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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 08-1459 
       	     http://www.bls.gov/cew/ 
                                        For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT 
Media contact:              691-5902    Friday, October 17, 2008 


    (NOTE: This news release was reissued on Tuesday, November 4, 
  2008, to correct two items in the Large County Average Weekly 
  Wages section on page 3. In the second sentence of the first paragraph, 
  the number of counties with average weekly wages higher than the 
  national average was corrected from "183" to "92".  In the first 
  sentence of the second paragraph, the number of counties with 
  average weekly wages below the national average was corrected from
  "137" to "241". No other changers were made.) 


          COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES:  FIRST QUARTER 2008 

  In March 2008, Orleans County, La., 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. Orleans County, 
which includes the city of New Orleans, experienced an over-the-year 
employment gain of 5.0 percent, compared with national job growth of 
0.4 percent. Westmoreland County, Pa., near Pittsburgh, had the 
largest over-the-year gain in average weekly wages in the first 
quarter of 2008, with an increase of 14.9 percent due to an increase 
in the professional and business services supersector. The U.S. 
average weekly wage rose by 2.4 percent over the same time span. 
 
  Of the 334 largest counties in the United States, as measured by 
2007 annual average employment, 146 had over-the-year percentage 
growth in employment above the national average (0.4 percent) in 
March 2008; 178 large counties experienced changes below the national 
average. The percent change in average weekly wages was higher than 
the national average (2.4 percent) in 183 of the largest U.S. 
counties but was below the national average in 137 counties.  


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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Employment in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       March 2008 employment      |       Growth in employment,      |   Percent growth in employment, 
            (thousands)           |           March 2007-08          |           March 2007-08
                                  |            (thousands)           |                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States           134,761.1| United States               481.0| United States                 0.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 Los Angeles, Calif.       4,229.6| Harris, Texas                67.2| Orleans, La.                  5.0
 Cook, Ill.                2,490.4| New York, N.Y.               38.7| Fort Bend, Texas              4.7
 New York, N.Y.            2,376.0| King, Wash.                  31.0| Montgomery, Texas             4.7
 Harris, Texas             2,046.5| Dallas, Texas                29.1| Williamson, Texas             4.6
 Maricopa, Ariz.           1,805.2| Bexar, Texas                 20.2| Douglas, Colo.                4.1
 Orange, Calif.            1,504.9| Tarrant, Texas               17.6| Potter, Texas                 4.1
 Dallas, Texas             1,489.7| Santa Clara, Calif.          16.8| Cass, N.D.                    3.8
 San Diego, Calif.         1,327.6| San Francisco, Calif.        16.1| El Paso, Texas                3.7
 King, Wash.               1,186.2| Los Angeles, Calif.          15.2| Yakima, Wash.                 3.6
 Miami-Dade, Fla.          1,029.9| Wake, N.C.                   15.2| Wake, N.C.                    3.5
                                  |                                  |                                  
                                  |                                  |                                  
                                  |                                  |                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  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 134.8 million full- and 
part-time workers. The attached tables contain data for the nation 
and for the 334 U.S. counties with annual average employment levels 
of 75,000 or more in 2007. March 2008 employment and 2008 first-
quarter average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 4 
of this release. Data for all states, metropolitan statistical areas, 
counties, and the nation through the fourth quarter of 2007 are 
available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/cew.  Preliminary 
data for first quarter 2008 and final data for 2007 will be available 
later in October on the BLS Web site. 


Large County Employment 

  In March 2008, national employment, as measured by the QCEW 
program, was 134.8 million, up by 0.4 percent from March 2007. The 
334 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 71.5 
percent of total U.S. employment and 78.3 percent of total wages. 
These 334 counties had a net job gain of 198,000 over the year, 
accounting for 41.2 percent of the overall U.S. employment increase. 
Employment rose in 189 of the large counties from March 2007 to March 
2008. Orleans County, La., had the largest over-the-year percentage 
increase in employment (5.0 percent). Fort Bend, Texas, and 
Montgomery, Texas, tied for the next largest increase, 4.7 percent, 
followed by the counties of Williamson, Texas (4.6 percent), and 
Douglas, Colo., and Potter, Texas (4.1 percent each).  

  Employment declined in 129 counties from March 2007 to March 2008. 
The largest percentage decline in employment was in Lee, Fla. (-8.1 
percent). Collier, Fla., had the next largest employment decline 
(-7.4 percent), followed by the counties of Genesee, Mich. (-6.5 
percent), Saginaw, Mich. (-5.2 percent), and Marion, Fla., (-5.1 
percent). 

  The largest gains in the level of employment from March 2007 to 
March 2008 were recorded in the counties of Harris, Texas (67,200), 
New York, N.Y. (38,700), King, Wash. (31,000), Dallas, Texas 
(29,100), and Bexar, Texas (20,200). (See table A.) The largest 
decline in employment levels occurred in Maricopa, Ariz. (-25,100), 
followed by the counties of Hillsborough, Fla. (-23,700), Wayne, 
Mich. (-23,000), Oakland, Mich. (-19,500), and Lee, Fla. (-19,400). 


Table B.  Top 10 large counties ranked by first quarter 2008 average weekly wages, first quarter 2007-08 
growth in average weekly wages, and first 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 
         first quarter 2008       |    wage, first quarter 2007-08   |         weekly wage, first
                                  |                                  |          quarter 2007-08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States                $905| United States                 $21| United States                 2.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 New York, N.Y.             $2,805| Somerset, N.J.               $146| Westmoreland, Pa.            14.9
 Fairfield, Conn.            1,905| Westmoreland, Pa.              98| Williamson, Texas            10.8
 Somerset, N.J.              1,765| Williamson, Texas              89| Somerset, N.J.                9.0
 Suffolk, Mass.              1,708| Hudson, N.J.                   87| San Luis Obispo, Calif.       8.3
 San Francisco, Calif.       1,639| Mercer, N.J.                   66| Jefferson, Texas              7.9
 Santa Clara, Calif.         1,631| New London, Conn.              64| New London, Conn.             7.3
 Hudson, N.J.                1,528| Jefferson, Texas               63| Adams, Colo.                  6.8
 Washington, D.C.            1,488| Washington, D.C.               62| Pima, Ariz.                   6.7
 Arlington, Va.              1,473| Hennepin, Minn.                59| Clayton, Ga.                  6.7
 San Mateo, Calif.           1,457| McLean, Ill.                   58| McLean, Ill.                  6.7
                                  | Hillsborough, N.H.             58|                                  
                                  | Washington, Ore.               58|                                  
                                  |                                  |                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Large County Average Weekly Wages 

  The national average weekly wage in the first quarter of 2008 was 
$905. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 
92 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 $2,805. Fairfield, Conn., was second with an average weekly 
wage of $1,905, followed by Somerset, N.J. ($1,765), Suffolk, Mass. 
($1,708), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,639). (See table B.) 

  There were 241 counties with an average weekly wage below the 
national average in the first quarter of 2008. The lowest average 
weekly wage was reported in Cameron County, Texas ($523), followed by 
the counties of Hidalgo, Texas ($532), Horry, S.C. ($534), Webb, 
Texas ($554), and Yakima, Wash. ($587). (See table 1.) 

  Over the year, the national average weekly wage rose by 2.4 
percent. Among the largest counties, Westmoreland, Pa., led the  
nation in growth in average weekly wages, with an increase of 14.9 
percent from the first quarter of 2007. Williamson, Texas, was second 
with growth of 10.8 percent, followed by the counties of Somerset, 
N.J. (9.0 percent), San Luis Obispo, Calif. (8.3 percent), and 
Jefferson, Texas (7.9 percent). 

  Thirty-four large counties experienced over-the-year declines in 
average weekly wages. Trumbull, Ohio, had the largest decrease (-17.2 
percent), followed by the counties of Saginaw, Mich. (-4.4 percent), 
Rockingham, N.H. (-3.9 percent), Fairfield, Conn. (-3.8 percent), and 
Mecklenburg, N.C. (-3.4 percent). 

Ten Largest U.S. Counties 

  Five of the 10 largest counties (based on 2007 annual average 
employment levels) experienced over-the-year percent increases in 
employment in March 2008. Harris, Texas, experienced the largest 
percent gain in employment (3.4 percent) among the 10 largest 
counties. Within Harris County, the largest gains in employment were 
in natural resources and mining (5.5 percent) and construction (5.4 
percent). King, Wash., had the next largest increase in employment, 
2.7 percent, followed by Dallas, Texas (2.0 percent). Maricopa, 
Ariz., experienced the largest decline in employment among the 10 
largest counties with a 1.4 percent decrease. Within Maricopa, six 
industry groups experienced employment declines, with construction 
experiencing the largest decline, -14.2 percent. Orange, Calif., had 
the next largest decline in employment, -1.1 percent, followed by 
Miami-Dade, Fla. (-1.0 percent). (See table 2.) 

  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 4.2 percent. Within 
King County, average weekly wages increased the most in the 
information industry (12.8 percent), followed by the other services 
industry (7.7 percent). Harris, Texas, was second in wage growth with 
a gain of 3.8 percent, followed by Cook, Ill. (2.7 percent). The 
smallest wage gain occurred in Orange, Calif. (1.2 percent), followed 
by Maricopa, Ariz. (1.3 percent). The only wage decline among the 10 
largest counties occurred in New York, N.Y. (-1.0 percent).  

  Within New York County, two industry groups experienced over-the-
year wage declines in the first quarter of 2008--manufacturing 
(-4.1 percent) and financial activities (-3.7 percent). Financial 
activities employs ten times more workers than manufacturing in New 
York County and had the county's highest average weekly wages. The 
declines for the first quarter of 2008 follow over-the-year average 
weekly wage gains of 14.6 percent in manufacturing and 24.2 percent 
in financial activities in the first quarter of 2007. 

Largest County by State 

  Table 3 shows March 2008 employment and the 2008 first quarter 
average weekly wage in the largest county in each state, which is 
based on 2007 annual average employment levels. (This table includes 
one county--Laramie, Wyo.--that had an employment level below 75,000 
in 2007.) The employment levels in the counties in table 3 in March 
2008 ranged from approximately 4.23 million in Los Angeles County, 
Calif., to 43,100 in Laramie County, Wyo. The highest average weekly 
wage of these counties was in New York, N.Y. ($2,805), while the 
lowest average weekly wage was in Yellowstone, Mont. ($695). 

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. 

              ____________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
 
  The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2008 is 
scheduled to be released on Tuesday, January 13, 2009. 


   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  |                                                                      |
  |        County Changes for the 2008 County Employment and Wages       |
  |                   News Releases: Six Counties Added                  |
  |                                                                      |
  |   Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2007  |
  | are included in this release.  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.                                                               |
  |                                                                      |
  |                                                                      |
  |                                                                      |
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------




                                                                      



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. The employment and wage data included in this re-
lease are derived from microdata summaries of 9.1 million employer reports of em-
ployment and wages submitted by states to the BLS. 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.  In 
2007, 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) rep-
resented 96.2 percent of civilian wage and salary employment. Covered workers re-
ceived $6.018 trillion in pay, representing 94.6 percent of the wage and salary com-
ponent of personal 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 2006 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 2007 version of this news release. As with the 2005 edition, 
this edition includes the data on a CD for enhanced access and usability with the 
printed booklet containing selected graphic representations of QCEW data; the data 
tables themselves have been published exclusively in electronic formats as PDFs. Em-
ployment and Wages Annual Averages, 2006 is available in a PDF on the BLS Web site 
at http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn06.htm. 
 
 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,
first quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
                                                     Employment               Average weekly wage(4)   
                                                                                                       
                          Establishments,                                                              
        County(3)          first quarter                Percent   Ranking            Percent   Ranking 
                                2008         March      change,      by    Average   change,      by   
                            (thousands)       2008       March    percent   weekly    first    percent 
                                          (thousands) 2007-08(5)   change    wage    quarter    change 
                                                                                   2007-08(5)          
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
United States(6).........       9,112.7     134,761.1       0.4         -     $905       2.4         - 
                                                                                                       
Jefferson, AL............          19.0         359.3      -1.3       277      914       4.0        62 
Madison, AL..............           8.9         181.4       3.4        11      919       3.3       112 
Mobile, AL...............          10.1         176.0       0.5       139      710       2.7       158 
Montgomery, AL...........           6.8         138.9      -0.4       226      723       1.4       233 
Shelby, AL...............           5.0          75.8       2.5        23      878       0.9       260 
Tuscaloosa, AL...........           4.5          86.0      -0.5       230      718       2.9       140 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           8.1         144.4       0.6       120      916       4.7        38 
Maricopa, AZ.............         101.7       1,805.2      -1.4       282      867       1.3       239 
Pima, AZ.................          21.2         373.5      -1.5       283      778       6.7         8 
Benton, AR...............           5.6          95.7      -0.9       257      880       4.9        30 
                                                                                                       
Pulaski, AR..............          14.8         250.4       0.9        93      791       4.8        35 
Washington, AR...........           5.7          91.7      -1.3       277      690       4.9        30 
Alameda, CA..............          51.8         686.6      -0.6       237    1,146       1.0       253 
Butte, CA................           8.0          75.6       0.2       168      640       1.7       224 
Contra Costa, CA.........          29.5         341.6      -0.8       249    1,109      -0.5       304 
Fresno, CA...............          30.7         339.8      -0.9       257      689       3.3       112 
Kern, CA.................          18.4         267.5       0.1       180      758       3.6        89 
Los Angeles, CA..........         425.0       4,229.6       0.4       147      992       2.1       204 
Marin, CA................          12.0         109.0       0.7       107    1,073       3.4       103 
Monterey, CA.............          12.7         160.6       2.3        27      800       1.7       224 
                                                                                                       
Orange, CA...............         100.1       1,504.9      -1.1       264    1,019       1.2       243 
Placer, CA...............          11.0         137.7      -2.3       302      829      -0.1       295 
Riverside, CA............          46.5         624.8      -2.9       311      751       1.9       217 
Sacramento, CA...........          54.3         632.7      -1.2       272      962       3.6        89 
San Bernardino, CA.......          49.2         656.3      -2.3       302      741       2.2       199 
San Diego, CA............          97.8       1,327.6       0.0       190      945       1.9       217 
San Francisco, CA........          47.2         564.5       2.9        16    1,639      -0.4       300 
San Joaquin, CA..........          18.1         218.5      -2.1       296      731       3.2       122 
San Luis Obispo, CA......           9.5         105.8       0.3       154      741       8.3         4 
San Mateo, CA............          24.1         343.9       1.3        70    1,457       0.6       271 
                                                                                                       
Santa Barbara, CA........          14.3         186.7       0.6       120      821       0.9       260 
Santa Clara, CA..........          60.0         912.0       1.9        48    1,631       3.1       129 
Santa Cruz, CA...........           9.1          92.7      -1.2       272      819      -2.3       320 
Solano, CA...............          10.2         124.8      -2.4       305      837       1.2       243 
Sonoma, CA...............          18.7         192.9       0.7       107      817       1.7       224 
Stanislaus, CA...........          14.9         171.2      -0.8       249      713       2.6       163 
Tulare, CA...............           9.5         144.1       1.9        48      608       3.4       103 
Ventura, CA..............          23.0         318.9      -1.1       264      924      -0.6       307 
Yolo, CA.................           5.9         100.8       0.5       139      806      -0.5       304 
Adams, CO................           9.3         154.4       3.1        14      813       6.8         7 
                                                                                                       
Arapahoe, CO.............          19.5         281.6       1.9        48    1,081       2.3       192 
Boulder, CO..............          12.9         161.8       2.1        39    1,068       3.5        97 
Denver, CO...............          25.7         445.9       1.6        60    1,166       4.2        56 
Douglas, CO..............           9.5          91.9       4.1         5      952       6.3        11 
El Paso, CO..............          17.6         244.2       0.0       190      788       3.7        80 
Jefferson, CO............          18.7         209.7       1.2        77      899       1.8       221 
Larimer, CO..............          10.4         128.1       1.4        65      755       2.0       212 
Weld, CO.................           6.1          82.8       1.7        56      718       4.7        38 
Fairfield, CT............          32.9         418.1       1.2        77    1,905      -3.8       325 
Hartford, CT.............          25.5         503.7       1.2        77    1,188       0.3       283 
                                                                                                       
New Haven, CT............          22.7         366.2       0.6       120      924       1.2       243 
New London, CT...........           6.9         128.4       0.3       154      939       7.3         6 
New Castle, DE...........          18.4         279.9      -0.2       212    1,130      -0.2       297 
Washington, DC...........          32.5         680.8       1.1        84    1,488       4.3        52 
Alachua, FL..............           6.9         122.6       (7)         -      725       (7)         - 
Brevard, FL..............          15.2         204.8      -2.3       302      777       1.2       243 
Broward, FL..............          66.6         757.1      -1.9       292      815      -0.4       300 
Collier, FL..............          12.8         134.6      -7.4       330      750      -1.4       315 
Duval, FL................          27.3         466.7      -1.8       290      888       2.8       151 
Escambia, FL.............           8.1         128.3      -2.5       307      675       2.6       163 
                                                                                                       
Hillsborough, FL.........          38.0         633.8      -3.6       321      843       4.2        56 
Lake, FL.................           7.4          86.5      -3.3       317      595       2.6       163 
Lee, FL..................          20.3         219.3      -8.1       331      718       2.1       204 
Leon, FL.................           8.3         145.0      -2.4       305      717       2.9       140 
Manatee, FL..............           9.5         115.4       0.0       190      664       0.2       286 
Marion, FL...............           8.8         104.2      -5.1       327      609       1.8       221 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          88.2       1,029.9      -1.0       262      871       1.5       231 
Okaloosa, FL.............           6.2          80.1      -3.5       320      681       3.2       122 
Orange, FL...............          37.5         701.4      -0.4       226      796       3.1       129 
Palm Beach, FL...........          51.6         552.2      -3.3       317      851       0.4       279 
                                                                                                       
Pasco, FL................          10.2         104.3      -0.3       219      594       1.0       253 
Pinellas, FL.............          32.1         433.4      -3.3       317      742       3.6        89 
Polk, FL.................          13.0         210.0      -1.8       290      664       2.8       151 
Sarasota, FL.............          15.6         157.6      -4.8       326      717       0.6       271 
Seminole, FL.............          15.4         178.6      -2.0       294      745       2.1       204 
Volusia, FL..............          14.3         168.2      -4.1       324      616       2.2       199 
Bibb, GA.................           4.6          83.8      -0.6       237      693       3.1       129 
Chatham, GA..............           7.6         136.8      -1.3       277      736       (7)         - 
Clayton, GA..............           4.4         113.6       0.6       120      810       6.7         8 
Cobb, GA.................          20.8         318.5      -0.3       219      969      -2.6       323 
                                                                                                       
De Kalb, GA..............          16.9         300.2      -0.1       203      962       0.2       286 
Fulton, GA...............          39.4         749.3       0.6       120    1,268       0.1       290 
Gwinnett, GA.............          23.7         321.7      -1.1       264      876       0.0       292 
Muscogee, GA.............           4.9          96.3      -0.7       243      708       3.4       103 
Richmond, GA.............           4.8         101.5       0.2       168      727       4.0        62 
Honolulu, HI.............          24.6         452.8       0.0       190      800       3.6        89 
Ada, ID..................          15.3         209.2      -0.5       230      746      -2.4       321 
Champaign, IL............           4.1          91.4       0.5       139      705       4.0        62 
Cook, IL.................         138.2       2,490.4      -0.5       230    1,147       2.7       158 
Du Page, IL..............          35.9         590.6      -0.1       203    1,058       1.3       239 
                                                                                                       
Kane, IL.................          12.7         205.7      -1.2       272      763       3.0       136 
Lake, IL.................          21.0         326.0       0.2       168    1,134       0.4       279 
McHenry, IL..............           8.4         100.1      -0.1       203      729       1.7       224 
McLean, IL...............           3.7          85.2       0.2       168      918       6.7         8 
Madison, IL..............           6.0          95.9       0.9        93      704       3.5        97 
Peoria, IL...............           4.8         104.3       1.4        65      840       3.2       122 
Rock Island, IL..........           3.5          79.3       0.6       120      863       2.0       212 
St. Clair, IL............           5.4          95.9       0.2       168      673       3.1       129 
Sangamon, IL.............           5.2         128.3       0.1       180      849       4.9        30 
Will, IL.................          13.5         192.7       2.3        27      757       3.1       129 
                                                                                                       
Winnebago, IL............           6.9         135.5      -0.2       212      751       2.9       140 
Allen, IN................           9.1         178.2      -2.8       308      726       1.4       233 
Elkhart, IN..............           5.0         120.2      -3.6       321      703       0.1       290 
Hamilton, IN.............           7.6         109.4       1.7        56      897       3.7        80 
Lake, IN.................          10.3         192.7      -0.1       203      752       2.6       163 
Marion, IN...............          24.2         575.0       0.3       154      953       2.5       177 
St. Joseph, IN...........           6.1         122.1      -0.9       257      740       6.2        13 
Tippecanoe, IN...........           3.3          75.3      -1.6       287      765       4.4        48 
Vanderburgh, IN..........           4.8         106.5      -0.9       257      728       3.7        80 
Linn, IA.................           6.3         124.1       2.3        27      834       2.3       192 
                                                                                                       
Polk, IA.................          14.8         271.7       1.6        60      905       2.3       192 
Scott, IA................           5.2          88.0       0.7       107      698       4.3        52 
Johnson, KS..............          20.2         316.7       1.5        63      938       2.9       140 
Sedgwick, KS.............          12.0         259.2       1.3        70      836      -1.1       312 
Shawnee, KS..............           4.8          94.6       0.3       154      736       2.8       151 
Wyandotte, KS............           3.2          80.2       0.5       139      805       2.0       212 
Boone, KY................           3.6          74.4       2.2        37      751       2.2       199 
Fayette, KY..............           9.4         174.3      -0.4       226      767       0.8       263 
Jefferson, KY............          22.7         426.6       0.3       154      849       0.7       267 
Caddo, LA................           7.3         126.0       0.8       101      693       2.4       184 
                                                                                                       
Calcasieu, LA............           4.8          86.2      -1.1       264      749       5.8        19 
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          14.1         265.1       1.4        65      814       4.9        30 
Jefferson, LA............          13.8         199.5       0.3       154      797       3.8        73 
Lafayette, LA............           8.6         135.3       2.0        42      817       3.9        70 
Orleans, LA..............          10.2         171.6       5.0         1    1,005       2.7       158 
St. Tammany, LA..........           7.1          74.8      -1.2       272      689       4.7        38 
Cumberland, ME...........          12.4         169.6       0.7       107      824       5.0        28 
Anne Arundel, MD.........          14.6         232.5       0.6       120      928       3.2       122 
Baltimore, MD............          21.7         374.7       0.0       190      901       2.5       177 
Frederick, MD............           6.0          94.1      -0.5       230      863       3.6        89 
                                                                                                       
Harford, MD..............           5.7          82.2      -1.9       292      826       2.6       163 
Howard, MD...............           8.7         147.9       0.6       120    1,025       2.0       212 
Montgomery, MD...........          33.0         455.7      -0.4       226    1,238       2.1       204 
Prince Georges, MD.......          15.8         314.5       0.4       147      913       2.8       151 
Baltimore City, MD.......          14.1         340.7      -0.8       249    1,033       4.1        60 
Barnstable, MA...........           9.1          82.7      -0.5       230      748       3.5        97 
Bristol, MA..............          15.5         214.8      -0.8       249      770       4.9        30 
Essex, MA................          20.8         296.3       1.2        77      922       0.4       279 
Hampden, MA..............          14.2         196.9       0.2       168      824       3.1       129 
Middlesex, MA............          47.5         814.4       1.3        70    1,285       3.0       136 
                                                                                                       
Norfolk, MA..............          22.8         320.0       0.8       101    1,066       2.6       163 
Plymouth, MA.............          13.8         173.7       0.3       154      798       2.4       184 
Suffolk, MA..............          21.7         587.3       1.5        63    1,708       3.4       103 
Worcester, MA............          20.7         318.3       0.2       168      875       3.6        89 
Genesee, MI..............           7.8         134.7      -6.5       329      750      -0.9       310 
Ingham, MI...............           6.8         159.8      -1.0       262      819       2.8       151 
Kalamazoo, MI............           5.5         114.1      -2.2       299      773       4.0        62 
Kent, MI.................          14.2         330.2      -1.1       264      770       1.0       253 
Macomb, MI...............          17.7         302.0      -3.2       313      879      -1.3       314 
Oakland, MI..............          39.0         668.6      -2.8       308    1,021       1.2       243 
                                                                                                       
Ottawa, MI...............           5.7         105.8      -2.2       299      715       0.3       283 
Saginaw, MI..............           4.3          81.8      -5.2       328      717      -4.4       327 
Washtenaw, MI............           8.0         187.5      -2.8       308      947      -2.0       318 
Wayne, MI................          32.1         724.6      -3.1       312    1,013       1.7       224 
Anoka, MN................           7.9         112.4      -1.1       264      796       2.7       158 
Dakota, MN...............          10.7         172.8       0.1       180      870       3.4       103 
Hennepin, MN.............          42.9         837.2       0.4       147    1,188       5.2        24 
Olmsted, MN..............           3.6          89.3       0.9        93      910      -2.5       322 
Ramsey, MN...............          15.5         327.4       0.1       180    1,006       2.3       192 
St. Louis, MN............           6.0          95.8       1.3        70      691       2.5       177 
                                                                                                       
Stearns, MN..............           4.6          81.2       0.7       107      683       4.4        48 
Harrison, MS.............           4.6          86.9       1.9        48      667       1.1       252 
Hinds, MS................           6.4         127.3      -0.1       203      755       0.8       263 
Boone, MO................           4.6          82.8       0.4       147      655       3.8        73 
Clay, MO.................           5.1          89.1      -0.7       243      809       0.6       271 
Greene, MO...............           8.2         155.4      -0.6       237      638       1.8       221 
Jackson, MO..............          18.7         370.0       0.6       120      894       3.0       136 
St. Charles, MO..........           8.2         120.8      -2.1       296      741       0.7       267 
St. Louis, MO............          32.8         600.2      -1.1       264      953       5.4        22 
St. Louis City, MO.......           8.5         232.3       0.7       107    1,033       1.9       217 
                                                                                                       
Yellowstone, MT..........           5.7          77.1       2.0        42      695       3.4       103 
Douglas, NE..............          15.7         317.4       2.0        42      814       2.6       163 
Lancaster, NE............           8.0         155.9       1.2        77      683       2.1       204 
Clark, NV................          50.2         917.5      -0.6       237      854       5.3        23 
Washoe, NV...............          14.6         209.5      -3.2       313      796       3.8        73 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.3         195.0       0.0       190      982       6.3        11 
Rockingham, NH...........          10.9         134.4      -0.7       243      839      -3.9       326 
Atlantic, NJ.............           7.1         142.2      -0.1       203      790       3.3       112 
Bergen, NJ...............          35.1         447.7       0.1       180    1,150       4.0        62 
Burlington, NJ...........          11.6         202.4       0.0       190      921       2.4       184 
                                                                                                       
Camden, NJ...............          13.2         207.4       0.0       190      882       0.8       263 
Essex, NJ................          21.6         362.0       0.1       180    1,190       0.5       276 
Gloucester, NJ...........           6.3         103.0       0.6       120      784       4.7        38 
Hudson, NJ...............          14.1         236.6       0.7       107    1,528       6.0        15 
Mercer, NJ...............          11.4         229.3       2.0        42    1,206       5.8        19 
Middlesex, NJ............          22.3         403.8      -0.3       219    1,167       2.9       140 
Monmouth, NJ.............          21.1         254.9       0.1       180      935       3.3       112 
Morris, NJ...............          18.4         284.3      -1.5       283    1,388       2.1       204 
Ocean, NJ................          12.6         146.2       0.2       168      725       1.4       233 
Passaic, NJ..............          12.7         177.5      -0.3       219      894       0.8       263 
                                                                                                       
Somerset, NJ.............          10.4         172.8       0.5       139    1,765       9.0         3 
Union, NJ................          15.3         234.4       1.0        88    1,231       0.7       267 
Bernalillo, NM...........          17.6         331.4      -0.2       212      758       3.7        80 
Albany, NY...............           9.9         225.8      -0.1       203      858       2.0       212 
Bronx, NY................          15.9         224.6       2.2        37      803       2.3       192 
Broome, NY...............           4.5          95.0       0.6       120      695       3.4       103 
Dutchess, NY.............           8.4         115.2      -0.8       249      906       3.7        80 
Erie, NY.................          23.6         453.4       0.3       154      762       0.0       292 
Kings, NY................          45.6         478.3       2.1        39      730      -1.2       313 
Monroe, NY...............          18.0         376.4      -0.3       219      863       3.2       122 
                                                                                                       
Nassau, NY...............          52.5         601.3       0.6       120      958      -2.1       319 
New York, NY.............         118.5       2,376.0       1.7        56    2,805      -1.0       311 
Oneida, NY...............           5.3         109.5       0.4       147      676       0.9       260 
Onondaga, NY.............          12.8         248.6       0.5       139      804       2.4       184 
Orange, NY...............          10.0         130.2       0.8       101      723       1.4       233 
Queens, NY...............          43.2         499.9       2.3        27      852       3.1       129 
Richmond, NY.............           8.7          93.1       0.1       180      745       2.1       204 
Rockland, NY.............           9.8         115.6       1.9        48      949       3.4       103 
Saratoga, NY.............           5.4          74.9      -0.2       212      743       3.8        73 
Suffolk, NY..............          50.5         618.0       1.0        88      892       0.2       286 
                                                                                                       
Westchester, NY..........          36.6         418.5       0.6       120    1,311      -0.2       297 
Buncombe, NC.............           8.1         115.8       1.1        84      657       3.3       112 
Catawba, NC..............           4.6          86.8      -2.1       296      662       1.5       231 
Cumberland, NC...........           6.3         119.1       0.5       139      657       4.6        42 
Durham, NC...............           7.0         184.9       1.0        88    1,237       2.6       163 
Forsyth, NC..............           9.3         186.3       0.6       120      827       5.1        26 
Guilford, NC.............          14.9         281.0       0.2       168      770       1.0       253 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          32.8         571.2       2.1        39    1,181      -3.4       324 
New Hanover, NC..........           7.5         104.5       0.0       190      704       3.7        80 
Wake, NC.................          28.6         452.1       3.5        10      877       1.2       243 
                                                                                                       
Cass, ND.................           5.8          98.1       3.8         7      715       5.6        21 
Butler, OH...............           7.4         146.9       0.6       120      778       3.9        70 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          37.8         725.6      -1.7       288      907      -0.4       300 
Franklin, OH.............          29.9         674.4      -0.1       203      906       1.2       243 
Hamilton, OH.............          24.1         511.0       0.0       190      961       1.2       243 
Lake, OH.................           6.8          98.8      -0.6       237      731       1.0       253 
Lorain, OH...............           6.3          95.9      -4.2       325      721       1.7       224 
Lucas, OH................          10.8         212.7      -2.0       294      771      -0.5       304 
Mahoning, OH.............           6.4         100.5      -1.5       283      618       1.0       253 
Montgomery, OH...........          12.9         259.2      -3.2       313      804      -1.5       316 
                                                                                                       
Stark, OH................           9.1         160.1      -0.2       212      679       1.3       239 
Summit, OH...............          15.0         270.8       0.6       120      814       2.9       140 
Trumbull, OH.............           4.7          75.5      -3.2       313      709     -17.2       328 
Warren, OH...............           4.2          76.0      -0.7       243      747       (7)         - 
Oklahoma, OK.............          23.8         424.9       1.3        70      788       5.2        24 
Tulsa, OK................          19.4         348.8       1.1        84      823       4.0        62 
Clackamas, OR............          13.0         150.8       0.9        93      789       2.6       163 
Jackson, OR..............           6.8          81.8      -1.7       288      620       0.6       271 
Lane, OR.................          11.0         149.6       0.1       180      657       2.5       177 
Marion, OR...............           9.6         138.2       0.7       107      675       2.7       158 
                                                                                                       
Multnomah, OR............          28.3         449.5       1.7        56      885       2.4       184 
Washington, OR...........          16.4         249.1      -0.2       212    1,020       6.0        15 
Allegheny, PA............          35.4         677.2       0.3       154      952       0.5       276 
Berks, PA................           9.2         167.9       0.2       168      770       2.4       184 
Bucks, PA................          20.3         262.0       0.5       139      849       2.3       192 
Butler, PA...............           4.8          78.8       0.8       101      750       6.1        14 
Chester, PA..............          15.2         241.7       2.0        42    1,118       0.3       283 
Cumberland, PA...........           6.0         125.1       0.3       154      794       2.3       192 
Dauphin, PA..............           7.4         180.0       0.1       180      842       1.4       233 
Delaware, PA.............          13.8         209.1       0.6       120      959       3.7        80 
                                                                                                       
Erie, PA.................           7.3         125.4      -1.1       264      683       2.4       184 
Lackawanna, PA...........           5.8         100.4      -0.9       257      645       2.4       184 
Lancaster, PA............          12.4         227.3       0.7       107      729       2.8       151 
Lehigh, PA...............           8.7         176.4       0.2       168      872       0.7       267 
Luzerne, PA..............           7.9         140.2       0.0       190      674      -0.7       308 
Montgomery, PA...........          27.6         486.3       1.0        88    1,189       1.0       253 
Northampton, PA..........           6.5          99.2       0.8       101      772       3.9        70 
Philadelphia, PA.........          30.4         630.8      -0.3       219    1,064       2.6       163 
Washington, PA...........           5.3          78.1       1.2        77      762       3.5        97 
Westmoreland, PA.........           9.5         133.6      -0.5       230      757      14.9         1 
                                                                                                       
York, PA.................           9.1         176.3       0.6       120      759       3.3       112 
Kent, RI.................           5.7          78.0      -3.6       321      773       1.2       243 
Providence, RI...........          18.1         279.3      -2.2       299      896       4.2        56 
Charleston, SC...........          12.1         209.4       0.7       107      733       4.3        52 
Greenville, SC...........          12.5         240.6       0.9        93      733       2.9       140 
Horry, SC................           8.3         113.9      -1.3       277      534      -0.4       300 
Lexington, SC............           5.6          97.3       0.9        93      639       2.9       140 
Richland, SC.............           9.4         215.6       0.0       190      771       2.9       140 
Spartanburg, SC..........           6.1         119.9       0.7       107      783       3.2       122 
Minnehaha, SD............           6.3         114.6       2.5        23      736       4.5        46 
                                                                                                       
Davidson, TN.............          18.8         438.8       0.4       147      898       4.1        60 
Hamilton, TN.............           8.7         195.0       1.2        77      742       2.2       199 
Knox, TN.................          11.2         230.5       2.3        27      711       0.6       271 
Rutherford, TN...........           4.3         100.4       1.4        65      741      -1.9       317 
Shelby, TN...............          20.2         502.6      -0.2       212      883       5.1        26 
Williamson, TN...........           6.1          87.0       2.3        27      939       2.8       151 
Bell, TX.................           4.6         102.3       2.6        20      674       5.0        28 
Bexar, TX................          32.2         729.6       2.9        16      788       2.9       140 
Brazoria, TX.............           4.6          87.4       1.8        55      867       3.7        80 
Brazos, TX...............           3.8          84.2       (7)         -      637       (7)         - 
                                                                                                       
Cameron, TX..............           6.5         125.2       1.1        84      523       4.6        42 
Collin, TX...............          16.8         293.3       (7)         -    1,059       (7)         - 
Dallas, TX...............          67.8       1,489.7       2.0        42    1,119       2.6       163 
Denton, TX...............          10.4         168.2       2.7        18      744       3.3       112 
El Paso, TX..............          13.4         273.6       3.7         8      599       0.0       292 
Fort Bend, TX............           8.2         127.8       4.7         2      968       4.0        62 
Galveston, TX............           5.2          96.9       3.1        14      840       4.6        42 
Harris, TX...............          96.6       2,046.5       3.4        11    1,172       3.8        73 
Hidalgo, TX..............          10.6         221.2       3.4        11      532       3.5        97 
Jefferson, TX............           5.9         124.9      -0.8       249      856       7.9         5 
                                                                                                       
Lubbock, TX..............           6.8         122.9       2.5        23      626       3.6        89 
McLennan, TX.............           4.9         103.3       1.3        70      694       4.4        48 
Montgomery, TX...........           8.1         125.1       4.7         2      797       3.2       122 
Nueces, TX...............           8.1         155.0       2.6        20      754       6.0        15 
Potter, TX...............           3.8          76.4       4.1         5      739       (7)         - 
Smith, TX................           5.2          94.1       2.3        27      711       3.3       112 
Tarrant, TX..............          37.1         770.1       2.3        27      885       2.5       177 
Travis, TX...............          28.6         577.5       2.4        26      974       3.6        89 
Webb, TX.................           4.8          88.6       1.4        65      554       1.3       239 
Williamson, TX...........           7.1         121.2       4.6         4      912      10.8         2 
                                                                                                       
Davis, UT................           7.2         101.7      -0.6       237      671       2.1       204 
Salt Lake, UT............          38.2         587.6       1.9        48      811       3.0       136 
Utah, UT.................          13.0         173.1      -0.3       219      651       4.3        52 
Weber, UT................           5.7          95.0       1.6        60      617       2.5       177 
Chittenden, VT...........           5.9          93.5      -0.5       230      896       6.0        15 
Arlington, VA............           7.6         153.1       1.0        88    1,473       1.7       224 
Chesterfield, VA.........           7.5         120.1      -0.8       249      790       3.3       112 
Fairfax, VA..............          33.2         585.0       0.8       101    1,376       0.4       279 
Henrico, VA..............           9.4         179.6       0.4       147      998      -0.8       309 
Loudoun, VA..............           8.7         130.2       1.9        48    1,105       2.5       177 
                                                                                                       
Prince William, VA.......           7.0         102.6       0.2       168      761       2.6       163 
Alexandria City, VA......           6.1          99.8       0.3       154    1,180       4.0        62 
Chesapeake City, VA......           5.7          99.3      -1.3       277      672       1.4       233 
Newport News City, VA....           4.0          99.5      -0.1       203      794       4.6        42 
Norfolk City, VA.........           5.8         143.6      -0.7       243      826      -0.2       297 
Richmond City, VA........           7.4         157.8       0.7       107    1,114       4.4        48 
Virginia Beach City, VA..          11.6         172.7      -0.7       243      683       3.8        73 
Clark, WA................          12.0         132.0       0.6       120      770       3.5        97 
King, WA.................          76.8       1,186.2       2.7        18    1,125       4.2        56 
Kitsap, WA...............           6.6          83.8       0.3       154      744       2.6       163 
                                                                                                       
Pierce, WA...............          20.4         273.9       0.7       107      804       4.8        35 
Snohomish, WA............          17.8         254.2       2.3        27      895       0.2       286 
Spokane, WA..............          15.0         209.4       1.3        70      701       3.4       103 
Thurston, WA.............           6.8         100.9       2.6        20      769       3.8        73 
Whatcom, WA..............           6.9          83.0       2.3        27      683       4.8        35 
Yakima, WA...............           7.7          97.7       3.6         9      587       3.3       112 
Kanawha, WV..............           6.1         106.5      -1.2       272      765       3.7        80 
Brown, WI................           6.7         146.8       0.0       190      787       4.5        46 
Dane, WI.................          14.0         299.3       0.3       154      859       1.9       217 
Milwaukee, WI............          21.0         494.8       0.9        93      893       2.2       199 
                                                                                                       
Outagamie, WI............           5.1         101.8       0.3       154      737       2.6       163 
Racine, WI...............           4.2          74.1      -1.5       283      784       2.9       140 
Waukesha, WI.............          13.3         230.6      -0.8       249      867       0.5       276 
Winnebago, WI............           3.8          89.2       0.9        93      823      -0.1       295 
San Juan, PR.............          13.5         284.1      -2.4       (8)      593       3.1       (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,
first quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
                                                                    Employment         Average weekly  
                                                                                           wage(3)     
                                              Establishments,                                          
                                               first quarter                                           
         County by NAICS supersector                2008                    Percent            Percent 
                                                (thousands)      March      change,  Average   change, 
                                                                  2008       March    weekly    first  
                                                              (thousands) 2007-08(4)   wage    quarter 
                                                                                             2007-08(4)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
United States(5).............................       9,112.7     134,761.1       0.4     $905       2.4 
  Private industry...........................       8,820.9     112,728.2       0.2      913       2.4 
    Natural resources and mining.............         125.3       1,731.8       2.7    1,020      10.5 
    Construction.............................         890.0       7,020.0      -4.1      898       4.8 
    Manufacturing............................         361.3      13,529.8      -2.3    1,079       1.9 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....       1,923.2      26,031.1       0.2      745       1.9 
    Information..............................         144.9       3,013.5      -0.1    1,469       2.3 
    Financial activities.....................         872.4       8,005.6      -1.7    1,898       0.2 
    Professional and business services.......       1,504.2      17,691.9       0.5    1,131       4.2 
    Education and health services............         838.9      17,845.8       3.0      767       3.6 
    Leisure and hospitality..................         731.2      13,112.5       1.3      360       2.9 
    Other services...........................       1,194.1       4,444.1       1.0      547       3.4 
  Government.................................         291.8      22,032.9       1.3      868       2.7 
                                                                                                       
Los Angeles, CA..............................         425.0       4,229.6       0.4      992       2.1 
  Private industry...........................         421.0       3,617.0      -0.1      975       2.1 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5          11.4      -5.0    1,745      13.8 
    Construction.............................          14.0         149.6      -5.5      975       2.6 
    Manufacturing............................          14.8         440.0      -3.4    1,084       5.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          54.2         803.6       0.0      792       1.1 
    Information..............................           8.5         214.6       2.2    1,723       0.5 
    Financial activities.....................          24.4         240.6      -4.3    1,807       0.3 
    Professional and business services.......          42.4         597.5      -1.5    1,165       4.3 
    Education and health services............          27.9         492.5       2.9      848       3.4 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          26.7         397.9       1.2      528       3.5 
    Other services...........................         192.2         250.0       1.3      441       4.8 
  Government.................................           4.0         612.6       3.2    1,088       1.5 
                                                                                                       
Cook, IL.....................................         138.2       2,490.4      -0.5    1,147       2.7 
  Private industry...........................         136.8       2,178.2      -0.5    1,167       2.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.1           1.0     -10.7      919      -6.5 
    Construction.............................          12.1          84.3      -4.9    1,315       9.2 
    Manufacturing............................           7.0         229.4      -3.0    1,062       1.8 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          27.4         465.9      -1.1      838       2.7 
    Information..............................           2.5          57.5       0.4    1,820       0.2 
    Financial activities.....................          15.7         209.6      -2.4    2,905       4.5 
    Professional and business services.......          28.5         431.2      -0.1    1,403       3.2 
    Education and health services............          13.7         373.1       1.9      833       3.3 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          11.5         226.6       1.2      412       1.2 
    Other services...........................          14.2          95.6       0.6      721       2.9 
  Government.................................           1.4         312.2      -0.5    1,006       1.3 
                                                                                                       
New York, NY.................................         118.5       2,376.0       1.7    2,805      -1.0 
  Private industry...........................         118.3       1,923.2       1.9    3,229      -1.4 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.0           0.2      -4.5    2,375      23.3 
    Construction.............................           2.3          36.2       8.9    1,596       8.6 
    Manufacturing............................           3.0          36.0      -6.3    1,499      -4.1 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          21.7         246.4       0.8    1,211       0.8 
    Information..............................           4.4         134.1       0.7    2,698       5.0 
    Financial activities.....................          18.7         377.6       0.7    9,840      -3.7 
    Professional and business services.......          24.7         489.3       1.9    2,343       3.8 
    Education and health services............           8.7         293.1       1.5      989       3.9 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          11.3         213.9       3.7      766       2.7 
    Other services...........................          17.6          87.8       1.8    1,105       7.6 
  Government.................................           0.3         452.8       0.8    1,004       1.7 
                                                                                                       
Harris, TX...................................          96.6       2,046.5       3.4    1,172       3.8 
  Private industry...........................          96.1       1,791.5       3.5    1,212       3.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           1.5          80.0       5.5    3,698      13.5 
    Construction.............................           6.7         157.0       5.4    1,042       3.6 
    Manufacturing............................           4.7         184.1       2.7    1,524       2.8 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          22.2         426.9       3.3    1,068       1.6 
    Information..............................           1.4          32.6       0.0    1,363      -4.0 
    Financial activities.....................          10.6         120.3       0.9    1,701       1.3 
    Professional and business services.......          19.3         337.7       3.6    1,293       4.0 
    Education and health services............          10.2         216.5       4.6      839       3.1 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.5         176.8       3.0      384       2.7 
    Other services...........................          11.4          58.5       1.7      632       5.3 
  Government.................................           0.5         255.0       2.9      893       2.1 
                                                                                                       
Maricopa, AZ.................................         101.7       1,805.2      -1.4      867       1.3 
  Private industry...........................         101.0       1,580.7      -1.9      865       1.1 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           8.7      -4.2      991      22.5 
    Construction.............................          11.0         144.5     -14.2      884       2.4 
    Manufacturing............................           3.6         127.3      -4.6    1,252       5.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          22.4         372.2      -0.1      805      -1.2 
    Information..............................           1.7          30.9       3.5    1,164       0.9 
    Financial activities.....................          13.0         145.0      -4.4    1,238      -0.8 
    Professional and business services.......          22.6         306.8      -1.9      870       1.6 
    Education and health services............           9.9         206.5       4.6      879       3.4 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.3         187.1       0.6      405       0.0 
    Other services...........................           7.2          50.5       1.0      577       4.2 
  Government.................................           0.7         224.5       2.8      880       3.0 
                                                                                                       
Orange, CA...................................         100.1       1,504.9      -1.1    1,019       1.2 
  Private industry...........................          98.7       1,347.3      -1.4    1,001       0.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.2           6.5       0.7      563      -0.2 
    Construction.............................           7.0          94.5      -8.2    1,080       0.7 
    Manufacturing............................           5.3         174.2      -2.2    1,188       3.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          17.5         276.2      -0.4      918      -1.2 
    Information..............................           1.4          29.7      -2.7    1,544      10.9 
    Financial activities.....................          11.0         115.7     -13.6    1,722       (6) 
    Professional and business services.......          19.0         273.9      -1.7    1,124       3.7 
    Education and health services............           9.9         146.8       4.2      863       3.0 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.1         175.1       3.5      397       0.3 
    Other services...........................          15.3          47.9       1.7      560       0.4 
  Government.................................           1.4         157.6       1.5    1,170       3.0 
                                                                                                       
Dallas, TX...................................          67.8       1,489.7       2.0    1,119       2.6 
  Private industry...........................          67.3       1,322.2       1.9    1,145       2.5 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.6           8.0      13.6    3,497      20.2 
    Construction.............................           4.4          84.0       3.7      953       1.6 
    Manufacturing............................           3.1         135.4      -3.3    1,320       1.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          15.1         304.5       1.4    1,003       2.8 
    Information..............................           1.7          49.6       0.3    1,694       5.2 
    Financial activities.....................           8.8         144.1       (6)    1,869       2.2 
    Professional and business services.......          14.7         279.0       3.8    1,236       3.3 
    Education and health services............           6.6         148.6       3.6      891       3.7 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           5.3         128.8       2.6      509      -2.9 
    Other services...........................           6.5          38.9       1.7      625       3.1 
  Government.................................           0.5         167.4       2.6      913       3.4 
                                                                                                       
San Diego, CA................................          97.8       1,327.6       0.0      945       1.9 
  Private industry...........................          96.5       1,098.1      -0.5      936       1.7 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.8          11.3       0.7      534       4.3 
    Construction.............................           7.1          78.0     -12.3      985       3.4 
    Manufacturing............................           3.2         103.1      -0.2    1,316       5.5 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.4         216.1      -1.7      772       3.8 
    Information..............................           1.3          38.2       1.9    1,910      -4.8 
    Financial activities.....................           9.7          76.4      -6.5    1,329      -2.4 
    Professional and business services.......          16.1         217.2      -0.2    1,170       3.5 
    Education and health services............           8.1         135.2       4.1      840       3.1 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.9         160.4       2.0      422       1.7 
    Other services...........................          24.3          55.9       1.4      482       0.6 
  Government.................................           1.3         229.5       2.7      986       2.2 
                                                                                                       
King, WA.....................................          76.8       1,186.2       2.7    1,125       4.2 
  Private industry...........................          76.3       1,030.4       2.9    1,142       4.3 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           3.1       0.4    1,621      -0.5 
    Construction.............................           6.9          71.3       4.9    1,086       6.7 
    Manufacturing............................           2.5         112.5       1.4    1,443       4.9 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          15.1         220.2       2.1      958       1.9 
    Information..............................           1.8          77.8       5.2    2,144      12.8 
    Financial activities.....................           7.1          76.1       0.3    1,651      -1.8 
    Professional and business services.......          13.7         189.6       3.3    1,306       3.7 
    Education and health services............           6.5         124.4       4.2      837       5.5 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.2         110.0       3.6      447      -1.1 
    Other services...........................          16.2          45.4       0.6      599       7.7 
  Government.................................           0.5         155.8       1.5    1,010       3.0 
                                                                                                       
Miami-Dade, FL...............................          88.2       1,029.9      -1.0      871       1.5 
  Private industry...........................          87.8         876.6      -1.2      837       1.2 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5          10.8      -6.5      465      -1.5 
    Construction.............................           6.5          50.9     -11.4      812       1.0 
    Manufacturing............................           2.7          46.0      -6.3      774       2.1 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          23.5         253.7      -0.2      777       1.0 
    Information..............................           1.6          20.1      -3.6    1,354      -3.2 
    Financial activities.....................          10.6          70.5      -3.0    1,483       4.0 
    Professional and business services.......          17.9         135.6      -4.1      992       0.7 
    Education and health services............           9.4         141.7       3.9      796       3.2 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           5.9         107.0       0.1      506       1.8 
    Other services...........................           7.6          37.2       2.5      526       1.3 
  Government.................................           0.4         153.3       0.2    1,062       2.5 

(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, first quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                Employment         Average weekly  
                                                                       wage(4)     
                          Establishments,                                          
                           first quarter                                           
        County(3)               2008                    Percent            Percent 
                            (thousands)      March      change,  Average   change, 
                                              2008       March    weekly    first  
                                          (thousands) 2007-08(5)   wage    quarter 
                                                                         2007-08(5)
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
United States(6).........       9,112.7     134,761.1       0.4     $905       2.4 
                                                                                   
Jefferson, AL............          19.0         359.3      -1.3      914       4.0 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           8.1         144.4       0.6      916       4.7 
Maricopa, AZ.............         101.7       1,805.2      -1.4      867       1.3 
Pulaski, AR..............          14.8         250.4       0.9      791       4.8 
Los Angeles, CA..........         425.0       4,229.6       0.4      992       2.1 
Denver, CO...............          25.7         445.9       1.6    1,166       4.2 
Hartford, CT.............          25.5         503.7       1.2    1,188       0.3 
New Castle, DE...........          18.4         279.9      -0.2    1,130      -0.2 
Washington, DC...........          32.5         680.8       1.1    1,488       4.3 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          88.2       1,029.9      -1.0      871       1.5 
                                                                                   
Fulton, GA...............          39.4         749.3       0.6    1,268       0.1 
Honolulu, HI.............          24.6         452.8       0.0      800       3.6 
Ada, ID..................          15.3         209.2      -0.5      746      -2.4 
Cook, IL.................         138.2       2,490.4      -0.5    1,147       2.7 
Marion, IN...............          24.2         575.0       0.3      953       2.5 
Polk, IA.................          14.8         271.7       1.6      905       2.3 
Johnson, KS..............          20.2         316.7       1.5      938       2.9 
Jefferson, KY............          22.7         426.6       0.3      849       0.7 
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          14.1         265.1       1.4      814       4.9 
Cumberland, ME...........          12.4         169.6       0.7      824       5.0 
                                                                                   
Montgomery, MD...........          33.0         455.7      -0.4    1,238       2.1 
Middlesex, MA............          47.5         814.4       1.3    1,285       3.0 
Wayne, MI................          32.1         724.6      -3.1    1,013       1.7 
Hennepin, MN.............          42.9         837.2       0.4    1,188       5.2 
Hinds, MS................           6.4         127.3      -0.1      755       0.8 
St. Louis, MO............          32.8         600.2      -1.1      953       5.4 
Yellowstone, MT..........           5.7          77.1       2.0      695       3.4 
Douglas, NE..............          15.7         317.4       2.0      814       2.6 
Clark, NV................          50.2         917.5      -0.6      854       5.3 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.3         195.0       0.0      982       6.3 
                                                                                   
Bergen, NJ...............          35.1         447.7       0.1    1,150       4.0 
Bernalillo, NM...........          17.6         331.4      -0.2      758       3.7 
New York, NY.............         118.5       2,376.0       1.7    2,805      -1.0 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          32.8         571.2       2.1    1,181      -3.4 
Cass, ND.................           5.8          98.1       3.8      715       5.6 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          37.8         725.6      -1.7      907      -0.4 
Oklahoma, OK.............          23.8         424.9       1.3      788       5.2 
Multnomah, OR............          28.3         449.5       1.7      885       2.4 
Allegheny, PA............          35.4         677.2       0.3      952       0.5 
Providence, RI...........          18.1         279.3      -2.2      896       4.2 
                                                                                   
Greenville, SC...........          12.5         240.6       0.9      733       2.9 
Minnehaha, SD............           6.3         114.6       2.5      736       4.5 
Shelby, TN...............          20.2         502.6      -0.2      883       5.1 
Harris, TX...............          96.6       2,046.5       3.4    1,172       3.8 
Salt Lake, UT............          38.2         587.6       1.9      811       3.0 
Chittenden, VT...........           5.9          93.5      -0.5      896       6.0 
Fairfax, VA..............          33.2         585.0       0.8    1,376       0.4 
King, WA.................          76.8       1,186.2       2.7    1,125       4.2 
Kanawha, WV..............           6.1         106.5      -1.2      765       3.7 
Milwaukee, WI............          21.0         494.8       0.9      893       2.2 
                                                                                   
Laramie, WY..............           3.2          43.1       2.6      704       4.5 
                                                                                   
San Juan, PR.............          13.5         284.1      -2.4      593       3.1 
St. Thomas, VI...........           1.8          24.1       3.1      637      -2.5 

(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, 
first quarter 2008(2)
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
                                                Employment        Average weekly 
                                                                      wage(3)    
                          Establishments,                                        
                           first quarter                                         
          State                 2008                    Percent           Percent
                            (thousands)      March      change,  Average  change,
                                              2008       March    weekly   first 
                                          (thousands)   2007-08    wage   quarter
                                                                          2007-08
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
United States(4).........       9,112.7     134,761.1       0.4     $905      2.4
                                                                                 
Alabama..................         121.7       1,947.0      -0.2      740      3.2
Alaska...................          21.1         303.0       1.0      866      4.2
Arizona..................         162.7       2,639.7      -1.3      820      2.4
Arkansas.................          85.2       1,178.4      -0.1      667      4.1
California...............       1,345.1      15,561.5       0.1    1,008      2.1
Colorado.................         178.2       2,300.0       1.7      920      3.6
Connecticut..............         113.2       1,683.9       1.2    1,254     -0.6
Delaware.................          29.0         418.4       0.5      987      0.1
District of Columbia.....          32.5         680.8       1.1    1,488      4.3
Florida..................         631.0       7,918.6      -2.2      777      1.8
                                                                                 
Georgia..................         276.4       4,060.9       0.1      847      1.3
Hawaii...................          39.0         628.1       0.2      773      3.5
Idaho....................          57.6         645.3       0.2      635      0.3
Illinois.................         365.0       5,796.1       0.1      980      2.6
Indiana..................         160.1       2,858.7      -0.7      757      2.4
Iowa.....................          94.2       1,469.8       0.9      710      3.6
Kansas...................          86.0       1,363.2       1.0      737      2.4
Kentucky.................         112.9       1,794.0       0.1      714      2.4
Louisiana................         121.7       1,887.3       1.3      765      4.8
Maine....................          50.8         584.1       0.5      701      3.5
                                                                                 
Maryland.................         164.8       2,530.3       0.0      963      2.8
Massachusetts............         212.7       3,203.1       0.9    1,143      3.3
Michigan.................         259.1       4,058.8      -1.8      857      0.9
Minnesota................         173.5       2,644.8       0.6      908      4.0
Mississippi..............          71.0       1,138.2       0.8      634      3.3
Missouri.................         175.2       2,708.0       0.0      768      3.5
Montana..................          42.9         432.4       0.9      625      4.3
Nebraska.................          59.1         912.2       1.4      687      3.2
Nevada...................          76.7       1,266.3      -1.2      839      4.7
New Hampshire............          48.9         621.2       0.3      863      3.4
                                                                                 
New Jersey...............         276.3       3,939.9       0.5    1,133      3.3
New Mexico...............          54.5         823.8       0.6      717      4.7
New York.................         582.3       8,555.0       1.3    1,399      0.1
North Carolina...........         258.4       4,069.1       0.9      788      1.3
North Dakota.............          25.4         343.3       2.6      652      6.2
Ohio.....................         294.4       5,189.1      -1.0      798      1.0
Oklahoma.................         100.4       1,560.0       1.6      707      4.7
Oregon...................         133.8       1,713.1       0.3      776      2.9
Pennsylvania.............         341.5       5,608.8       0.5      869      2.4
Rhode Island.............          35.9         464.8      -1.5      851      2.3
                                                                                 
South Carolina...........         117.4       1,888.3       0.1      695      2.8
South Dakota.............          30.3         389.4       2.0      632      5.2
Tennessee................         143.4       2,746.4       0.6      761      3.3
Texas....................         558.7      10,420.8       2.8      903      3.6
Utah.....................          86.7       1,220.2       1.4      718      3.2
Vermont..................          24.8         300.8      -0.3      735      4.4
Virginia.................         229.2       3,653.5       0.2      918      2.0
Washington...............         218.9       2,928.6       2.1      899      3.7
West Virginia............          48.8         700.3       0.3      679      4.0
Wisconsin................         159.7       2,734.3       0.2      760      2.2
                                                                                 
Wyoming..................          24.8         277.2       2.9      779      6.7
                                                                                 
Puerto Rico..............          57.1       1,004.5      -1.6      489      2.7
Virgin Islands...........           3.5          46.5       1.1      708      3.4

(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: November 04, 2008