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News Release Information

22-636-PHI
Friday, April 08, 2022

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

County Employment and Wages in West Virginia – Third Quarter 2021

Employment rose in West Virginia’s only large county from September 2020 to September 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that employment in Kanawha County increased 1.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

National employment increased 4.4 percent over the year, with 332 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Honolulu, HI, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 13.3 percent. Jefferson, LA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 3.2 percent.

Employment in Kanawha County was at 91,300 in September 2021. Within Kanawha County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Kanawha County accounted for 13.7 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.3 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 54 counties in West Virginia with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of the smaller counties were below the national average of $1,251 in the third quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages in Kanawha County increased 4.8 percent from the third quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2021, below the national rate of 6.7 percent.   

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 333 had over-the-year wage increases. San Mateo, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+27.2 percent). Union, NJ, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-1.2 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in Kanawha County, at $1,038, were above the national average of $1,251 in the third quarter of 2021. Average weekly wages in the county ranked 242nd among the 343 largest counties.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 85 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2021. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,710. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 258 counties. At $756 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in West Virginia's smaller counties

Among the 54 smaller counties in West Virginia—those with employment below 75,000—Monongalia County ($1,147) and Marshall County ($1,124) reported the highest weekly wages in the state. Clay County ($518) and Pendleton County ($586) reported the lowest average weekly wages in the state.

When all 55 counties in West Virginia were considered, 6 reported average weekly wages of less than $700, 12 had wages from $700 to $799, 16 registered wages from $800 to $899, 13 had wages from $900 to $999, and 8 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher.

Additional statistics and other information

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

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.


Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/cew. However, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

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

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the largest county in West Virginia, third quarter 2021
AreaEstablishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2021
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2020–21 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Third quarter
2021
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
third quarter
2020–21 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,021.4144,863.94.4--$1,251--6.7--

West Virginia

53.6664.22.7--960495.042

Kanawha

5.791.31.62901,0382424.8216

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in West Virginia, third quarter 2021
AreaEstablishmentsEmployment September 2021Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,021,414144,863,915$1,251

West Virginia

53,563664,189960

Barbour

3243,763888

Berkeley

2,20936,385944

Boone

3854,384878

Braxton

3473,544729

Brooke

4957,169883

Cabell

2,76650,205956

Calhoun

1401,182954

Clay

1561,325518

Doddridge

1211,4761,013

Fayette

1,00510,290745

Gilmer

1561,750810

Grant

3013,281837

Greenbrier

1,18311,951781

Hampshire

4593,786666

Hancock

6668,686845

Hardy

3565,461769

Harrison

2,08335,0581,055

Jackson

6187,8321,011

Jefferson

1,25815,2761,018

Kanawha

5,68391,2521,038

Lewis

4895,205906

Lincoln

2812,246647

Logan

8559,690926

McDowell

3493,941921

Marion

1,39916,580870

Marshall

57610,1411,124

Mason

4105,599914

Mercer

1,43017,884821

Mineral

5368,008850

Mingo

5083,969728

Monongalia

2,84156,3181,147

Monroe

2531,868810

Morgan

2802,899666

Nicholas

7546,815779

Ohio

1,44626,709929

Pendleton

2031,520586

Pleasants

1792,369976

Pocahontas

2922,957671

Preston

7207,254849

Putnam

1,49019,7041,036

Raleigh

2,22030,334893

Randolph

85810,508776

Ritchie

2443,057871

Roane

3132,860784

Summers

2262,238707

Taylor

2913,133906

Tucker

2372,550737

Tyler

1461,751959

Upshur

7267,264807

Wayne

5917,878925

Webster

2151,547702

Wetzel

4044,344771

Wirt

95936880

Wood

2,20633,718910

Wyoming

4204,532843

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2021
StateEstablishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2021
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2020–21
Third quarter
2021
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
third quarter
2020–21
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,021.4144,863.94.4$1,251--6.7--

Alabama

139.81,955.32.61,030365.337

Alaska

24.0316.94.61,205163.450

Arizona

184.52,926.34.61,167197.013

Arkansas

97.41,212.92.9963477.86

California

1,679.617,208.76.61,57647.78

Colorado

231.82,723.44.81,32297.013

Connecticut

132.01,605.12.91,40165.731

Delaware

35.9439.72.11,198184.445

District of Columbia

45.4736.13.12,04214.146

Florida

808.48,910.97.01,120258.73

Georgia

343.94,491.44.91,158206.817

Hawaii

49.2592.816.61,150223.351

Idaho

79.2804.05.3953507.86

Illinois

398.45,751.23.31,274116.322

Indiana

178.93,020.62.61,032347.410

Iowa

106.81,509.62.21,015394.943

Kansas

92.11,349.31.7997404.744

Kentucky

134.31,869.03.4989435.828

Louisiana

144.21,772.71.71,021375.436

Maine

58.5619.93.61,031356.718

Maryland

178.12,604.63.91,314103.549

Massachusetts

281.43,501.05.51,59327.013

Michigan

271.34,181.43.61,154215.337

Minnesota

186.92,780.52.71,249136.124

Mississippi

77.31,122.22.6859516.322

Missouri

223.92,760.32.91,055316.026

Montana

57.0487.54.4963476.521

Nebraska

75.6964.61.41,017385.535

Nevada

96.01,389.510.81,135238.35

New Hampshire

60.0654.63.31,349815.01

New Jersey

304.13,977.25.11,38474.146

New Mexico

64.8806.24.2997405.632

New York

671.28,922.44.41,53456.124

North Carolina

318.44,516.44.51,112267.111

North Dakota

33.0407.22.21,076305.140

Ohio

315.75,248.02.21,098285.632

Oklahoma

116.41,576.61.8966455.632

Oregon

171.21,909.53.71,220159.62

Pennsylvania

375.45,685.43.21,205165.828

Rhode Island

43.2474.14.81,131243.648

South Carolina

152.92,086.02.8988446.916

South Dakota

37.0435.63.1965465.140

Tennessee

187.73,044.14.21,111278.73

Texas

770.012,613.15.61,227146.718

Utah

123.11,594.75.01,087297.111

Vermont

28.1293.52.71,055315.828

Virginia

299.23,845.32.91,264125.337

Washington

266.63,415.24.41,57836.620

West Virginia

53.6664.22.7960495.042

Wisconsin

189.52,815.92.31,049337.59

Wyoming

28.7271.12.5995426.026

Puerto Rico

47.9887.96.5568(3)4.0(3)

Virgin Islands

3.634.51.9956(3)-5.4(3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, April 08, 2022