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Economic News Release
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QCEW QCEW Program Links

County Employment and Wages News Release


Technical information:(202) 691-6567    USDL 09-0841 
             http://www.bls.gov/cew/ 
                                        For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT 
Media contact:        (202) 691-5902    Tuesday, July 21, 2009 

          COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES:  FOURTH QUARTER 2008 

  From December 2007 to December 2008, employment declined in 285 of 
the 334 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 17.8 percent 
over the year, compared with a national job decrease of 2.3 percent. 
Manufacturing sustained the largest employment losses in Elkhart. 
Montgomery County, Texas, which is about 20 miles north of Houston, 
experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in 
employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a gain of 2.7 
percent.  

  St. Louis City, Mo., had the largest over-the-year gain in average 
weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2008, with an increase of 56.8 
percent coming predominantly from the professional and business 
services and manufacturing supersectors. The U.S. average weekly wage 
rose by 2.2 percent over the same time span. 
   
  Of the 334 largest counties in the United States (as measured by 
2007 annual average employment) 151 had over-the-year percentage 
change in employment below the national average (-2.3 percent) in 
December 2008; 174 large counties experienced changes above the 
national average. The percent change in average weekly wages was 
higher than the national average (2.2 percent) in 180 of the largest 
U.S. counties, but was below the national average in 137 counties.

Table A.  Top 10 large counties ranked by December 2008 employment, December 2007-08 employment 
decrease, and December 2007-08 percent decrease in employment  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Employment in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      December 2008 employment    |      Decrease in employment,     |  Percent decrease in employment, 
            (thousands)           |          December 2007-08        |          December 2007-08
                                  |            (thousands)           |                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States           133,870.4| United States            -3,170.1| United States                -2.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 Los Angeles, Calif.       4,152.9| Los Angeles, Calif.        -147.8| Elkhart, Ind.               -17.8
 Cook, Ill.                2,480.0| Maricopa, Ariz.            -107.2| Lee, Fla.                    -9.2
 New York, N.Y.            2,386.4| Orange, Calif.              -73.8| Sarasota, Fla.               -8.1
 Harris, Texas             2,078.1| Cook, Ill.                  -71.0| Collier, Fla.                -8.0
 Maricopa, Ariz.           1,741.0| Clark, Nev.                 -60.0| Marion, Fla.                 -7.9
 Dallas, Texas             1,484.4| Riverside, Calif.           -44.7| Macomb, Mich.                -7.9
 Orange, Calif.            1,451.2| Miami-Dade, Fla.            -43.8| Washoe, Nev.                 -7.9
 San Diego, Calif.         1,309.1| Broward, Fla.               -43.1| Seminole, Fla.               -7.5
 King, Wash.               1,175.3| Wayne, Mich.                -42.3| Horry, S.C.                  -7.1
 Miami-Dade, Fla.          1,003.9| San Diego, Calif.           -39.9| Riverside, Calif.            -7.0
                                  |                                  | Genesee, Mich.               -7.0
                                  |                                  |                                  
                                  |                                  |                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  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 133.9 million full- and 
part-time workers.  
 
Large County Employment 

  In December 2008, national employment, as measured by the QCEW 
program, was 133.9 million, down by 2.3 percent from December 2007. 
The 334 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 
71.5 percent of total U.S. employment and 77.2 percent of total 
wages. These 334 counties had a net job decline of 2,467,500 over the 
year, accounting for 77.8 percent of the overall U.S. employment 
decrease.  

  Employment declined in 285 counties from December 2007 to December 
2008. The largest percentage decline in employment was in Elkhart, 
Ind. (-17.8 percent). Lee, Fla., had the next largest percentage 
decline (-9.2 percent), followed by the counties of Sarasota, Fla. 
(-8.1 percent), Collier, Fla. (-8.0 percent), and Marion, Fla., Macomb, 
Mich., and Washoe, Nev. (-7.9 percent each). The largest decline in 
employment levels occurred in Los Angeles, Calif. (-147,800), 
followed by the counties of Maricopa, Ariz. (-107,200), Orange, 
Calif. (-73,800), Cook, Ill. (-71,000), and Clark, Nev. (-60,000). 
(See table A.) Combined employment losses in these five counties over 
the year totaled 459,800 or 14.5 percent of the employment decline 
for the U.S. as a whole. 

  Employment rose in 37 of the large counties from December 2007 to 
December 2008. More than a third of these growing counties were 
located in Texas (13 counties).  Neighboring Louisiana had the second 
largest number of counties (4) that experienced employment growth. 
Montgomery, Texas, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase 
in employment (2.7 percent) among the largest counties in the U.S. 
Jefferson, Texas, had the next largest increase, 2.5 percent, 
followed by the counties of Lubbock, Texas (2.4 percent), Fort Bend, 
Texas (2.2 percent), and Orleans, La. (2.1 percent). The largest 
gains in the level of employment from December 2007 to December 2008 
were recorded in the counties of Harris, Texas (20,000), Orleans, La. 
(3,500), Montgomery, Texas (3,400), Bronx, N.Y. (3,200), and 
Jefferson, Texas (3,100). 

Table B.  Top 10 large counties ranked by fourth quarter 2008 average weekly wages, fourth quarter 2007-08 
growth in average weekly wages, and fourth 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 
        fourth quarter 2008       |    wage, fourth quarter 2007-08  |        weekly wage, fourth
                                  |                                  |          quarter 2007-08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States                $918| United States                 $20| United States                 2.2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 New York, N.Y.             $1,856| St. Louis City, Mo.          $546| St. Louis City, Mo.          56.8
 Fairfield, Conn.            1,596| Mercer, N.J.                   89| Clayton, Ga.                  9.9
 Washington, D.C.            1,570| Clayton, Ga.                   77| Calcasieu, La.                9.0
 Suffolk, Mass.              1,568| Washington, D.C.               76| East Baton Rouge, La.         8.0
 Santa Clara, Calif.         1,566| Madison, Ala.                  73| Jefferson, Texas              8.0
 Arlington, Va.              1,509| Jefferson, Texas               70| Madison, Ala.                 7.9
 St. Louis City, Mo.         1,508| Calcasieu, La.                 69| Mercer, N.J.                  7.7
 Somerset, N.J.              1,498| Alexandria City, Va.           69| Lake, Ind.                    7.4
 San Francisco, Calif.       1,491| East Baton Rouge, La.          65| Bristol, Mass.                7.3
 San Mateo, Calif.           1,439| Providence, R.I.               62| Providence, R.I.              7.1
                                  |                                  | Newport News City, Va.        7.1
                                  |                                  |                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Large County Average Weekly Wages 

  The national average weekly wage in the fourth quarter of 2008 was 
$918. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 
106 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 $1,856. Fairfield, Conn., was second with an average weekly 
wage of $1,596, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,570), Suffolk, Mass. 
($1,568), and Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,566). (See table B.) Over the 
year, the national average weekly wage rose by 2.2 percent. Among the 
largest counties, St. Louis City, Mo., led the nation in growth in 
average weekly wages with an increase of 56.8 percent from the fourth 
quarter of 2007. Clayton, Ga., was second with growth of 9.9 percent, 
followed by the counties of Calcasieu, La. (9.0 percent), and East 
Baton Rouge, La. and Jefferson, Texas (8.0 percent each). 
      
  Average weekly wages are affected by the number of high-paying and 
low-paying jobs in an industry. The 2.2 percent over-the-year gain in 
average weekly wages for the nation is partially due to large 
employment declines in several industries. The largest over-the-year 
December percent employment declines were in construction (-10.2 
percent), manufacturing (-6.2 percent), professional and business 
services (-4.1 percent), and trade, transportation, and utilities 
(-3.5 percent). (See table 2.) Trade, transportation and utilities 
posted the largest number of jobs lost (-957,500) followed by 
manufacturing (-850,400), construction (-749,900), and professional 
and business services (-735,400). Among these industries, average 
weekly wage growth was strongest in construction (4.9 percent), and 
professional and business services (3.7 percent). (See Technical 
Note.) 

  There were 228 counties with an average weekly wage below the 
national average in the fourth quarter of 2008. The lowest average 
weekly wage was reported in Hidalgo, Texas ($574), followed by the 
counties of Horry, S.C. ($581), Cameron, Texas ($584), Webb, Texas 
($600), and Yakima, Wash. ($624). (See table 1.) Forty-three large 
counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. 
Pulaski, Ark., had the largest decrease (-14.3 percent), followed by 
the counties of Lake, Ill. (-9.9 percent), Santa Clara, Calif. (-7.8 
percent), Douglas, Colo. (-5.9 percent), and San Mateo, Calif. (-5.4 
percent). 

Ten Largest U.S. Counties 

  Nine of the 10 largest counties (based on 2007 annual average 
employment levels) experienced over-the-year percent declines in 
employment in December 2008. Maricopa, Ariz., experienced the largest 
decline in employment among the 10 largest counties with a 5.8 
percent decrease. Within Maricopa, every private industry group 
except education and health services experienced employment declines, 
with construction experiencing the largest decline, -25.3 percent. 
(See table 2.) Orange, Calif., had the next largest decline in 
employment, -4.8 percent, followed by Miami-Dade, Fla. (-4.2 
percent). Harris, Texas, experienced the only percentage gain in 
employment (1.0 percent) among the 10 largest counties. Within Harris 
County, the largest gains in employment were in natural resources and 
mining (7.1 percent) and education and health services (3.1 percent). 
Dallas, Texas, had the smallest decrease in employment, -1.2 percent, 
followed by New York, N.Y. (-1.3 percent).  

  Nine of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw an over-the-year increase 
in average weekly wages. King, Wash., had the fastest growth in wages 
among the 10 largest counties, with a gain of 4.0 percent. Within 
King County, average weekly wages increased the most in the natural 
resources and mining industry (11.8 percent). Miami-Dade, Fla., and 
Harris, Texas, tied for second in wage growth with a gain of 2.6 
percent each. The only wage decrease occurred in New York, N.Y. (-0.6 
percent). Dallas, Texas, had the smallest increase in wages, 1.1 
percent, followed by Orange, Calif. (1.4 percent).   

Largest County by State 

  Table 3 shows December 2008 employment and the 2008 fourth quarter 
average weekly wage in the largest county in each state, which is 
based on 2007 annual average employment levels. The employment levels 
in the counties in table 3 in December 2008 ranged from approximately 
4.15 million in Los Angeles County, Calif., to 43,800 in Laramie 
County, Wyo. The highest average weekly wage of these counties was in 
New York, N.Y. ($1,856), while the lowest average weekly wage was in 
Yellowstone, Mont. ($738). 

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. December 2008 employment and 2008 fourth-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/. Updated data for first, second, and third 
quarter 2008, as well as preliminary data for fourth quarter 2008 and 
preliminary annual averages for 2008, will be available later 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 first quarter 2009 is 
scheduled to be released on Friday, October 16, 2009.







Technical Note 
          
          
 These data are the product of a federal-state cooperative program, the Quarterly 
Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The 
data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by 
state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State 
Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The summaries are a result of the administration of state 
unemployment insurance programs that require most employers to pay quarterly taxes 
based on the employment and wages of workers covered by UI. QCEW data in this re-
lease are based on the 2007 North American Industry Classification System. Data for 
2008 are preliminary and subject to revision. 
 
 For purposes of this release, large counties are defined as having employment lev-
els of 75,000 or greater. In addition, data for San Juan, Puerto Rico, are provided, 
but not used in calculating U.S. averages, rankings, or in the analysis in the text. 
Each year, these large counties are selected on the basis of the preliminary annual 
average of employment for the previous year. The 335 counties presented in this re-
lease were derived using 2007 preliminary annual averages of employment. For 2008 
data, six counties have been added to the publication tables: Shelby, Ala., Boone, 
Ky., St. Tammany, La., Yellowstone, Mont., Warren, Ohio, and Potter, Texas. These 
counties will be included in all 2008 quarterly releases. The counties in table 2 
are selected and sorted each year based on the annual average employment from the 
preceding year.
 
 The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released 
by the individual states. These potential differences result from the states' con-
tinuing receipt of UI data over time and ongoing review and editing. The individual 
states determine their data release timetables. 
  
Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures 
 
 The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment measures for 
any given quarter. Each of these measures--QCEW, Business Employment Dynamics (BED), 
and Current Employment Statistics (CES)--makes use of the quarterly UI employment 
reports in producing data; however, each measure has a somewhat different universe 
coverage, estimation procedure, and publication product. 
 
 Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat different 
measures of employment change over time. It is important to understand program dif-
ferences and the intended uses of the program products. (See table.) Additional in-
formation on each program can be obtained from the program Web sites shown in the 
table. 

Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                     
            |         QCEW        |         BED          |         CES
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Source     |--Count of UI admini-|--Count of longitudi- |--Sample survey:
            |  strative records   |  nally-linked UI ad- |  400,000 establish-
            |  submitted by 9.1   |  ministrative records|  ments
            |  million establish- |  submitted by 7.1    |
            |  ments              |  million private-sec-|
            |                     |  tor employers       |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Coverage   |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and sal-
            |  age, including all |  ing government, pri-|  ary jobs:
            |  employers subject  |  vate households, and|--UI coverage, exclud-
            |  to state and fed-  |  establishments with |  ing agriculture, pri-
            |  eral UI laws       |  zero employment     |  vate households, and
            |                     |                      |  self-employed workers
            |                     |                      |--Other employment, in-
            |                     |                      |  cluding railroads, 
            |                     |                      |  religious organiza-
            |                     |                      |  tions, and other non-
            |                     |                      |  UI-covered jobs
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Publication|--Quarterly          |--Quarterly           |--Monthly 
 frequency  |  -7 months after the|  -8 months after the |  -Usually first Friday
            |   end of each quar- |   end of each quarter|   of following month
            |   ter               |                      |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Use of UI  |--Directly summarizes|--Links each new UI   |--Uses UI file as a sam-
 file       |  and publishes each |  quarter to longitu- |  pling frame and annu-
            |  new quarter of UI  |  dinal database and  |  ally realigns (bench-
            |  data               |  directly summarizes |  marks) sample esti-
            |                     |  gross job gains and |  mates to first quar-
            |                     |  losses              |  ter UI levels
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Principal  |--Provides a quarter-|--Provides quarterly  |--Provides current month-
 products   |  ly and annual uni- |  employer dynamics   |  ly estimates of employ-
            |  verse count of es- |  data on establish-  |  ment, hours, and earn-
            |  tablishments, em-  |  ment openings, clos-|  ings at the MSA, state,
            |  ployment, and wages|  ings, expansions,   |  and national level by
            |  at the county, MSA,|  and contractions at |  industry
            |  state, and national|  the national level  |
            |  levels by detailed |  by NAICS supersec-  |
            |  industry           |  tors and by size of |
            |                     |  firm, and at the    |
            |                     |  state private-sector|
            |                     |  total level         |
            |                     |--Future expansions   |
            |                     |  will include data   |
            |                     |  with greater indus- |
            |                     |  try detail and data |
            |                     |  at the county and   |  
            |                     |  MSA level           |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Principal  |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
 uses       |  -Detailed locality |  -Business cycle     |  -Principal national
            |   data              |   analysis           |   economic indicator
            |  -Periodic universe |  -Analysis of employ-|  -Official time series 
            |   counts for bench- |   er dynamics under- |   for employment change
            |   marking sample    |   lying economic ex- |   measures
            |   survey estimates  |   pansions and con-  |  -Input into other ma-
            |  -Sample frame for  |   tractions          |   jor economic indi-
            |   BLS establishment |  -Analysis of employ-|   cators
            |   surveys           |   ment expansion and |
            |                     |   contraction by size|   
            |                     |   of firm            |
            |                     |                      |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew/   |--www.bls.gov/bdm/    |--www.bls.gov/ces/
 Web sites  |                     |                      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------    


  
Coverage 

 Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI laws are compiled from 
quarterly contribution reports submitted to the SWAs by employers. For federal ci-
vilian workers covered by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) 
program, employment and wage data are compiled from quarterly reports submitted by 
four major federal payroll processing centers on behalf of all federal agencies, 
with the exception of a few agencies which still report directly to the individual 
SWA. In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers who operate multi-
ple establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called the "Multiple 
Worksite Report," which provides detailed information on the location and industry 
of each of their establishments. QCEW employment and wage data are derived from mi-
crodata summaries of 9.0 million employer reports of employment and wages submitted 
by states to the BLS in 2007. These reports are based on place of employment rather 
than place of residence. 

 UI and UCFE coverage is broad and basically comparable from state to state.  UI 
and UCFE programs covered workers in 135.4 million jobs. The estimated 130.3 million 
workers in these jobs (after adjustment for multiple jobholders) represented 96.2 
percent of civilian wage and salary employment. Covered workers received $6.018 
trillion in pay, representing 94.6 percent of the wage and salary component of per-
sonal income and 43.6 percent of the gross domestic product. 
 
 Major exclusions from UI coverage include self-employed workers, most agricultural 
workers on small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials in most 
states, most employees of railroads, some domestic workers, most student workers at 
schools, and employees of certain small nonprofit organizations. 

 State and federal UI laws change periodically. These changes may have an impact on 
the employment and wages reported by employers covered under the UI program. Cover-
age changes may affect the over-the-year comparisons presented in this news release. 
  
Concepts and methodology 
 
 Monthly employment is based on the number of workers who worked during or received 
pay for the pay period including the 12th of the month. With few exceptions, all em-
ployees of covered firms are reported, including production and sales workers, cor-
poration officials, executives, supervisory personnel, and clerical workers.  Work-
ers on paid vacations and part-time workers also are included. 
 
 Average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the 
average of the three monthly employment levels (all employees, as described above) 
and dividing the result by 13, for the 13 weeks in the quarter. These calculations 
are made using unrounded employment and wage values. The average wage values that 
can be calculated using rounded data from the BLS database may differ from the aver-
ages reported. Included in the quarterly wage data are non-wage cash payments such 
as bonuses, the cash value of meals and lodging when supplied, tips and other gra-
tuities, and, in some states, employer contributions to certain deferred compensa-
tion plans such as 401(k) plans and stock options. Over-the-year comparisons of av-
erage weekly wages may reflect fluctuations in average monthly employment and/or to-
tal quarterly wages between the current quarter and prior year levels. 
 
 Average weekly wages are affected by the ratio of full-time to part-time workers 
as well as the number of individuals in high-paying and low-paying occupations and 
the incidence of pay periods within a quarter. For instance, the average weekly wage 
of the work force could increase significantly when there is a large decline in the 
number of employees that had been receiving below-average wages. Wages may include 
payments to workers not present in the employment counts because they did not work 
during the pay period including the 12th of the month. When comparing average weekly 
wage levels between industries, states, or quarters, these factors should be taken 
into consideration. 
 
 Federal government pay levels are subject to periodic, sometimes large, fluctua-
tions due to a calendar effect that consists of some quarters having more pay peri-
ods than others. Most federal employees are paid on a biweekly pay schedule. As a 
result of this schedule, in some quarters, federal wages contain payments for six 
pay periods, while in other quarters their wages include payments for seven pay pe-
riods. Over-the-year comparisons of average weekly wages may reflect this calendar 
effect. Higher growth in average weekly wages may be attributed, in part, to a com-
parison of quarterly wages for the current year, which include seven pay periods, 
with year-ago wages that reflect only six pay periods. An opposite effect will occur 
when wages in the current period, which contain six pay periods, are compared with 
year-ago wages that include seven pay periods. The effect on over-the-year pay com-
parisons can be pronounced in federal government due to the uniform nature of fed-
eral payroll processing. This pattern may exist in private sector pay; however, be-
cause there are more pay period types (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly) it is 
less pronounced. The effect is most visible in counties with large concentrations of 
federal employment. 
 
 In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, states verify with em-
ployers and update, if necessary, the industry, location, and ownership classifica-
tion of all establishments on a 4-year cycle. Changes in establishment classifica-
tion codes resulting from this process are introduced with the data reported for the 
first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from improved employer reporting also 
are introduced in the first quarter. 
 
 QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of in-
dividual establishment records and reflect the number of establishments that exist 
in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a 
county or industry for a number of reasons--some reflecting economic events, others 
reflecting administrative changes. For example, economic change would come from a 
firm relocating into the county; administrative change would come from a company 
correcting its county designation. 
 
 The over-the-year changes of employment and wages presented in this release have 
been adjusted to account for most of the administrative corrections made to the un-
derlying establishment reports. This is done by modifying the prior-year levels used 
to calculate the over-the-year changes. Percent changes are calculated using an ad-
justed version of the final 2007 quarterly data as the base data. The adjusted 
prior-year levels used to calculate the over-the-year percent change in employment 
and wages are not published. These adjusted prior-year levels do not match the unad-
justed data maintained on the BLS Web site. Over-the-year change calculations based 
on data from the Web site, or from data published in prior BLS news releases, may 
differ substantially from the over-the-year changes presented in this news release. 
 
 The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change measures presented in 
this release account for most of the administrative changes--those occurring when 
employers update the industry, location, and ownership information of their estab-
lishments. The most common adjustments for administrative change are the result of 
updated information about the county location of individual establishments. Included 
in these adjustments are administrative changes involving the classification of es-
tablishments that were previously reported in the unknown or statewide county or un-
known industry categories. Beginning with the first quarter of 2008, adjusted data 
will also account for administrative changes caused by multi-unit employers who 
start reporting for each individual establishment rather than as a single entity. 
 
 The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change measures presented in 
any County Employment and Wages news release are valid for comparisons between the 
starting and ending points (a 12-month period) used in that particular release. Com-
parisons may not be valid for any time period other than the one featured in a re-
lease even if the changes were calculated using adjusted data. 

 County definitions are assigned according to Federal Information Processing Stan-
dards Publications (FIPS PUBS) as issued by the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, after approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 5131 of 
the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 and the Computer Security 
Act of 1987, Public Law 104-106. Areas shown as counties include those designated as 
independent cities in some jurisdictions and, in Alaska, those designated as census 
areas where counties have not been created. County data also are presented for the 
New England states for comparative purposes even though townships are the more com-
mon designation used in New England (and New Jersey). The regions referred to in 
this release are defined as census regions. 
  
Additional statistics and other information 
 
 An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages, features comprehensive information by 
detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all 
states. The 2007 edition of this bulletin contains selected data produced by Busi-
ness Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data 
from the first quarter 2008 version of this news release. Tables and additional con-
tent from the 2007 Employment and Wages Annual Bulletin are now available online at 
http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn07.htm. These tables present final 2007 annual aver-
ages.  The tables will also be included on the CD which accompanies the hardcopy 
version of the Annual Bulletin.  Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2007 is 
available for sale as a chartbook from the United States Government Printing Office, 
Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250, telephone (866) 
512-1800, outside Washington, D.C. Within Washington, D.C., the telephone number is 
(202) 512-1800. The fax number is (202) 512-2104. 
 
 News releases on quarterly measures of gross job flows also are available upon re-
quest from the Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (Business 
Employment Dynamics), telephone (202) 691-6467; (http://www.bls.gov/bdm/); (e-mail: 
BDMInfo@bls.gov).

 Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals 
upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-
877-8339.










Table 1. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the 335 largest counties,
fourth quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
                                                     Employment               Average weekly wage(4)   
                                                                                                       
                          Establishments,                                                              
        County(3)          fourth quarter               Percent   Ranking            Percent   Ranking 
                                2008        December    change,      by    Average   change,      by   
                            (thousands)       2008     December   percent   weekly   fourth    percent 
                                          (thousands) 2007-08(5)   change    wage    quarter    change 
                                                                                   2007-08(5)          
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
United States(6).........       9,177.5     133,870.4      -2.3         -     $918       2.2         - 
                                                                                                       
Jefferson, AL............          19.0         355.3      -3.3       234      922       2.2       181 
Madison, AL..............           9.0         182.5      -0.4        51      997       7.9         6 
Mobile, AL...............          10.2         174.5      -1.6       118      806       5.1        31 
Montgomery, AL...........           6.7         135.4      -3.8       261      824       5.4        27 
Shelby, AL...............           5.0          75.5      -2.1       153      842      -1.2       304 
Tuscaloosa, AL...........           4.5          86.0      -1.8       131      783       2.1       188 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           8.2         148.2       1.5         8      969       4.9        35 
Maricopa, AZ.............         103.6       1,741.0      -5.8       305      892       2.1       188 
Pima, AZ.................          21.3         366.7      -3.4       241      805       4.5        48 
Benton, AR...............           5.6          94.7      -2.2       160      844       6.3        15 
                                                                                                       
Pulaski, AR..............          15.2         250.3      -1.2        92      847     -14.3       324 
Washington, AR...........           5.8          90.9      -2.4       177      747       2.2       181 
Alameda, CA..............          54.4         669.9      -4.0       267    1,161       0.1       277 
Butte, CA................           8.1          74.4      -3.1       222      698       4.6        45 
Contra Costa, CA.........          30.4         335.8      -3.6       252    1,135       1.7       209 
Fresno, CA...............          30.9         345.9      -1.6       118      737       1.7       209 
Kern, CA.................          18.5         285.6      -1.2        92      794       4.5        48 
Los Angeles, CA..........         433.9       4,152.9      -3.4       241    1,075       1.8       204 
Marin, CA................          12.1         108.6      -2.0       145    1,152      -2.0       310 
Monterey, CA.............          13.0         152.3      -3.4       241      801       3.4        95 
                                                                                                       
Orange, CA...............         102.7       1,451.2      -4.8       286    1,043       1.4       235 
Placer, CA...............          11.0         130.5      -5.9       311      892       1.8       204 
Riverside, CA............          47.5         593.2      -7.0       317      745       2.2       181 
Sacramento, CA...........          54.7         610.8      -3.6       252    1,006       3.2       107 
San Bernardino, CA.......          49.8         640.3      -5.8       305      788       3.0       122 
San Diego, CA............         100.0       1,309.1      -3.0       208      981       2.0       192 
San Francisco, CA........          52.7         574.0      -0.9        76    1,491      -2.4       314 
San Joaquin, CA..........          18.1         214.5      -4.4       282      796       3.2       107 
San Luis Obispo, CA......           9.8         101.8      -2.8       196      765       1.7       209 
San Mateo, CA............          24.2         342.4      -1.6       118    1,439      -5.4       320 
                                                                                                       
Santa Barbara, CA........          14.4         180.5      -2.0       145      868       1.6       218 
Santa Clara, CA..........          61.2         901.1      -1.7       126    1,566      -7.8       322 
Santa Cruz, CA...........           9.2          90.0      -4.2       273      821      -2.3       312 
Solano, CA...............          10.2         124.8      -3.1       222      903       3.9        71 
Sonoma, CA...............          19.0         185.8      -4.9       291      896       3.0       122 
Stanislaus, CA...........          15.1         166.7      -4.3       278      759       3.8        77 
Tulare, CA...............           9.7         147.6      -3.0       208      651       3.7        81 
Ventura, CA..............          23.7         310.4      -3.4       241      926      -5.1       318 
Yolo, CA.................           6.0          99.1      -2.2       160      883       3.2       107 
Adams, CO................           9.2         152.4      -2.2       160      840       1.3       237 
                                                                                                       
Arapahoe, CO.............          19.3         279.7      -2.2       160    1,054      -2.8       315 
Boulder, CO..............          12.9         161.1      -0.9        76    1,047      -1.5       308 
Denver, CO...............          25.6         445.0      -1.5       109    1,111      -1.3       305 
Douglas, CO..............           9.5          93.8       0.5        24      933      -5.9       321 
El Paso, CO..............          17.3         241.7      -2.9       204      834       3.9        71 
Jefferson, CO............          18.5         210.9      -0.8        70      926       2.0       192 
Larimer, CO..............          10.4         129.9      -0.4        51      837       3.1       114 
Weld, CO.................           6.0          82.3      -0.9        76      765       2.5       159 
Fairfield, CT............          33.1         420.2      -2.2       160    1,596       1.1       247 
Hartford, CT.............          25.6         504.5      -1.5       109    1,111       1.0       253 
                                                                                                       
New Haven, CT............          22.7         366.4      -2.2       160      978       3.3       101 
New London, CT...........           7.0         130.1      -0.8        70      910      -0.4       290 
New Castle, DE...........          18.3         278.7      -3.7       255    1,055       2.3       169 
Washington, DC...........          34.4         687.5       0.3        29    1,570       5.1        31 
Alachua, FL..............           6.8         121.7      -2.0       145      740      -0.1       282 
Brevard, FL..............          15.0         195.7      -5.8       305      856       3.9        71 
Broward, FL..............          65.6         729.6      -5.6       302      874       0.8       259 
Collier, FL..............          12.6         125.4      -8.0       324      811       (7)         - 
Duval, FL................          27.7         455.5      -4.3       278      874       0.8       259 
Escambia, FL.............           8.1         122.9      -5.8       305      720       2.1       188 
                                                                                                       
Hillsborough, FL.........          38.3         609.9      -6.1       312      872       2.7       143 
Lake, FL.................           7.6          83.6      -5.5       300      665      -0.9       300 
Lee, FL..................          20.1         203.3      -9.2       326      760      -0.3       286 
Leon, FL.................           8.3         141.9      -3.3       234      783       0.5       268 
Manatee, FL..............           9.4         114.1      -4.3       278      691      -0.7       297 
Marion, FL...............           8.6          97.6      -7.9       321      657       3.5        88 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          86.8       1,003.9      -4.2       273      924       2.6       151 
Okaloosa, FL.............           6.2          77.1      -3.8       261      735       2.8       139 
Orange, FL...............          36.3         678.3      -4.6       285      829       1.1       247 
Palm Beach, FL...........          51.4         527.4      -6.3       314      914       1.6       218 
                                                                                                       
Pasco, FL................          10.4         100.9      -3.3       234      672       3.1       114 
Pinellas, FL.............          32.1         410.9      -6.2       313      808       1.9       200 
Polk, FL.................          12.8         199.3      -5.4       298      706       1.7       209 
Sarasota, FL.............          15.4         144.4      -8.1       325      783       1.4       235 
Seminole, FL.............          14.9         168.9      -7.5       320      789      -0.3       286 
Volusia, FL..............          14.2         158.2      -6.4       315      665       1.5       224 
Bibb, GA.................           4.8          84.1      -1.0        80      716       1.8       204 
Chatham, GA..............           7.9         133.8      -3.3       234      799       4.4        52 
Clayton, GA..............           4.5         111.1      -4.0       267      856       9.9         2 
Cobb, GA.................          21.2         312.7      -4.2       273      959       3.1       114 
                                                                                                       
De Kalb, GA..............          18.1         294.0      -3.1       222      936       1.6       218 
Fulton, GA...............          39.9         732.2      -3.4       241    1,183       1.0       253 
Gwinnett, GA.............          24.5         310.9      -5.3       297      894      -0.8       299 
Muscogee, GA.............           4.9          94.7      -2.7       193      721       1.5       224 
Richmond, GA.............           4.8         101.2      -1.4       104      770       5.5        23 
Honolulu, HI.............          24.8         449.5      -2.4       177      850       3.8        77 
Ada, ID..................          15.0         202.9      -5.0       293      814      -1.1       301 
Champaign, IL............           4.2          92.0      -0.6        63      777       5.7        19 
Cook, IL.................         141.0       2,480.0      -2.8       196    1,118       1.5       224 
Du Page, IL..............          36.2         586.1      -3.5       248    1,059       0.2       273 
                                                                                                       
Kane, IL.................          12.8         203.3      -4.9       291      836       1.7       209 
Lake, IL.................          21.2         328.0      -2.5       183    1,143      -9.9       323 
McHenry, IL..............           8.5         100.6      -3.1       222      784      -0.4       290 
McLean, IL...............           3.7          85.9      -0.3        47      836       2.7       143 
Madison, IL..............           6.0          95.9      -0.6        63      770       5.5        23 
Peoria, IL...............           4.8         105.3       0.0        38      869       3.5        88 
Rock Island, IL..........           3.5          79.4      -1.2        92    1,082       2.0       192 
St. Clair, IL............           5.5          96.8      -1.9       139      755       4.4        52 
Sangamon, IL.............           5.2         128.8      -1.1        84      897       3.9        71 
Will, IL.................          13.9         194.5      -2.0       145      824       3.5        88 
                                                                                                       
Winnebago, IL............           7.0         134.3      -3.0       208      775       3.1       114 
Allen, IN................           9.1         180.0      -3.0       208      748      -1.1       301 
Elkhart, IN..............           5.0         101.3     -17.8       327      686      -3.9       316 
Hamilton, IN.............           7.8         111.3      -1.1        84      852      -1.3       305 
Lake, IN.................          10.4         193.2      -2.6       189      826       7.4         8 
Marion, IN...............          24.3         571.8      -2.8       196      913       2.8       139 
St. Joseph, IN...........           6.1         121.0      -4.2       273      761       3.5        88 
Tippecanoe, IN...........           3.4          76.8      -0.6        63      773       5.3        29 
Vanderburgh, IN..........           4.8         107.8      -0.4        51      767       5.5        23 
Linn, IA.................           6.3         127.2       1.0        14      896       2.3       169 
                                                                                                       
Polk, IA.................          14.9         273.7      -1.1        84      904       2.4       163 
Scott, IA................           5.2          88.8      -0.4        51      751       1.3       237 
Johnson, KS..............          20.7         316.0      -1.1        84      949       1.3       237 
Sedgwick, KS.............          12.3         261.6       0.3        29      846       5.2        30 
Shawnee, KS..............           4.9          96.4       0.7        22      753       0.9       255 
Wyandotte, KS............           3.2          80.9       0.2        35      854       2.2       181 
Boone, KY................           3.4          74.5      -2.6       189      800       4.8        39 
Fayette, KY..............           9.0         178.1       (7)         -      832       (7)         - 
Jefferson, KY............          22.0         423.8      -3.3       234      871       1.5       224 
Caddo, LA................           7.5         125.3      -1.9       139      762       1.7       209 
                                                                                                       
Calcasieu, LA............           5.1          87.9       0.6        23      832       9.0         3 
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          14.8         265.9       0.3        29      874       8.0         4 
Jefferson, LA............          14.7         200.5      -1.5       109      876       4.0        67 
Lafayette, LA............           9.1         137.4       0.5        24      911       4.8        39 
Orleans, LA..............          11.6         173.6       2.1         5    1,002       4.2        62 
St. Tammany, LA..........           7.5          75.3      -2.2       160      749       2.6       151 
Cumberland, ME...........          12.2         173.4      -2.3       175      822       3.0       122 
Anne Arundel, MD.........          14.5         233.3      -1.4       104      963       3.8        77 
Baltimore, MD............          21.5         374.5      -2.7       193      963       0.7       264 
Frederick, MD............           6.0          93.4      -3.1       222      890       3.1       114 
                                                                                                       
Harford, MD..............           5.6          82.6       (7)         -      846       (7)         - 
Howard, MD...............           8.7         147.5       (7)         -    1,073       3.9        71 
Montgomery, MD...........          32.9         460.3      -1.3       100    1,219       1.9       200 
Prince Georges, MD.......          15.7         312.5      -3.0       208      993       2.5       159 
Baltimore City, MD.......          14.0         340.4      -1.6       118    1,112       1.5       224 
Barnstable, MA...........           9.1          84.2      -3.2       230      813       3.2       107 
Bristol, MA..............          15.3         215.0      -3.0       208      854       7.3         9 
Essex, MA................          20.9         298.2      -1.5       109      976       3.3       101 
Hampden, MA..............          14.5         199.2      -1.4       104      867       6.4        13 
Middlesex, MA............          47.8         826.2      -0.4        51    1,296      -1.1       301 
                                                                                                       
Norfolk, MA..............          24.2         326.4      -1.1        84    1,139       2.3       169 
Plymouth, MA.............          13.7         175.9      -1.9       139      894       3.5        88 
Suffolk, MA..............          21.8         593.4      -0.5        58    1,568       1.3       237 
Worcester, MA............          20.7         318.5      -2.2       160      931       2.2       181 
Genesee, MI..............           7.8         134.3      -7.0       317      804       0.2       273 
Ingham, MI...............           6.8         158.3      -3.8       261      886       3.4        95 
Kalamazoo, MI............           5.6         112.1      -4.1       270      855       7.0        12 
Kent, MI.................          14.3         323.8      -5.5       300      832       3.2       107 
Macomb, MI...............          17.7         291.2      -7.9       321      966       5.1        31 
Oakland, MI..............          39.3         660.7      -5.4       298    1,096       4.3        58 
                                                                                                       
Ottawa, MI...............           5.7         102.9      -5.2       295      794       4.3        58 
Saginaw, MI..............           4.4          81.8      -5.8       305      776       3.6        86 
Washtenaw, MI............           8.1         187.3      -3.8       261      971       1.5       224 
Wayne, MI................          32.1         709.8      -5.6       302    1,032       4.2        62 
Anoka, MN................           7.8         113.2      -3.7       255      839       1.1       247 
Dakota, MN...............          10.6         172.8      -2.4       177      898       1.6       218 
Hennepin, MN.............          42.5         837.8      -2.4       177    1,146       2.7       143 
Olmsted, MN..............           3.6          89.5      -1.8       131      975       6.4        13 
Ramsey, MN...............          15.3         328.9      -1.3       100      980       2.3       169 
St. Louis, MN............           5.9          96.0      -1.9       139      759       4.4        52 
                                                                                                       
Stearns, MN..............           4.5          82.2      -1.2        92      700       3.6        86 
Harrison, MS.............           4.6          85.0      -3.1       222      702       3.4        95 
Hinds, MS................           6.4         127.6      -1.8       131      809       3.3       101 
Boone, MO................           4.5          82.5      -0.7        69      691       3.1       114 
Clay, MO.................           5.1          88.2      -3.4       241      821      -0.2       285 
Greene, MO...............           8.2         155.6      -2.1       153      685       3.2       107 
Jackson, MO..............          18.8         368.6      -0.9        76      926       3.8        77 
St. Charles, MO..........           8.2         122.0      -3.0       208      733      -0.5       293 
St. Louis, MO............          32.8         600.5      -3.0       208      990       1.3       237 
St. Louis City, MO.......           8.5         231.2      -1.2        92    1,508      56.8         1 
                                                                                                       
Yellowstone, MT..........           5.8          78.2      -0.2        45      738       1.2       245 
Douglas, NE..............          16.1         322.8       0.0        38      842      -2.1       311 
Lancaster, NE............           8.2         158.5      -0.1        43      726       3.7        81 
Clark, NV................          51.0         870.0      -6.5       316      856      -2.3       312 
Washoe, NV...............          14.7         201.6      -7.9       321      867       0.0       280 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.4         195.9      -2.6       189    1,062       1.8       204 
Rockingham, NH...........          11.0         136.1      -2.3       175      906       1.6       218 
Atlantic, NJ.............           7.0         139.3      -4.0       267      818       1.7       209 
Bergen, NJ...............          34.6         450.4      -2.5       183    1,188       0.4       270 
Burlington, NJ...........          11.5         198.2      -3.9       266      968       3.0       122 
                                                                                                       
Camden, NJ...............          13.1         205.9      -2.8       196    1,008       5.5        23 
Essex, NJ................          21.5         359.7      -2.5       183    1,170       3.3       101 
Gloucester, NJ...........           6.4         104.0      -1.3       100      855       2.0       192 
Hudson, NJ...............          14.1         237.1      -2.2       160    1,205       2.3       169 
Mercer, NJ...............          11.3         230.4      -0.6        63    1,249       7.7         7 
Middlesex, NJ............          22.0         398.0      -3.7       255    1,148       2.2       181 
Monmouth, NJ.............          20.9         254.6      -2.8       196    1,016       1.3       237 
Morris, NJ...............          18.1         285.3      -2.9       204    1,351       2.5       159 
Ocean, NJ................          12.5         146.3      -2.5       183      792       2.9       131 
Passaic, NJ..............          12.6         175.4      -3.7       255      974       4.1        65 
                                                                                                       
Somerset, NJ.............          10.3         173.1      -2.1       153    1,498       2.9       131 
Union, NJ................          15.1         230.8      -3.1       222    1,166       2.6       151 
Bernalillo, NM...........          17.8         329.9      -2.0       145      812       3.0       122 
Albany, NY...............          10.0         228.3      -1.4       104      945       4.9        35 
Bronx, NY................          16.1         230.0       1.4        10      889       (7)         - 
Broome, NY...............           4.5          95.5      -1.1        84      727       4.3        58 
Dutchess, NY.............           8.3         116.1      -2.2       160      904       3.4        95 
Erie, NY.................          23.7         464.1      -0.5        58      794       3.0       122 
Kings, NY................          46.8         488.2       0.3        29      816       3.3       101 
Monroe, NY...............          18.1         382.4      -0.8        70      859       1.1       247 
                                                                                                       
Nassau, NY...............          52.5         611.8      -1.7       126    1,049       1.5       224 
New York, NY.............         118.9       2,386.4      -1.3       100    1,856      -0.6       294 
Oneida, NY...............           5.3         112.0      -0.5        58      720       5.6        20 
Onondaga, NY.............          12.8         252.9      -1.6       118      849       0.7       264 
Orange, NY...............          10.0         132.6      -1.5       109      778       4.4        52 
Queens, NY...............          43.7         507.0      -0.3        47      926       3.7        81 
Richmond, NY.............           8.7          95.5      -0.2        45      835       4.0        67 
Rockland, NY.............           9.9         117.5      -1.7       126    1,002       (7)         - 
Saratoga, NY.............           5.4          76.5      -2.2       160      762       3.4        95 
Suffolk, NY..............          50.6         626.9      -2.2       160    1,037       (7)         - 
                                                                                                       
Westchester, NY..........          36.5         424.3      -2.2       160    1,234      -1.4       307 
Buncombe, NC.............           8.2         115.9      -2.1       153      724       1.7       209 
Catawba, NC..............           4.6          83.8      -4.8       286      695       1.5       224 
Cumberland, NC...........           6.3         121.9       1.0        14      711       4.9        35 
Durham, NC...............           7.2         185.0       (7)         -    1,131       (7)         - 
Forsyth, NC..............           9.3         184.8      -2.5       183      826       2.7       143 
Guilford, NC.............          14.8         275.4      -3.6       252      797       2.0       192 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          33.4         567.7      -1.7       126    1,016       1.5       224 
New Hanover, NC..........           7.5         101.0      -4.8       286      755       2.4       163 
Wake, NC.................          29.2         448.8      -2.1       153      915       1.8       204 
                                                                                                       
Cass, ND.................           5.9         100.7       1.5         8      778       2.1       188 
Butler, OH...............           7.4         145.0      -3.8       261      788       1.3       237 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          37.7         724.7      -3.0       208      926       2.0       192 
Franklin, OH.............          30.0         678.4      -2.2       160      879       3.7        81 
Hamilton, OH.............          24.0         514.3      -1.5       109      980       2.3       169 
Lake, OH.................           6.7          99.0      -3.0       208      755       2.3       169 
Lorain, OH...............           6.3          95.7      -5.0       293      742       3.2       107 
Lucas, OH................          10.7         210.6      -4.3       278      776       0.9       255 
Mahoning, OH.............           6.4         100.7      -3.7       255      670       3.4        95 
Montgomery, OH...........          12.9         257.6      -4.5       283      824       2.4       163 
                                                                                                       
Stark, OH................           9.0         158.3      -3.3       234      706       2.9       131 
Summit, OH...............          15.0         271.3      -2.1       153      827       2.4       163 
Trumbull, OH.............           4.7          75.1      -3.1       222      752      -0.1       282 
Warren, OH...............           4.2          74.6      -4.1       270      763       3.0       122 
Oklahoma, OK.............          23.9         427.1       0.1        36      852       5.6        20 
Tulsa, OK................          19.5         349.8      -0.1        43      838       2.3       169 
Clackamas, OR............          13.1         145.9      -4.5       283      821       0.2       273 
Jackson, OR..............           6.7          81.2      -5.7       304      665       2.3       169 
Lane, OR.................          11.1         144.0      -5.8       305      711       2.6       151 
Marion, OR...............           9.6         135.3      -2.9       204      711       2.3       169 
                                                                                                       
Multnomah, OR............          28.7         444.7      -2.6       189      934       2.0       192 
Washington, OR...........          16.4         243.3      -4.2       273      986      -1.8       309 
Allegheny, PA............          35.3         685.4      -1.0        80      976       3.5        88 
Berks, PA................           9.2         167.8      -1.8       131      817       0.2       273 
Bucks, PA................          20.1         259.8      -3.0       208      905       2.6       151 
Butler, PA...............           4.8          80.8       0.5        24      806       5.8        18 
Chester, PA..............          15.3         244.4      -0.4        51    1,181       2.2       181 
Cumberland, PA...........           6.0         124.5      -1.8       131      823       3.0       122 
Dauphin, PA..............           7.4         180.8      -1.0        80      883       4.1        65 
Delaware, PA.............          13.7         213.0      -0.3        47      953       1.1       247 
                                                                                                       
Erie, PA.................           7.4         126.4      -1.8       131      729       4.0        67 
Lackawanna, PA...........           5.9         101.2      -2.0       145      717       5.9        17 
Lancaster, PA............          12.5         226.9      -2.7       193      771       4.2        62 
Lehigh, PA...............           8.8         177.6      -1.8       131      906      -0.7       297 
Luzerne, PA..............           7.9         142.5      -1.0        80      695       1.5       224 
Montgomery, PA...........          27.7         488.0      -1.6       118    1,151      -0.3       286 
Northampton, PA..........           6.5          98.3      -3.3       234      805       2.7       143 
Philadelphia, PA.........          31.5         637.6      -0.5        58    1,094       2.8       139 
Washington, PA...........           5.4          80.5       0.9        18      814       4.5        48 
Westmoreland, PA.........           9.4         135.7      -0.4        51      728       0.1       277 
                                                                                                       
York, PA.................           9.2         177.6      -1.2        92      788       3.0       122 
Kent, RI.................           5.7          77.6      -4.8       286      783       0.9       255 
Providence, RI...........          18.1         277.8      -3.5       248      931       7.1        10 
Charleston, SC...........          12.8         209.5      -1.9       139      782      -0.4       290 
Greenville, SC...........          13.0         237.1      -2.8       196      795       2.7       143 
Horry, SC................           8.5         105.6      -7.1       319      581      -0.3       286 
Lexington, SC............           5.8          98.4      -1.7       126      680       1.2       245 
Richland, SC.............           9.7         214.4      -2.1       153      790       3.3       101 
Spartanburg, SC..........           6.3         117.9      -5.2       295      776       4.7        42 
Minnehaha, SD............           6.4         116.8       1.2        12      741       0.8       259 
                                                                                                       
Davidson, TN.............          18.6         436.1      -3.0       208      976       2.7       143 
Hamilton, TN.............           8.6         189.2      -3.5       248      813       2.8       139 
Knox, TN.................          11.2         228.9      -1.5       109      796       0.8       259 
Rutherford, TN...........           4.3          97.5      -4.8       286      842       0.8       259 
Shelby, TN...............          19.9         497.0      -3.5       248      935       0.1       277 
Williamson, TN...........           6.1          87.5      -1.6       118      980      -4.9       317 
Bell, TX.................           4.6         104.1       1.6         7      705       4.6        45 
Bexar, TX................          32.8         731.6       0.0        38      806       1.9       200 
Brazoria, TX.............           4.7          87.8       0.0        38      871       3.9        71 
Brazos, TX...............           3.9          86.9       (7)         -      688       (7)         - 
                                                                                                       
Cameron, TX..............           6.4         124.5      -0.5        58      584       5.4        27 
Collin, TX...............          17.4         297.8       0.9        18    1,040       0.7       264 
Dallas, TX...............          68.6       1,484.4      -1.2        92    1,123       1.1       247 
Denton, TX...............          10.7         170.5       0.0        38      798       1.9       200 
El Paso, TX..............          13.6         273.0      -0.6        63      643       2.9       131 
Fort Bend, TX............           8.5         132.3       2.2         4      967       0.5       268 
Galveston, TX............           5.2          93.8      -4.1       270      829       0.0       280 
Harris, TX...............          98.1       2,078.1       1.0        14    1,187       2.6       151 
Hidalgo, TX..............          10.7         222.4       0.9        18      574       2.0       192 
Jefferson, TX............           5.9         127.9       2.5         2      941       8.0         4 
                                                                                                       
Lubbock, TX..............           6.8         126.4       2.4         3      699       2.3       169 
McLennan, TX.............           4.9         103.6       (7)         -      718       2.4       163 
Montgomery, TX...........           8.3         129.6       2.7         1      876       3.7        81 
Nueces, TX...............           8.1         156.1       0.8        21      806       4.9        35 
Potter, TX...............           3.8          77.5       1.3        11      797       (7)         - 
Smith, TX................           5.3          95.7       1.2        12      809       6.2        16 
Tarrant, TX..............          37.6         770.8      -0.8        70      919       2.7       143 
Travis, TX...............          29.3         578.8       0.1        36    1,009      -0.6       294 
Webb, TX.................           4.8          89.4       0.4        28      600       1.5       224 
Williamson, TX...........           7.3         121.6      -0.3        47      895      -5.1       318 
                                                                                                       
Davis, UT................           7.4         101.4      -2.2       160      737       0.7       264 
Salt Lake, UT............          38.9         588.6      -1.5       109      847       0.4       270 
Utah, UT.................          13.3         172.2      -3.2       230      727       1.7       209 
Weber, UT................           5.7          93.0      -2.8       196      677       0.4       270 
Chittenden, VT...........           6.0          95.3      -1.4       104      896       2.4       163 
Arlington, VA............           7.8         158.6       1.9         6    1,509       3.1       114 
Chesterfield, VA.........           7.7         120.0      -2.9       204      825       2.9       131 
Fairfax, VA..............          34.3         589.2      -0.8        70    1,407       3.5        88 
Henrico, VA..............           9.7         178.0      -2.4       177      916       1.3       237 
Loudoun, VA..............           9.2         133.8       0.3        29    1,091       0.9       255 
                                                                                                       
Prince William, VA.......           7.3         103.6      -1.2        92      816      -0.6       294 
Alexandria City, VA......           6.2         102.2       0.5        24    1,311       5.6        20 
Chesapeake City, VA......           5.8          98.5      -3.7       255      714       1.6       218 
Newport News City, VA....           4.0          99.2      -1.8       131      850       7.1        10 
Norfolk City, VA.........           5.9         143.7      -1.1        84      906       4.3        58 
Richmond City, VA........           7.5         157.8       (7)         -    1,024       (7)         - 
Virginia Beach City, VA..          11.7         170.8      -3.0       208      726       2.5       159 
Clark, WA................          12.3         129.9      -2.8       196      817       2.9       131 
King, WA.................          77.6       1,175.3      -1.5       109    1,130       4.0        67 
Kitsap, WA...............           6.6          82.7      -2.4       177      822       4.6        45 
                                                                                                       
Pierce, WA...............          20.8         269.4      -3.4       241      814       4.4        52 
Snohomish, WA............          17.9         250.2      -2.5       183      928       2.9       131 
Spokane, WA..............          15.5         207.2      -2.0       145      737       4.4        52 
Thurston, WA.............           7.0         100.0      -0.8        70      807       2.9       131 
Whatcom, WA..............           6.9          80.6      -3.2       230      708       2.6       151 
Yakima, WA...............           8.3          93.5       1.0        14      624       5.1        31 
Kanawha, WV..............           6.1         109.0      -0.6        63      799       4.7        42 
Brown, WI................           6.8         148.1      -1.9       139      821       3.1       114 
Dane, WI.................          14.2         304.1      -1.1        84      878       4.8        39 
Milwaukee, WI............          21.3         495.4      -1.6       118      923       2.6       151 
                                                                                                       
Outagamie, WI............           5.1         103.6      -2.0       145      784       4.5        48 
Racine, WI...............           4.2          74.7      -3.0       208      879      -0.1       282 
Waukesha, WI.............          13.3         231.0      -3.2       230      920       2.3       169 
Winnebago, WI............           3.8          91.1       0.3        29      855       4.7        42 
San Juan, PR.............          13.0         291.7      -2.5       (8)      621       2.3       (8) 

(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE) programs. These 334 U.S. counties comprise 71.5 percent of the total covered workers
in the U.S.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note.
(4) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(5) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications. See Technical Note.
(6) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(7) Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.
(8) This county was not included in the U.S. rankings.










Table 2. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the 10 largest counties,
fourth quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
                                                                    Employment         Average weekly  
                                                                                           wage(3)     
                                              Establishments,                                          
                                               fourth quarter                                          
         County by NAICS supersector                2008                    Percent            Percent 
                                                (thousands)     December    change,  Average   change, 
                                                                  2008     December   weekly   fourth  
                                                              (thousands) 2007-08(4)   wage    quarter 
                                                                                             2007-08(4)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
United States(5).............................       9,177.5     133,870.4      -2.3     $918       2.2 
  Private industry...........................       8,884.3     111,752.9      -2.9      919       2.0 
    Natural resources and mining.............         127.0       1,802.7       2.0      996       5.1 
    Construction.............................         881.7       6,636.1     -10.2    1,052       4.9 
    Manufacturing............................         360.0      12,891.3      -6.2    1,094       1.8 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....       1,925.3      26,316.1      -3.5      766       1.1 
    Information..............................         147.4       2,948.2      -3.4    1,360       0.1 
    Financial activities.....................         862.8       7,853.7      -3.2    1,390      -0.4 
    Professional and business services.......       1,537.6      17,366.1      -4.1    1,201       3.7 
    Education and health services............         857.4      18,304.3       2.9      872       3.7 
    Leisure and hospitality..................         742.2      12,957.7      -1.7      390       1.8 
    Other services...........................       1,229.1       4,445.7      -0.7      581       2.8 
  Government.................................         293.2      22,117.5       0.9      914       4.0 
                                                                                                       
Los Angeles, CA..............................         433.9       4,152.9      -3.4    1,075       1.8 
  Private industry...........................         430.0       3,552.8      -3.8    1,064       1.1 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5          10.5      -2.7    1,261       5.4 
    Construction.............................          14.0         136.7     -12.3    1,138       4.8 
    Manufacturing............................          14.5         417.6      -5.9    1,107       3.8 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          53.6         802.4      -5.4      833      -0.8 
    Information..............................           8.8         207.5       (6)    1,889       (6) 
    Financial activities.....................          24.1         231.8      -5.7    1,462      -3.8 
    Professional and business services.......          42.6         574.2       (6)    1,306       (6) 
    Education and health services............          28.1         500.0       1.8      979       3.8 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          27.2         396.1      -1.6      927       5.9 
    Other services...........................         201.1         258.8       0.5      454       1.1 
  Government.................................           4.0         600.1       (6)    1,141       5.6 
                                                                                                       
Cook, IL.....................................         141.0       2,480.0      -2.8    1,118       1.5 
  Private industry...........................         139.6       2,169.2      -3.3    1,126       1.3 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.1           1.1      -5.6      998      -5.0 
    Construction.............................          12.4          82.8     -10.5    1,478       6.9 
    Manufacturing............................           7.0         219.9      -6.5    1,119       3.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          27.6         467.7      -4.9      840      -0.4 
    Information..............................           2.6          56.1      -3.2    1,487      -4.3 
    Financial activities.....................          15.7         203.7      -4.3    2,007       0.7 
    Professional and business services.......          29.1         423.4      -4.8    1,525       3.5 
    Education and health services............          14.0         386.1       3.1      930       1.3 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          11.7         227.5      -2.2      440       0.0 
    Other services...........................          14.6          96.1      -0.1      783       3.2 
  Government.................................           1.4         310.8       0.8    1,058       2.9 
                                                                                                       
New York, NY.................................         118.9       2,386.4      -1.3    1,856      -0.6 
  Private industry...........................         118.6       1,934.3      -1.6    2,041      -0.7 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.0           0.2      -3.6    1,594       4.7 
    Construction.............................           2.4          36.3       0.6    1,939       0.6 
    Manufacturing............................           3.0          33.7      -8.3    1,565       0.7 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          22.0         255.2      -3.3    1,294      -1.5 
    Information..............................           4.6         134.5      -1.5    2,055      -0.3 
    Financial activities.....................          19.2         369.0      -3.9    4,085      -1.3 
    Professional and business services.......          25.5         489.1      -2.4    2,173       0.6 
    Education and health services............           8.9         297.7       1.6    1,133       6.0 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          11.8         224.3       0.8      889      -0.7 
    Other services...........................          18.0          90.2       0.7    1,102       7.1 
  Government.................................           0.3         452.1       0.0    1,062       1.6 
                                                                                                       
Harris, TX...................................          98.1       2,078.1       1.0    1,187       2.6 
  Private industry...........................          97.6       1,820.6       0.9    1,215       2.3 
    Natural resources and mining.............           1.6          85.8       7.1    2,872       (6) 
    Construction.............................           6.7         156.9       (6)    1,217       (6) 
    Manufacturing............................           4.6         187.7       2.4    1,468      -3.4 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          22.5         443.1       0.6    1,035       4.0 
    Information..............................           1.4          32.0      -2.4    1,393       8.2 
    Financial activities.....................          10.6         117.9       (6)    1,517       4.7 
    Professional and business services.......          19.6         336.9       (6)    1,448       3.7 
    Education and health services............          10.4         224.3       3.1      958       3.2 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.6         175.2      -0.6      404       4.7 
    Other services...........................          11.9          59.6       0.4      673       3.2 
  Government.................................           0.5         257.5       1.8      988       5.2 
                                                                                                       
Maricopa, AZ.................................         103.6       1,741.0      -5.8      892       2.1 
  Private industry...........................         102.9       1,512.8      -6.9      893       2.2 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           9.0      -4.9    1,026      20.6 
    Construction.............................          11.0         115.5     -25.3      986       3.4 
    Manufacturing............................           3.6         120.8      -8.0    1,217       3.6 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          22.9         365.7      -6.8      796       0.9 
    Information..............................           1.7          29.4      -4.1    1,098       3.4 
    Financial activities.....................          12.9         140.1      -4.8    1,066      -0.4 
    Professional and business services.......          23.2         289.2      -8.5      989       5.0 
    Education and health services............          10.3         216.8       5.7      999       2.3 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.4         176.8      -5.3      420      -1.4 
    Other services...........................           7.4          48.4      -4.9      613       2.7 
  Government.................................           0.7         228.2       2.0      881       0.1 
                                                                                                       
Orange, CA...................................         102.7       1,451.2      -4.8    1,043       1.4 
  Private industry...........................         101.3       1,301.1      -5.3    1,043       1.2 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.2           4.2      -9.0      665      -2.8 
    Construction.............................           6.9          83.3     -14.9    1,234       4.5 
    Manufacturing............................           5.3         166.4      -5.7    1,226      -0.2 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          17.2         272.3      -6.9      947       1.4 
    Information..............................           1.3          29.0      -3.8    1,423       4.0 
    Financial activities.....................          10.7         110.0      -7.5    1,582      -2.6 
    Professional and business services.......          19.1         258.3      -7.6    1,259       6.0 
    Education and health services............          10.0         150.8       (6)      960       (6) 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.1         171.7      -2.2      406       1.5 
    Other services...........................          18.0          49.0      -0.3      569      -4.2 
  Government.................................           1.4         150.1      -0.8    1,044       3.2 
                                                                                                       
Dallas, TX...................................          68.6       1,484.4      -1.2    1,123       1.1 
  Private industry...........................          68.1       1,314.7      -1.6    1,141       1.1 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.6           8.5      12.6    4,744      38.9 
    Construction.............................           4.4          80.1      -4.3    1,075       1.7 
    Manufacturing............................           3.1         129.8      -5.4    1,224       1.1 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          15.2         308.2      -2.1      990      -4.2 
    Information..............................           1.7          47.3      -4.2    1,524       3.6 
    Financial activities.....................           8.8         142.9      -1.2    1,429      -1.7 
    Professional and business services.......          15.1         275.6      -2.1    1,375       2.4 
    Education and health services............           6.7         153.9       3.8    1,059       3.1 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           5.4         128.5       (6)      493       (6) 
    Other services...........................           6.6          39.0      -1.2      682       3.6 
  Government.................................           0.5         169.7       2.3      984       2.2 
                                                                                                       
San Diego, CA................................         100.0       1,309.1      -3.0      981       2.0 
  Private industry...........................          98.8       1,082.3      -3.5      960       1.6 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.8           9.4     -11.4      577       0.2 
    Construction.............................           7.0          70.4     -14.3    1,140       5.5 
    Manufacturing............................           3.1         100.4      -3.3    1,306       0.9 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.2         218.3      -6.3      759       0.7 
    Information..............................           1.3          38.6       0.6    1,970       2.3 
    Financial activities.....................           9.5          74.2      -5.7    1,171      -1.0 
    Professional and business services.......          16.3         210.9      -4.4    1,238       2.0 
    Education and health services............           8.2         138.3       4.2      953       3.1 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.9         158.2      -2.3      425       3.9 
    Other services...........................          26.9          58.4       2.0      491       1.7 
  Government.................................           1.3         226.8      -0.4    1,079       2.8 
                                                                                                       
King, WA.....................................          77.6       1,175.3      -1.5    1,130       4.0 
  Private industry...........................          77.0       1,018.2      -2.0    1,140       4.0 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           2.9       7.0    1,573      11.8 
    Construction.............................           6.6          63.8     -11.6    1,197       6.8 
    Manufacturing............................           2.4         108.8      -3.3    1,449       7.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.9         221.8      -2.9      955       1.0 
    Information..............................           1.8          81.4       6.1    1,982       3.9 
    Financial activities.....................           6.9          72.4      -5.0    1,418       2.6 
    Professional and business services.......          13.7         185.4      -3.3    1,378       4.6 
    Education and health services............           6.5         129.3       4.6      894       3.8 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.2         108.6      -2.5      450       1.6 
    Other services...........................          17.6          43.7      -0.8      631       3.6 
  Government.................................           0.5         157.1       1.9    1,069       4.2 
                                                                                                       
Miami-Dade, FL...............................          86.8       1,003.9      -4.2      924       2.6 
  Private industry...........................          86.4         851.3      -4.7      907       2.3 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           9.6     -10.6      457     -11.1 
    Construction.............................           6.4          42.0     -21.4      973       5.3 
    Manufacturing............................           2.6          41.2     -11.7      818       1.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          23.5         253.4      -4.0      814       1.2 
    Information..............................           1.5          19.0      -8.1    1,266       5.2 
    Financial activities.....................          10.2          67.2      -7.6    1,387       0.1 
    Professional and business services.......          18.2         132.2      -5.2    1,229       6.6 
    Education and health services............           9.4         145.9       2.8      901       1.7 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.0         104.0      -1.9      514       0.6 
    Other services...........................           7.6          36.2      -3.3      579       6.0 
  Government.................................           0.4         152.6      -1.1    1,017       (6) 

(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications. See Technical Note.
(5) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(6) Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.










Table 3. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the largest county by
state, fourth quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                Employment         Average weekly  
                                                                       wage(4)     
                          Establishments,                                          
                           fourth quarter                                          
        County(3)               2008                    Percent            Percent 
                            (thousands)     December    change,  Average   change, 
                                              2008     December   weekly   fourth  
                                          (thousands) 2007-08(5)   wage    quarter 
                                                                         2007-08(5)
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
United States(6).........       9,177.5     133,870.4      -2.3     $918       2.2 
                                                                                   
Jefferson, AL............          19.0         355.3      -3.3      922       2.2 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           8.2         148.2       1.5      969       4.9 
Maricopa, AZ.............         103.6       1,741.0      -5.8      892       2.1 
Pulaski, AR..............          15.2         250.3      -1.2      847     -14.3 
Los Angeles, CA..........         433.9       4,152.9      -3.4    1,075       1.8 
Denver, CO...............          25.6         445.0      -1.5    1,111      -1.3 
Hartford, CT.............          25.6         504.5      -1.5    1,111       1.0 
New Castle, DE...........          18.3         278.7      -3.7    1,055       2.3 
Washington, DC...........          34.4         687.5       0.3    1,570       5.1 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          86.8       1,003.9      -4.2      924       2.6 
                                                                                   
Fulton, GA...............          39.9         732.2      -3.4    1,183       1.0 
Honolulu, HI.............          24.8         449.5      -2.4      850       3.8 
Ada, ID..................          15.0         202.9      -5.0      814      -1.1 
Cook, IL.................         141.0       2,480.0      -2.8    1,118       1.5 
Marion, IN...............          24.3         571.8      -2.8      913       2.8 
Polk, IA.................          14.9         273.7      -1.1      904       2.4 
Johnson, KS..............          20.7         316.0      -1.1      949       1.3 
Jefferson, KY............          22.0         423.8      -3.3      871       1.5 
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          14.8         265.9       0.3      874       8.0 
Cumberland, ME...........          12.2         173.4      -2.3      822       3.0 
                                                                                   
Montgomery, MD...........          32.9         460.3      -1.3    1,219       1.9 
Middlesex, MA............          47.8         826.2      -0.4    1,296      -1.1 
Wayne, MI................          32.1         709.8      -5.6    1,032       4.2 
Hennepin, MN.............          42.5         837.8      -2.4    1,146       2.7 
Hinds, MS................           6.4         127.6      -1.8      809       3.3 
St. Louis, MO............          32.8         600.5      -3.0      990       1.3 
Yellowstone, MT..........           5.8          78.2      -0.2      738       1.2 
Douglas, NE..............          16.1         322.8       0.0      842      -2.1 
Clark, NV................          51.0         870.0      -6.5      856      -2.3 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.4         195.9      -2.6    1,062       1.8 
                                                                                   
Bergen, NJ...............          34.6         450.4      -2.5    1,188       0.4 
Bernalillo, NM...........          17.8         329.9      -2.0      812       3.0 
New York, NY.............         118.9       2,386.4      -1.3    1,856      -0.6 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          33.4         567.7      -1.7    1,016       1.5 
Cass, ND.................           5.9         100.7       1.5      778       2.1 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          37.7         724.7      -3.0      926       2.0 
Oklahoma, OK.............          23.9         427.1       0.1      852       5.6 
Multnomah, OR............          28.7         444.7      -2.6      934       2.0 
Allegheny, PA............          35.3         685.4      -1.0      976       3.5 
Providence, RI...........          18.1         277.8      -3.5      931       7.1 
                                                                                   
Greenville, SC...........          13.0         237.1      -2.8      795       2.7 
Minnehaha, SD............           6.4         116.8       1.2      741       0.8 
Shelby, TN...............          19.9         497.0      -3.5      935       0.1 
Harris, TX...............          98.1       2,078.1       1.0    1,187       2.6 
Salt Lake, UT............          38.9         588.6      -1.5      847       0.4 
Chittenden, VT...........           6.0          95.3      -1.4      896       2.4 
Fairfax, VA..............          34.3         589.2      -0.8    1,407       3.5 
King, WA.................          77.6       1,175.3      -1.5    1,130       4.0 
Kanawha, WV..............           6.1         109.0      -0.6      799       4.7 
Milwaukee, WI............          21.3         495.4      -1.6      923       2.6 
                                                                                   
Laramie, WY..............           3.2          43.8       0.3      753       2.0 
                                                                                   
San Juan, PR.............          13.0         291.7      -2.5      621       2.3 
St. Thomas, VI...........           1.8          23.9      -0.3      673      -4.1 

(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note.
(4) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(5) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted
for noneconomic county reclassifications. See Technical Note.
(6) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin
Islands.










Table 4. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages by state, 
fourth quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
                                                Employment        Average weekly 
                                                                      wage(3)    
                          Establishments,                                        
                           fourth quarter                                        
          State                 2008                    Percent           Percent
                            (thousands)     December    change,  Average  change,
                                              2008     December   weekly  fourth 
                                          (thousands)   2007-08    wage   quarter
                                                                          2007-08
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
United States(4).........       9,177.5     133,870.4      -2.3     $918      2.2
                                                                                 
Alabama..................         121.6       1,909.8      -3.1      790      3.5
Alaska...................          21.4         303.9       1.6      927      5.7
Arizona..................         164.5       2,557.9      -5.1      848      2.7
Arkansas.................          86.5       1,168.2      -1.5      706     -1.0
California...............       1,370.0      15,288.5      -3.2    1,042      0.7
Colorado.................         177.1       2,295.8      -1.5      932      0.5
Connecticut..............         113.5       1,688.0      -1.7    1,164      1.2
Delaware.................          29.4         416.8      -3.0      943      1.9
District of Columbia.....          34.4         687.5       0.3    1,570      5.1
Florida..................         623.0       7,586.6      -5.3      824      1.6
                                                                                 
Georgia..................         276.7       3,970.3      -3.5      853      2.3
Hawaii...................          39.3         614.7      -3.5      821      3.5
Idaho....................          57.2         634.1      -3.9      693      1.0
Illinois.................         371.5       5,795.8      -2.3      985      1.0
Indiana..................         161.4       2,831.3      -3.4      764      2.7
Iowa.....................          94.6       1,483.7      -1.0      756      3.1
Kansas...................          87.2       1,370.2      -0.2      769      3.1
Kentucky.................         108.4       1,783.2      -2.6      754      3.0
Louisiana................         128.5       1,907.5       0.1      829      5.9
Maine....................          51.1         595.3      -2.1      735      4.0
                                                                                 
Maryland.................         164.3       2,531.8      -1.9    1,010      2.4
Massachusetts............         215.1       3,239.6      -1.1    1,154      1.8
Michigan.................         258.2       3,993.3      -4.9      903      3.6
Minnesota................         172.0       2,658.8      -1.9      907      2.6
Mississippi..............          71.0       1,117.2      -2.8      679      3.8
Missouri.................         175.7       2,700.9      -1.7      842      7.9
Montana..................          43.2         433.8      -1.5      678      2.9
Nebraska.................          60.4         923.1      -0.3      730      1.0
Nevada...................          77.5       1,206.5      -6.5      862     -1.1
New Hampshire............          49.9         626.2      -2.0      936      2.2
                                                                                 
New Jersey...............         273.7       3,927.7      -2.4    1,123      2.8
New Mexico...............          54.9         821.2      -1.2      768      3.9
New York.................         585.9       8,677.4      -1.0    1,169      1.4
North Carolina...........         260.1       4,003.8      -3.0      793      1.9
North Dakota.............          25.8         354.4       1.9      725      5.1
Ohio.....................         293.0       5,167.5      -3.2      816      2.6
Oklahoma.................         100.8       1,559.8       0.0      755      4.9
Oregon...................         134.1       1,676.6      -3.7      808      1.3
Pennsylvania.............         344.0       5,645.8      -1.3      897      2.6
Rhode Island.............          35.9         464.3      -3.4      887      5.7
                                                                                 
South Carolina...........         119.5       1,837.1      -3.5      731      2.1
South Dakota.............          30.8         395.2       0.4      663      2.5
Tennessee................         143.1       2,695.7      -3.3      824      1.4
Texas....................         566.6      10,510.8       0.4      933      2.4
Utah.....................          88.3       1,215.0      -2.1      770      1.4
Vermont..................          25.1         304.4      -1.7      774      4.3
Virginia.................         233.5       3,656.8      -1.3      953      3.3
Washington...............         222.8       2,885.0      -1.8      918      3.7
West Virginia............          48.9         713.8      -0.1      735      7.1
Wisconsin................         161.1       2,753.2      -1.9      793      3.0
                                                                                 
Wyoming..................          25.2         284.5       1.5      850      4.3
                                                                                 
Puerto Rico..............          55.3       1,028.5      -2.9      528      2.3
Virgin Islands...........           3.6          45.5      -1.4      731     -0.8

(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the
Virgin Islands.





Last Modified Date: July 21, 2009