Technical information:(202) 691-6567 USDL 08-1014
http://www.bls.gov/cew/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, July 24, 2008
COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES: FOURTH QUARTER 2007
In December 2007, Fort Bend County, Texas, had the largest over-
the-year percentage increase in employment among the largest counties
in the U.S., according to preliminary data released today by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Fort Bend
County, which contains a portion of southwest Houston, experienced an
over-the-year employment gain of 7.4 percent, compared with national
job growth of 0.8 percent. Pulaski County, Ark., which includes
Little Rock, had the largest over-the-year gain in average weekly
wages in the fourth quarter of 2007, with an increase of 26.2 percent
due to gains in the information supersector. The U.S. average weekly
wage rose by 4.2 percent over the same time span.
Of the 328 largest counties in the United States, as measured by
2006 annual average employment, 126 had over-the-year percentage
growth in employment above the national average (0.8 percent) in
December 2007; 182 large counties experienced changes below the
national average. The percent change in average weekly wages was
higher than the national average (4.2 percent) in 128 of the largest
U.S. counties, but was below the national average in 186 counties.
Table A. Top 10 large counties ranked by December 2007 employment, December 2006-07 employment growth,
and December 2006-07 percent growth in employment
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Employment in large counties
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December 2007 employment | Growth in employment, | Percent growth in employment,
(thousands) | December 2006-07 | December 2006-07
| (thousands) |
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| |
United States 137,027.3| United States 1,089.1| United States 0.8
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| |
Los Angeles, Calif. 4,293.4| Harris, Texas 73.2| Fort Bend, Texas 7.4
Cook, Ill. 2,556.2| New York, N.Y. 52.0| Monterey, Calif. 5.2
New York, N.Y. 2,419.9| King, Wash. 35.2| Williamson, Tenn. 4.5
Harris, Texas 2,061.4| Los Angeles, Calif. 32.9| Madison, Ala. 4.0
Maricopa, Ariz. 1,848.2| Dallas, Texas 31.3| San Francisco, Calif. 4.0
Orange, Calif. 1,517.7| San Francisco, Calif. 21.8| Wake, N.C. 3.9
Dallas, Texas 1,504.8| Bexar, Texas 18.8| Hidalgo, Texas 3.9
San Diego, Calif. 1,340.3| Tarrant, Texas 17.3| Harris, Texas 3.7
King, Wash. 1,194.1| Wake, N.C. 17.1| Tulare, Calif. 3.6
Miami-Dade, Fla. 1,032.1| Travis, Texas 16.4| Denton, Texas 3.6
| | Arlington, Va. 3.6
| |
| |
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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 9.1 million employer reports cover 137.0 million full- and
part-time workers. The attached tables contain data for the nation
and for the 328 U.S. counties with annual average employment levels
of 75,000 or more in 2006. December 2007 employment and 2007 fourth-
quarter average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 4
of this release. Final data for all states, metropolitan statistical
areas, counties, and the nation through the fourth quarter of 2006
are available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/cew/.
Preliminary data for first, second, and third quarter 2007 also are
available on the BLS Web site. Updated data for first, second, and
third quarter 2007 and preliminary data for fourth quarter 2007 will
be available later in July on the BLS Web site.
Large County Employment
In December 2007, national employment, as measured by the QCEW
program, was 137.0 million, up by 0.8 percent from December 2006. The
328 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 71.2
percent of total U.S. employment and 77.2 percent of total wages.
These 328 counties had a net job gain of 666,400 over the year,
accounting for 61.2 percent of the overall U.S. employment increase.
Employment rose in 201 of the large counties from December 2006 to
December 2007. Fort Bend County, Texas, had the largest over-the-year
percentage increase in employment (7.4 percent). Monterey, Calif.,
had the next largest increase, 5.2 percent, followed by the counties
of Williamson, Tenn. (4.5 percent), and Madison, Ala., and San
Francisco, Calif. (4.0 percent each).
Employment declined in 98 counties from December 2006 to December
2007. The largest percentage decline in employment was in Trumbull
County, Ohio (-5.7 percent). Lee, Fla., had the next largest
employment decline (-5.5 percent), followed by the counties of
Collier, Fla. (-5.1 percent), Sarasota, Fla. (-4.1 percent), and
Manatee, Fla., and Saginaw, Mich. (-3.7 percent each).
The largest gains in the level of employment from December 2006 to
December 2007 were recorded in the counties of Harris, Texas
(73,200), New York, N.Y. (52,000), King, Wash. (35,200), Los Angeles,
Calif. (32,900), and Dallas, Texas (31,300). (See table A.) The
largest decline in employment levels occurred in Orange, Calif.
(-25,300), followed by the counties of Wayne, Mich. (-19,900), Lee,
Fla. (-12,700), Pinellas, Fla. (-11,500), and Oakland, Mich.(-9,100).
Table B. Top 10 large counties ranked by fourth quarter 2007 average weekly wages, fourth quarter 2006-07
growth in average weekly wages, and fourth quarter 2006-07 percent growth in average weekly wages
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Average weekly wage in large counties
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Average weekly wage, | Growth in average weekly | Percent growth in average
fourth quarter 2007 | wage, fourth quarter 2006-07 | weekly wage, fourth
| | quarter 2006-07
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| |
United States $898| United States $36| United States 4.2
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| |
New York, N.Y. $1,862| Pulaski, Ark. $205| Pulaski, Ark. 26.2
Santa Clara, Calif. 1,700| Lake, Ill. 171| Williamson, Texas 16.5
Fairfield, Conn. 1,575| Williamson, Texas 134| Lake, Ill. 15.6
Suffolk, Mass. 1,546| Santa Clara, Calif. 126| Douglas, Colo. 12.6
San Francisco, Calif. 1,529| Somerset, N.J. 123| Westmoreland, Pa. 9.8
San Mateo, Calif. 1,513| San Mateo, Calif. 112| Olmsted, Minn. 9.4
Washington, D.C. 1,506| Douglas, Colo. 110| Somerset, N.J. 9.2
Somerset, N.J. 1,461| Middlesex, Mass. 94| Williamson, Tenn. 8.2
Arlington, Va. 1,458| Washington, D.C. 82| San Mateo, Calif. 8.0
Fairfax, Va. 1,358| Olmsted, Minn. 79| Santa Clara, Calif. 8.0
| |
| |
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Large County Average Weekly Wages
The national average weekly wage in the fourth quarter of 2007 was
$898. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in
106 of the largest 328 U.S. counties. New York, N.Y., held the top
position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly
wage of $1,862. Santa Clara, Calif., was second with an average
weekly wage of $1,700, followed by Fairfield, Conn. ($1,575),
Suffolk, Mass. ($1,546), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,529). (See
table B.)
There were 222 counties with an average weekly wage below the
national average in the fourth quarter of 2007. The lowest average
weekly wage was reported in Cameron County, Texas ($555), followed by
the counties of Hidalgo, Texas ($562), Horry, S.C. ($582), Webb,
Texas ($590), and Yakima, Wash. ($596). (See table 1.)
Over the year, the national average weekly wage rose by 4.2
percent. Among the largest counties, Pulaski County, Ark., led the
nation in growth in average weekly wages, with an increase of 26.2
percent from the fourth quarter of 2006. Williamson, Texas, was
second with growth of 16.5 percent, followed by the counties of Lake,
Ill. (15.6 percent), Douglas, Colo. (12.6 percent), and Westmoreland,
Pa. (9.8 percent).
Eight large counties experienced over-the-year declines in average
weekly wages. Among the five largest decreases in wages, Rockingham,
N.H., had the greatest decline (-12.4 percent), followed by the
counties of Trumbull, Ohio (-7.2 percent), Sedgwick, Kan. (-4.1
percent), Lake, Fla. (-3.9 percent), and Montgomery, Ohio (-2.4
percent).
Ten Largest U.S. Counties
Six of the 10 largest counties (based on 2006 annual average
employment levels) experienced over-the-year percent increases in
employment in December 2007. Harris, Texas, experienced the largest
percent gain in employment among the 10 largest counties with a 3.7
percent increase. Within Harris County, the largest gains in
employment were in construction (6.9 percent) and other services (4.7
percent). King, Wash., had the next largest increase in employment,
3.0 percent, followed by New York, N.Y. (2.2 percent). Orange,
Calif., experienced the largest decline in employment among the 10
largest counties with a 1.6 percent decrease. Within Orange County,
four industry groups experienced employment declines, with financial
activities experiencing the largest drop, -12.4 percent. Maricopa,
Ariz., and Cook, Ill., had the next largest decline in employment
(-0.1 percent each). (See table 2.)
Each of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw an over-the-year increase
in average weekly wages. Harris, Texas, had the fastest growth in
wages among the 10 largest counties, with a gain of 5.9 percent.
Within Harris County, average weekly wages increased the most in the
natural resources and mining industry (14.2 percent), followed by the
manufacturing industry (12.5 percent). Cook, Ill., was second in wage
growth with a gain of 4.8 percent, followed by San Diego, Calif. (4.4
percent). The smallest wage gain among the 10 largest counties
occurred in Miami-Dade, Fla. (0.6 percent), followed by Maricopa,
Ariz. (2.0 percent), and Orange, Calif. (2.8 percent).
Largest County by State
Table 3 shows December 2007 employment and the 2007 fourth quarter
average weekly wage in the largest county in each state, which is
based on 2006 annual average employment levels. (This table includes
two counties--Yellowstone, Mont., and Laramie, Wyo.--that had
employment levels below 75,000 in 2006.) The employment levels in the
counties in table 3 in December 2007 ranged from approximately 4.29
million in Los Angeles County, Calif., to 43,500 in Laramie County,
Wyo. The highest average weekly wage of these counties was in New
York, N.Y. ($1,862), while the lowest average weekly wage was in
Yellowstone, Mont. ($729).
For More Information
For additional information about the quarterly employment and wages
data, please read the Technical Note or visit the QCEW Web site at
http://www.bls.gov/cew/. Additional information about the QCEW data
also 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.
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The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2008 is
scheduled to be released on Friday, October 17, 2008.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
