Employment rose in 13 of the 18 largest counties in New York State from June 2011 to June 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2010 annual average employment.) Saratoga County experienced the largest employment growth, 3.1 percent, followed by Kings County (Brooklyn), up 2.8 percent. (See chart 1.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that Oneida County registered the largest decline (-0.6 percent).

Nationally, employment grew 1.8 percent over the year, as 287 of the 328 largest counties nationwide added jobs. The largest over-the-year percentage growth was recorded in Yakima, Wash. (8.2 percent); Madison, Ill.; St. Clair, Ill.; and Clay, Mo. experienced the largest loss, 2.0 percent each. The largest job gains were recorded in Harris County, Texas (78,300), followed by Los Angeles, Calif. (64,100). New York County, commonly known as Manhattan, ranked third, with employment growth of 56,200.

In New York, employment was highest in Manhattan, (2,392,000) followed by Suffolk (641,900) and Nassau (603,400) Counties. Altogether, New York’s large counties accounted for 84.7 percent of total state employment. Nationwide, the 328 largest counties made up 70.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Nine of New York’s large counties reported an increase in average weekly wages, led by Onondaga County at 3.2 percent. (See chart 2.) Manhattan had the highest wage average in the state, $1,646, followed by Westchester ($1,195) and Nassau ($1,042). (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 1.3 percent over the year to $903 in the second quarter of 2012.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 44 counties in New York with employment below 75,000. All but two of these small counties had an average wage below the U.S. average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012, four large New York counties recorded wage growth above the national increase of 1.3 percent. (See table 1.) Onondaga County (3.2 percent) ranked 37th in wage change nationwide. Three other counties with above-average growth ( Erie, Saratoga, and Broome) placed in the top-half of the national ranking. In contrast, nine large counties in the state recorded over-the-year wage declines. Rockland and Suffolk Counties each posted 0.6-percent declines in average weekly wages, and Westchester County recorded the largest drop in the state, down 0.8 percent.

Among large counties in the United States, 233 recorded wage gains, with Washington, Ore., registering the largest over-the-year increase in average weekly wages in the second quarter (8.5 percent). A total of eight large counties had wage increases exceeding 5.0 percent. Among the 86 counties with declining weekly wages, Williamson, Texas recorded the largest loss, 17.0 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Seven of New York’s large counties reported average weekly wages above the $903 national average in the second quarter of 2012. The three counties with averages above $1,000 (New York, Westchester, and Nassau) ranked among the top 50 in the nation. Four additional counties (Rockland, Suffolk, Dutchess, and Albany) had average weekly wages that also placed in the top 100 among the 328 large counties nationwide.

At the other end of the scale, Broome ($733), Kings ($736), and Oneida ($741) recorded the lowest weekly average among the state’s large counties, placing them in the lowest 25 percent of the national ranking.

Weekly wages were higher than the national average in 109 of the 328 largest U.S. counties. Of the 10 highest paying counties in the nation, 3 were located in or around the San Francisco area (Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo); 3 were located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (Arlington, Va., Washington, D.C., and Fairfax, Va.); 3 were located in the New York, N.Y. metropolitan area (New York, N.Y., Somerset, N.J., and Fairfield, Conn.); and 1 was located in the Boston area (Suffolk, Mass.).

Among the 219 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average, Horry, S.C. ($532) reported the lowest wage, followed by Cameron, Texas ($571), Hidalgo, Texas ($583), Lake, Fla. ($614), and Yakima, Wash. ($617).

Average weekly wages in New York's smaller counties

Forty-two of New York’s 44 counties with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average. Hamilton County in the Adirondacks and Yates County in western New York reported the lowest average weekly wages at $554 and $584, respectively. (See table 2.) Schenectady ($927) and Putnam ($949) were the only small counties to record wages higher than the national average.

When all 62 counties in New York were considered, 19 had an average weekly wage above $800, 13 of which were clustered in the Hudson River valley and on Long Island. Forty-three counties encompassing a large portion of the state had average weekly wages below $800, with 16 counties located mostly in the north and the west reporting wages below $700. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit the QCEW Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2011 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2012 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2011 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn10.htm. The 2012 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available later in 2013.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.

Technical Note

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 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 9.2 million employer reports cover 132.9 million full- and part-time workers. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting 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.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

Table 1. Covered(1) employment and wages in the United States and the 18 largest counties in New York, second quarter 2012(2)

Area	Employment		Average weekly wage(3)
	June 2012 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2011-12(4)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level(5)	Percent change, second quarter 2011-12(4)	National ranking by percent change(5)
United States(6)	132,896.0	1.8	$903	--	1.3	--
New York	8,701.2	1.5	1,096	4	0.4	42
Albany	221.9	1.2	929	86	-0.3	254
Bronx	237.2	0.5	868	137	-0.1	243
Broome	91.7	-0.1	733	285	1.4	140
Dutchess	111.6	-0.3	960	73	1.1	163
Erie	460.0	0.6	793	213	1.8	111
Kings	522.7	2.8	736	281	-0.4	262
Monroe	380.1	0.6	862	143	0.9	182
Nassau	603.4	1.4	1,042	46	0.6	200
New York	2,392.0	2.4	1,646	2	0.2	221
Oneida	107.2	-0.6	741	271	1.0	170
Onondaga	243.5	-0.4	849	150	3.2	37
Orange	133.5	0.2	807	196	-0.1	243
Queens	521.6	2.2	846	153	-0.1	243
Richmond	92.5	-0.1	770	242	-0.5	269
Rockland	117.0	0.5	989	59	-0.6	276
Saratoga	80.7	3.1	815	184	1.6	128
Suffolk	641.9	1.0	974	65	-0.6	276
Westchester	413.8	0.1	1,195	16	-0.8	285
Footnotes: (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. (5) Ranking does not include the county of San Juan, Puerto Rico. (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.

Table 2. Covered(1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in New York, second quarter 2012(2)

Area	Employment June 2012 (thousands)	Average weekly wage(3)
United States(4)	132,896.0	$903
New York	8,701.2	1,096
Albany	221.9	929
Allegany	13.5	662
Bronx	237.2	868
Broome	91.7	733
Cattaraugus	30.4	713
Cayuga	27.1	719
Chautauqua	52.8	660
Chemung	38.5	775
Chenango	17.4	734
Clinton	33.1	755
Columbia	21.0	740
Cortland	17.7	674
Delaware	15.8	702
Dutchess	111.6	960
Erie	460.0	793
Essex	14.9	697
Franklin	18.8	750
Fulton	17.7	687
Genesee	24.4	661
Greene	14.5	755
Hamilton	2.0	554
Herkimer	17.4	644
Jefferson	43.8	716
Kings	522.7	736
Lewis	6.8	676
Livingston	20.2	679
Madison	22.0	677
Monroe	380.1	862
Montgomery	18.8	685
Nassau	603.4	1,042
New York	2,392.0	1,646
Niagara	73.3	701
Oneida	107.2	741
Onondaga	243.5	849
Ontario	52.2	756
Orange	133.5	807
Orleans	13.6	748
Oswego	34.0	731
Otsego	25.1	702
Putnam	25.6	949
Queens	521.6	846
Rensselaer	51.5	821
Richmond	92.5	770
Rockland	117.0	989
Saratoga	80.7	815
Schenectady	65.2	927
Schoharie	8.8	625
Schuyler	5.3	623
Seneca	11.9	751
St. Lawrence	34.9	744
Steuben	37.7	855
Suffolk	641.9	974
Sullivan	26.1	707
Tioga	13.6	898
Tompkins	49.9	857
Ulster	58.8	749
Warren	41.8	699
Washington	16.1	780
Wayne	30.2	740
Westchester	413.8	1,195
Wyoming	14.2	724
Yates	7.0	584
Footnotes: (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. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.

Table 3. Covered(1) employment and wages by state, second quarter 2012(2)

Area	Employment		Average weekly wage(3)
	June 2012 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2011-12	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2011-12	National ranking by percent change
United States(4)	132,896.0	1.8	$903	--	1.3	--
Alabama	1,841.7	0.9	783	34	2.0	20
Alaska	342.9	2.1	955	8	1.5	29
Arizona	2,393.9	2.6	862	18	2.1	17
Arkansas	1,157.4	1.1	717	47	2.1	17
California	15,045.8	2.4	1,034	6	1.8	24
Colorado	2,291.8	2.5	918	14	2.0	20
Connecticut	1,650.0	1.2	1,111	2	-0.4	50
Delaware	409.3	0.2	948	11	2.4	13
District of Columbia	717.9	0.9	1,544	1	0.3	44
Florida	7,233.7	2.0	805	30	0.4	42
Georgia	3,854.7	1.4	848	22	1.9	22
Hawaii	603.7	2.1	812	28	1.8	24
Idaho	626.1	1.5	673	51	0.9	38
Illinois	5,698.0	1.1	953	9	1.6	27
Indiana	2,832.6	2.3	763	41	1.9	22
Iowa	1,502.7	1.5	743	43	2.5	12
Kansas	1,334.4	1.7	763	41	1.1	35
Kentucky	1,780.7	1.6	772	38	1.6	27
Louisiana	1,877.2	1.6	806	29	1.5	29
Maine	601.8	1.2	719	45	1.0	37
Maryland	2,550.2	1.5	992	7	0.7	39
Massachusetts	3,301.5	1.9	1,109	3	-1.2	51
Michigan	3,984.0	2.1	859	19	1.7	26
Minnesota	2,695.1	1.5	907	15	1.1	35
Mississippi	1,087.4	0.6	681	49	2.9	3
Missouri	2,629.1	0.4	791	32	2.2	15
Montana	442.0	2.0	700	48	2.6	8
Nebraska	930.9	2.0	719	45	0.7	39
Nevada	1,141.7	1.6	815	27	-0.1	48
New Hampshire	623.8	1.4	891	17	0.3	44
New Jersey	3,884.0	1.4	1,056	5	0.0	47
New Mexico	791.9	0.4	783	34	2.6	8
New York	8,701.2	1.5	1,096	4	0.4	42
North Carolina	3,919.1	1.5	787	33	0.5	41
North Dakota	420.3	9.9	854	21	11.1	1
Ohio	5,104.0	1.9	817	25	2.8	4
Oklahoma	1,543.4	1.9	768	39	2.7	6
Oregon	1,663.9	1.6	837	24	2.3	14
Pennsylvania	5,645.9	0.7	893	16	2.1	17
Rhode Island	463.1	0.9	859	19	-0.3	49
South Carolina	1,830.7	1.5	736	44	1.4	31
South Dakota	412.8	1.9	677	50	3.2	2
Tennessee	2,669.1	2.0	816	26	2.8	4
Texas	10,779.5	3.0	922	13	2.6	8
Utah	1,225.8	3.6	766	40	1.3	34
Vermont	300.2	1.0	792	31	2.6	8
Virginia	3,659.9	1.2	952	10	0.3	44
Washington	2,948.3	2.4	947	12	2.2	15
West Virginia	712.3	1.4	776	37	1.4	31
Wisconsin	2,749.7	1.4	778	36	1.4	31
Wyoming	288.9	1.6	842	23	2.7	6
Puerto Rico	933.3	1.8	499	(5)	0.6	(5)
Virgin Islands	40.2	-8.6	819	(5)	9.8	(5)
Footnotes: (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. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.