Employment gains were experienced in all of South Carolina’s six large counties from September 2011 to September 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 2011 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Lexington and Charleston posted the largest employment growth among South Carolina’s largest counties, increasing 4.2 and 2.5 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment increased 1.6 percent during the 12-month period as 276 of the 328 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Elkhart, Ind., posted the largest increase with a gain of 6.9 percent, while Benton, Wash., experienced the largest employment decline at 5.2 percent.

Among the six largest counties in South Carolina, employment was highest in Greenville County (234,400) in September 2012. Two other counties–Charleston and Richland–had employment levels exceeding 200,000. Together, South Carolina’s large counties accounted for 54.1 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 328 largest counties made up 71.0 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 132.6 million in September 2012.

Wage decreases were recorded in all of South Carolina’s six large counties. The average weekly wage in Richland County declined 2.8 percent from the third quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of 2012, the largest decrease among South Carolina’s six large counties. Spartanburg County had the second-largest rate of decline at 2.0 percent. Greenville County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $805, followed by Charleston County at $800 and Richland County at $786. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage declined 1.1 percent over the year to $906 in the third quarter of 2012.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 40 counties in South Carolina with employment below 75,000. One of these smaller counties, Fairfield ($955), had average weekly wages above the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Two large counties in South Carolina recorded wage declines that were less than the national decrease of 1.1 percent from the third quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of 2012. Greenville County’s 0.2-percent wage decline ranked it 62nd among the 328 largest counties in the nation and Charleston County’s 0.7-percent decrease ranked 96th. The state’s remaining four large counties recorded wage declines in the 2.8 to 1.1 percent range, at or greater than the national decrease. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 274 large counties experienced decreases in average weekly wages from the third quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of 2012. Yolo, Calif., had the largest decline (-7.0 percent), followed by the counties of Rockingham, N.H.; Lake, Ohio; and Benton, Wash. (-6.9 percent each).

Among the 328 largest counties, 46 experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest increase in the nation (7.3 percent), followed by the counties of Douglas, Colo. (5.4 percent) and Pinellas, Fla. (4.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Greenville and Charleston Counties, with average weekly wages of $805 and $800, respectively, placed in the middle third of the national ranking among the 328 largest U.S. counties in the third quarter of 2012. Average weekly wages in South Carolina’s four other large counties placed in the bottom third of the national ranking. (See table 1.)

Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than average in 102 of the 328 largest counties. San Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,800. New York, N.Y., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,626, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,537), Washington, D.C. ($1,514), and Arlington, Va. ($1,488).

There were 225 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2012. Horry County, S.C. ($554), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($580), Hidalgo, Texas ($584), Yakima, Wash. ($620), and Marion, Fla. ($621).

Average weekly wages in South Carolina’s smaller counties

Among the 40 counties in South Carolina with employment below 75,000, all but 1 had average weekly wages below the national average of $906. The lone exception was Fairfield County at $955. (See table 2.) Dillon County reported the lowest weekly wage among all the counties in the state, averaging $525 in the third quarter of 2012.

When all 46 counties in South Carolina were considered, 10 reported average weekly wages under $600, 23 reported wages from $600-$699, 8 had wages from $700-$799, and 5 had wages above $800. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

Quarterly 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/.

An annual bulletin, 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 bulletin, which was published in October 2012, contains selected data produced by the 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 the Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2011, are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn11.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 132.6 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.

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2013