the leadup. MA and NY basically tied; NJ lagged; CT looks like a pack-a-day smoker.
Listen closely and you can hear the swarm of low-grade consultants withdrawing their fangs from failed campaigns and beginning the frantic hunt for next cycle's meal.