The gap between rich and poor people continues to widen in Virginia, according to a new report.

The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis found that last year, the top 10 percent of wage earners earned nearly six times more than the bottom 10 percent. That is the widest the gap has been in 30 years, according to the Richmond-based institute.

While Virginians still earn more than those in many other states, likely because of federal jobs that pay well, the income gap between the richest and poorest is No. 2 in the country, behind only New Jersey.

The state’s median income of $60,674 was ninth highest in the country and the median wage of $17.83 per hour was eighth highest. The news isn’t all that surprising considering how the gap between rich and poor has widened broadly in the last 20-plus years. Job growth has concentrated in professional and businesses services while blue-collar sectors, such as construction, have taken big hits. The building business has lost 54,400 jobs in the state since the recession of 2008-09.

For evidence of the dearth of building jobs, one need look no farther than the Washington suburbs of Prince William and Loudoun Counties. No turnaround seems imminent.

If there’s a bright side in the report, it is that college education still seems to be paying off. In Virginia, college grads made a real median wage of $27.79 per hour, compared to $13.27 an hour for those with only high school educations. The message? Stay in school.

Peter Galuszka blogs at Bacon’s Rebellion. The Local Blog Network is a group of bloggers from around the D.C. region who have agreed to make regular contributions to All Opinions Are Local.