Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

23-585-PHI
Thursday, March 23, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

County Employment and Wages in New Jersey — Third Quarter 2022

Employment rose in all 15 large counties in New Jersey from September 2021 to September 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall-Bovee noted that Gloucester County and Essex County had the largest over-the-year increases in employment at 6.5 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 4.3 percent over the year, with 346 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orleans, LA, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 10.7 percent. Deschutes, OR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.4 percent.

Among the 15 largest counties in New Jersey, employment was highest in Bergen County (433,500) in September 2022. Within Bergen County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the 15 largest New Jersey counties accounted for 89.1 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 6 counties in New Jersey with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 5 of the 6 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All 15 large New Jersey counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Three counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 6.7 percent. Mercer County had the largest gain (+9.9 percent), followed by Essex County (+7.3 percent) and Ocean County (+7.2 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among New Jersey’s other 12 large counties ranged from 6.2 percent to 1.7 percent.

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 345 had over-the-year wage increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.9 percent). San Mateo, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-19.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in 8 of the 15 largest counties in New Jersey were above the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in five of these counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Somerset ($1,777, 13th), Morris ($1,754, 14th), Hudson ($1,644, 24th), Mercer ($1,593, 27th), and Essex ($1,576, 29th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2022. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,061. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $812 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in New Jersey’s smaller counties

Among the 6 smaller counties in New Jersey—those with employment below 75,000—Hunterdon ($1,341) reported an average weekly wage above the national average. Cape May County ($869) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 21 counties in New Jersey were considered, 6 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,100, 6 registered wages from $1,100 to $1,299, 4 had wages from $1,300 to $1,499, and 5 had average weekly wages of $1,500 or higher. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit 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 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.


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.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

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 15 largest counties in New Jersey, third quarter 2022
AreaEstablishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Third quarter
2022
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
third quarter
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,608.9151,239.64.3--$1,334--6.7--

New Jersey

320.94,176.55.0--1,46175.644

Atlantic

7.1126.54.11091,0752845.8273

Bergen

36.1433.54.4961,436593.8324

Burlington

12.3203.42.22721,2821192.7336

Camden

13.7204.94.5861,2281634.9306

Essex

23.5337.56.2241,576297.3189

Gloucester

7.2122.26.5181,0682895.4292

Hudson

18.6270.35.3521,644246.1258

Mercer

12.1261.72.62381,593279.950

Middlesex

25.1431.33.71441,446563.4328

Monmouth

21.9267.14.01181,2651316.2253

Morris

18.2295.52.92131,754144.5315

Ocean

15.5181.95.3521,0423087.2196

Passaic

14.6167.85.4451,1652031.7342

Somerset

11.0189.24.21031,777133.4328

Union

16.4227.03.11941,457544.0322

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 New Jersey, third quarter 2022
AreaEstablishmentsEmployment September 2022Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,608,876151,239,638$1,334

New Jersey

320,9044,176,4561,461

Atlantic

7,139126,4811,075

Bergen

36,065433,4531,436

Burlington

12,347203,4271,282

Camden

13,660204,8511,228

Cape May

4,05646,253869

Cumberland

3,61761,3131,048

Essex

23,509337,5221,576

Gloucester

7,228122,1801,068

Hudson

18,610270,2731,644

Hunterdon

4,16244,7211,341

Mercer

12,094261,6621,593

Middlesex

25,107431,2631,446

Monmouth

21,904267,1471,265

Morris

18,211295,5081,754

Ocean

15,513181,9401,042

Passaic

14,580167,7661,165

Salem

1,43621,6171,211

Somerset

10,995189,2051,777

Sussex

3,62437,3591,045

Union

16,418227,0321,457

Warren

2,88032,0221,109

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 2022
StateEstablishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2021–22
Third quarter
2022
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
third quarter
2021–22
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,608.9151,239.64.3$1,334--6.7--

Alabama

150.12,031.63.21,120359.19

Alaska

24.9325.22.51,304158.229

Arizona

205.43,080.63.91,251207.736

Arkansas

100.11,262.14.41,036507.538

California

1,741.318,051.14.91,60151.550

Colorado

247.12,813.93.31,43288.522

Connecticut

140.61,652.82.81,49166.542

Delaware

39.7465.75.11,292188.425

District of Columbia

49.0756.62.72,13414.548

Florida

860.69,417.25.61,220239.011

Georgia

378.44,726.45.11,255198.522

Hawaii

52.8623.24.51,208245.146

Idaho

86.7834.73.81,0634511.51

Illinois

410.95,982.23.91,361126.940

Indiana

188.33,140.63.91,123348.619

Iowa

111.11,541.11.91,1183610.13

Kansas

95.61,401.33.71,085418.815

Kentucky

142.91,941.53.81,082439.46

Louisiana

150.71,866.34.51,103398.229

Maine

62.2637.72.51,117378.425

Maryland

188.32,669.12.51,41897.932

Massachusetts

292.63,628.83.61,65133.649

Michigan

296.04,334.03.51,236217.239

Minnesota

201.62,880.93.41,346137.932

Mississippi

81.51,151.82.4933518.717

Missouri

236.92,849.23.21,149318.914

Montana

61.2505.53.91,0594610.04

Nebraska

80.5989.22.41,117379.95

Nevada

107.01,496.17.51,205266.243

New Hampshire

63.8677.33.41,365111.251

New Jersey

320.94,176.55.01,46175.644

New Mexico

70.9838.13.51,087409.19

New York

683.29,355.04.81,60844.847

North Carolina

348.94,737.54.91,207258.522

North Dakota

34.5419.82.91,1902810.72

Ohio

328.95,402.72.91,187298.131

Oklahoma

123.91,646.63.81,047488.619

Oregon

179.51,932.61.11,301166.641

Pennsylvania

390.75,913.73.81,296177.637

Rhode Island

46.5487.33.11,225228.327

South Carolina

166.62,200.94.71,079449.46

South Dakota

39.1448.52.91,052479.011

Tennessee

204.03,202.45.11,198277.932

Texas

805.513,371.15.91,333148.619

Utah

134.11,663.94.41,186309.011

Vermont

30.8300.62.41,142327.932

Virginia

330.13,979.43.41,380109.38

Washington

235.33,572.94.41,65725.245

West Virginia

56.8678.81.91,042498.327

Wisconsin

200.72,899.12.81,140338.717

Wyoming

29.9278.22.31,083428.815

Puerto Rico

50.0924.63.9616(3)8.5(3)

Virgin Islands

3.734.3-1.01,030(3)9.2(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.

Chart 3. Average weekly wages by county in New Jersey, third quarter 2022

U.S. average= $1,334

 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023