Technical information:(202) 691-6567 USDL 09-0362
http://www.bls.gov/cew/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Wednesday, April 8, 2009
COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES: THIRD QUARTER 2008
From September 2007 to September 2008, employment declined in more
than half of the largest U.S. counties, according to preliminary data
released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor. Elkhart County, Ind., located about 100 miles
east of Chicago, posted the largest percentage decline, with a loss
of 10.8 percent over the year, compared with a national job decrease
of 0.8 percent. Manufacturing sustained the largest employment losses
in Elkhart. Yakima, Wash., in the south-central part of the State,
experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in
employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a gain of 3.2
percent, led by growth in agriculture.
Rutherford County, Tenn., within the metropolitan Nashville area,
had the largest over-the-year gain in average weekly wages in the
third quarter of 2008, with an increase of 17.3 percent coming
largely from manufacturing. The U.S. average weekly wage rose by 2.8
percent over the same time span.
Of the 334 largest counties in the United States (as measured by
2007 annual average employment) 139 had over-the-year percentage
change in employment below the national average (-0.8 percent) in
September 2008; 178 large counties experienced changes above the
national average. The percent change in average weekly wages was
higher than the national average (2.8 percent) in 155 of the largest
U.S. counties but was below the national average in 168 counties.
Table A. Top 10 large counties ranked by September 2008 employment, September 2007-08 employment
decrease, and September 2007-08 percent decrease in employment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
September 2008 employment | Decrease in employment, | Percent decrease in employment,
(thousands) | September 2007-08 | September 2007-08
| (thousands) |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
United States 135,173.8| United States -1,056.1| United States -0.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
Los Angeles, Calif. 4,141.1| Maricopa, Ariz. -67.1| Elkhart, Ind. -10.8
Cook, Ill. 2,504.2| Los Angeles, Calif. -61.5| Lee, Fla. -8.1
New York, N.Y. 2,363.8| Orange, Calif. -42.2| Collier, Fla. -7.4
Harris, Texas 2,047.2| Riverside, Calif. -35.5| Sarasota, Fla. -7.1
Maricopa, Ariz. 1,761.0| Miami-Dade, Fla. -33.1| Marion, Fla. -6.4
Dallas, Texas 1,489.1| Cook, Ill. -33.0| Volusia, Fla. -5.9
Orange, Calif. 1,469.5| Wayne, Mich. -31.2| Seminole, Fla. -5.8
San Diego, Calif. 1,318.0| Hillsborough, Fla. -31.1| Macomb, Mich. -5.8
King, Wash. 1,198.7| Broward, Fla. -31.0| Riverside, Calif. -5.6
Miami-Dade, Fla. 993.1| San Bernardino, Calif. -25.1| Washoe, Nev. -5.4
| Palm Beach, Fla. -25.1|
| |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The employment and average weekly wage data by county are compiled
under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program,
also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from reports
submitted by every employer subject to unemployment insurance (UI)
laws. The 9.2 million employer reports cover 135.2 million full- and
part-time workers.
Large County Employment
In September 2008, national employment, as measured by the QCEW
program, was 135.2 million, down by 0.8 percent from September 2007.
The 334 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for
71.2 percent of total U.S. employment and 76.8 percent of total
wages. These 334 counties had a net job decline of 891,159 over the
year, accounting for 84.4 percent of the overall U.S. employment
decrease.
Employment declined in 207 counties from September 2007 to
September 2008. The largest percentage decline in employment was in
Elkhart, Ind. (-10.8 percent). Lee, Fla., had the next largest
percentage decline (-8.1 percent), followed by the counties of
Collier, Fla. (-7.4 percent), Sarasota, Fla. (-7.1 percent), and
Marion, Fla. (-6.4 percent). The largest decline in employment
levels occurred in Maricopa, Ariz. (-67,100), followed by the
counties of Los Angeles, Calif. (-61,500), Orange, Calif. (-42,200),
Riverside, Calif. (-35,500), and Miami-Dade, Fla. (-33,100). (See
table A.) Combined employment losses in these five counties over the
year totaled 239,400, or 23 percent of the employment decline for the
U.S. as a whole.
Employment rose in 109 of the large counties from September 2007 to
September 2008. Yakima County, Wash., had the largest over-the-year
percentage increase in employment (3.2 percent). Potter, Texas, had
the next largest increase, 3.1 percent, followed by the counties of
Montgomery, Texas (3.0 percent), Douglas, Colo. (2.9 percent), and
Cass, N.D. (2.6 percent). The largest gains in the level of
employment from September 2007 to September 2008 were recorded in the
counties of Harris, Texas (26,500), King, Wash. (17,100), New York,
N.Y. (14,800), Travis, Texas (9,400), and Washington, D.C. (9,300).
Table B. Top 10 large counties ranked by third quarter 2008 average weekly wages, third quarter 2007-08
growth in average weekly wages, and third quarter 2007-08 percent growth in average weekly wages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average weekly wage in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average weekly wage, | Growth in average weekly | Percent growth in average
third quarter 2008 | wage, third quarter 2007-08 | weekly wage, third
| | quarter 2007-08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
United States $841| United States $23| United States 2.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
New York, N.Y. $1,552| Rutherford, Tenn. $124| Rutherford, Tenn. 17.3
Santa Clara, Calif. 1,530| Suffolk, N.Y. 77| Yolo, Calif. 9.7
Washington, D.C. 1,391| Yolo, Calif. 73| Madison, Ill. 9.2
San Mateo, Calif. 1,374| San Francisco, Calif. 65| Suffolk, N.Y. 8.6
San Francisco, Calif. 1,350| Lake, Ill. 63| Calcasieu, La. 7.8
Arlington, Va. 1,348| Solano, Calif. 61| Solano, Calif. 7.7
Suffolk, Mass. 1,321| Madison, Ill. 61| Santa Cruz, Calif. 7.5
Fairfield, Conn. 1,310| Wyandotte, Kan. 58| Wyandotte, Kan. 7.5
Fairfax, Va. 1,295| Santa Cruz, Calif. 56| Polk, Fla. 7.0
Somerset, N.J. 1,233| Hennepin, Minn. 56| Benton, Ark. 6.7
| | Lafayette, La. 6.7
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Large County Average Weekly Wages
The national average weekly wage in the third quarter of 2008 was
$841. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in
108 of the largest 334 U.S. counties. New York, N.Y., held the top
position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly
wage of $1,552. Santa Clara, Calif., was second with an average
weekly wage of $1,530, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,391), San
Mateo, Calif. ($1,374), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,350). (See
table B.) Over the year, the national average weekly wage rose by 2.8
percent. Among the largest counties, Rutherford, Tenn., led the
nation in growth in average weekly wages with an increase of 17.3
percent from the third quarter of 2007. Yolo, Calif., was second with
growth of 9.7 percent, followed by the counties of Madison, Ill. (9.2
percent), Suffolk, N.Y. (8.6 percent), and Calcasieu, La. (7.8
percent).
Average weekly wages are affected by the number of high-paying and
low-paying jobs in an industry. The 2.8 percent over-the-year gain in
average weekly wages for the nation is partially due to large
employment declines in the construction and manufacturing industries,
which posted the largest over-the-year percent declines in September
employment. (See table 2.) Average weekly wages for construction
workers increased 5.1 percent as employment fell by more than 6
percent. Construction and manufacturing lost 518,400 and 499,200
jobs, respectively, over the year in September. Employment declines
exceeded 3 percent in manufacturing as average weekly wages for these
workers grew by 1.9 percent. (See Technical Note.)
There were 226 counties with an average weekly wage below the
national average in the third quarter of 2008. The lowest average
weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($537), followed by the
counties of Cameron, Texas ($538), Hidalgo, Texas ($549), Webb, Texas
($559), and Yakima, Wash. ($580). (See table 1.) Twenty-one large
counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages.
Clayton, Ga., had the largest decrease (-14.6 percent), followed by
the counties of Santa Clara, Calif. and Duval, Fla. (-3.4 percent
each), Gwinnett, Ga. (-3.1 percent), and Rock Island, Ill. (-2.6
percent).
Ten Largest U.S. Counties
Six of the 10 largest counties (based on 2007 annual average
employment levels) experienced over-the-year percent declines in
employment in September 2008. Maricopa, Ariz., experienced the
largest decline in employment among the 10 largest counties with a
3.7 percent decrease. Within Maricopa, eight industry groups
experienced employment declines, with construction experiencing the
largest decline, -21.8 percent. Miami-Dade, Fla., had the next
largest decline in employment, -3.2 percent, followed by Orange,
Calif. (-2.8 percent). (See table 2.) King, Wash., experienced the
largest percent gain in employment (1.4 percent) among the 10 largest
counties. Within King County, the largest gains in employment were in
information (5.9 percent) and education and health services (5.2
percent). Harris, Texas, had the next largest increase in employment,
1.3 percent, followed by New York, N.Y. (0.6 percent).
Each of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw an over-the-year increase
in average weekly wages. San Diego, Calif., had the fastest growth in
wages among the 10 largest counties, with a gain of 3.8 percent.
Within San Diego County, average weekly wages increased the most in
the information industry (30.4 percent). Los Angeles, Calif., was
second in wage growth with a gain of 3.1 percent, followed by Orange,
Calif., and Harris, Texas (3.0 percent each). The smallest wage gain
occurred in New York, N.Y. (0.5 percent), followed by Maricopa, Ariz.
(1.8 percent), and Miami-Dade, Fla. (2.2 percent).
Largest County by State
Table 3 shows September 2008 employment and the 2008 third quarter
average weekly wage in the largest county in each state, which is
based on 2007 annual average employment levels. (This table includes
one county--Laramie, Wyo.--that had an employment level below 75,000
in 2007.) The employment levels in the counties in table 3 in
September 2008 ranged from approximately 4.14 million in Los Angeles
County, Calif., to 44,200 in Laramie County, Wyo. The highest average
weekly wage of these counties was in New York, N.Y. ($1,552), while
the lowest average weekly wage was in Yellowstone, Mont. ($688).
For More Information
The tables included in this release contain data for the nation and
for the 334 counties with annual average employment levels of 75,000
or more in 2007. September 2008 employment and 2008 third-quarter
average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 4 of this
release.
For additional information about the quarterly employment and wages
data, please read the Technical Note. Final data for all states,
metropolitan statistical areas, counties, and the nation through the
fourth quarter of 2007 are available on the BLS Web site at
http://www.bls.gov/cew/. Preliminary data for first and second
quarter 2008 also are available on the site. Updated data for first
and second quarter 2008 and preliminary data for third quarter 2008
will be available later in April online. Additional information about
the QCEW data may be obtained by calling (202) 691-6567.
Several BLS regional offices are issuing QCEW news releases
targeted to local data users. For links to these releases, see
http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewregional.htm.
____________________________________________________
The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2008 is
scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 21, 2009.
