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News Release Information

14-660-CHI
Thursday, April 24, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in North Dakota – Third Quarter 2013

North Dakota’s only large county, Cass, reported an average weekly wage of $861 in the third quarter of 2013, 4.0 percent higher than one year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2012 preliminary annual averages of employment.) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 1.9 percent over the year to $922 in the third quarter of 2013. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that though Cass County’s wages were below the U.S. average, ten of the state’s smaller counties, those with employment below 75,000, reported wages above that for the nation. (See tables 1 and 2.)

Employment in Cass County increased 2.7 percent from September 2012 to September 2013. Cass County’s employment level of 111,300 accounted for 25.5 percent of total employment within the state. Nationally, employment rose 1.7 percent during this 12-month period, as 286 of the 334 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 52 smaller counties in North Dakota. Average weekly wages varied widely across the state, with nine having wages above $1,000 and two reporting wages under $550. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Cass County’s 4.0-percent wage growth from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013 ranked 17th nationally. (See table 1.) Among the 334 largest U.S. counties, 291 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest increase with a gain of 9.9 percent. Dane, Wis., was second with wage growth of 9.3 percent, followed by Collier, Fla. (8.0 percent). Wage decreases were recorded in 40 large counties nationwide; Pinellas, Fla., experienced the largest over-the-year wage loss at 4.3 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Cass County’s $861 average wage placed in the top half among the 334 large counties, ranking 164th. Nationally, weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average in 101 of the largest counties in the country. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,868. San Mateo, Calif., was second at $1,698, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,667), Washington, D.C. ($1,560), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,549).

Of the largest counties in the United States, 232, or more than two-thirds, reported average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2013. The lowest wage was reported in Horry, S.C., at $564 per week. Pasco, Fla. ($635), joined the Texas counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, and Webb among the bottom five.

Average weekly wages in North Dakota's smaller counties

Forty-two of the 52 counties in North Dakota with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $922. Ten small counties had above-average wages, all located in the western portion of the state. The highest wage was reported in Williams County at $1,493, followed by McKenzie ($1,386) and Slope ($1,362). Logan County reported the lowest wage in the state, averaging $500 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

When all 53 counties in North Dakota were considered, 2 reported average weekly wages under $550, 13 had wages from $550 to $649, 18 reported wages from $650 to $749, 4 reported wages from $750 to $849, and 16 had wages of $850 or more. (See chart 1.)

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. The 2012 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2013 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2012 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2012/home.htm. The 2013 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available later in September 2014.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Changes to QCEW Data Files

BLS discontinued its ftp service on February 28, 2014. As part of this transition, the QCEW data file collection was substantially reorganized and improved. For more information seewww.bls.gov/cew/about-data/data-files-guide.htm.


Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The 9.3 million employer reports cover 135.0 million full- and part-time workers. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised (see Technical Note below) and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

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

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

Table 1. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and the largest county in North Dakota, third quarter 2013 (2)
Area Employment Average weekly wage (3)
September 2013 (thousands) Percent change, September 2012-13 (4) National ranking by percent change (5) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (5) Percent change, third quarter 2012-13 (4) National ranking by percent change (5)

United States (6)

134,957.5 1.7 -- $922 -- 1.9 --

North Dakota

436.7 3.4 -- 921 16 5.5 1

Cass, N.D.

111.3 2.7 68 861 164 4.0 17

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(5) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(6) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

Table 2. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in North Dakota, third quarter 2013 (2)
Area Employment September 2013 Average weekly wage (3)

United States (4)

134,957,493 $922

North Dakota

436,708 921

Adams

984 670

Barnes

5,034 652

Benson

2,203 724

Billings

745 687

Bottineau

2,725 778

Bowman

1,957 891

Burke

1,037 1,092

Burleigh

56,756 862

Cass

111,299 861

Cavalier

1,530 733

Dickey

2,136 617

Divide

1,033 933

Dunn

3,256 1,331

Eddy

768 601

Emmons

993 587

Foster

1,648 698

Golden Valley

729 683

Grand Forks

40,667 763

Grant

594 593

Griggs

1,014 626

Hettinger

724 653

Kidder

671 623

LaMoure

1,444 642

Logan

634 500

McHenry

1,390 726

McIntosh

1,147 560

McKenzie

9,915 1,386

McLean

3,657 854

Mercer

5,030 1,155

Morton

10,855 766

Mountrail

7,407 1,255

Nelson

1,122 590

Oliver

835 1,265

Pembina

3,975 785

Pierce

1,780 688

Ramsey

5,941 704

Ransom

2,151 588

Renville

854 919

Richland

8,086 711

Rolette

4,530 616

Sargent

2,716 699

Sheridan

263 505

Sioux

1,720 731

Slope

260 1,362

Stark

22,011 1,173

Steele

637 734

Stutsman

11,245 715

Towner

796 598

Traill

3,497 696

Walsh

5,610 660

Ward

36,322 910

Wells

1,706 552

Williams

38,788 1,493

Footnotes
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

 

Table 3. Covered (1) employment and wages by state, third quarter 2013 (2)
State Employment Average weekly wage (3)
September 2013 (thousands) Percent change, September 2012-13 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, third quarter 2012-13 National ranking by percent change

United States (4)

134,957.5 1.7 $922 -- 1.9 --

Alabama

1,847.6 0.8 794 34 1.3 43

Alaska

345.0 0.4 990 9 3.0 7

Arizona

2,490.9 2.2 859 22 1.5 36

Arkansas

1,156.5 0.1 723 47 2.1 21

California

15,526.4 2.7 1,057 6 2.1 21

Colorado

2,355.7 3.1 952 12 1.7 31

Connecticut

1,650.3 0.7 1,109 3 1.9 28

Delaware

416.8 2.1 941 14 2.1 21

District of Columbia

726.2 1.5 1,560 1 3.0 7

Florida

7,501.8 2.6 808 31 1.1 46

Georgia

3,928.2 2.3 867 21 1.5 36

Hawaii

617.7 1.7 839 25 1.6 33

Idaho

644.7 2.3 703 50 2.3 19

Illinois

5,731.7 0.7 959 11 1.5 36

Indiana

2,883.6 1.2 784 38 1.6 33

Iowa

1,512.0 1.5 772 40 2.1 21

Kansas

1,347.6 1.8 776 39 2.0 26

Kentucky

1,794.5 1.0 760 43 1.1 46

Louisiana

1,893.4 1.4 827 28 2.9 10

Maine

601.5 0.7 735 46 1.8 30

Maryland

2,546.4 0.6 1,011 8 0.4 51

Massachusetts

3,318.3 1.2 1,131 2 2.6 11

Michigan

4,069.7 2.1 875 20 1.5 36

Minnesota

2,724.2 1.7 938 15 2.6 11

Mississippi

1,099.1 0.8 688 51 2.5 15

Missouri

2,661.0 1.3 805 32 1.4 40

Montana

446.7 1.2 705 49 2.3 19

Nebraska

937.5 1.3 766 41 3.4 3

Nevada

1,169.4 2.5 836 27 2.0 26

New Hampshire

624.5 0.6 895 18 2.4 17

New Jersey

3,851.9 1.2 1,068 5 1.3 43

New Mexico

793.7 0.5 766 41 0.7 49

New York

8,724.8 1.3 1,108 4 1.7 31

North Carolina

4,006.4 1.7 817 30 1.4 40

North Dakota

436.7 3.4 921 16 5.5 1

Ohio

5,147.5 1.4 837 26 1.2 45

Oklahoma

1,572.6 1.4 797 33 2.4 17

Oregon

1,709.8 2.4 856 23 2.6 11

Pennsylvania

5,622.4 0.3 913 17 1.6 33

Rhode Island

465.2 1.3 878 19 2.6 11

South Carolina

1,859.3 2.3 751 44 1.9 28

South Dakota

408.9 0.9 706 48 3.4 3

Tennessee

2,712.8 1.5 819 29 0.6 50

Texas

11,091.9 2.8 952 12 2.5 15

Utah

1,265.5 2.9 791 36 3.1 6

Vermont

302.5 0.0 788 37 3.4 3

Virginia

3,650.1 0.6 971 10 1.1 46

Washington

3,017.9 2.4 1,044 7 2.1 21

West Virginia

710.3 -0.7 751 44 3.7 2

Wisconsin

2,752.7 1.1 793 35 3.0 7

Wyoming

286.1 0.2 840 24 1.4 40

Puerto Rico

910.9 -2.5 501 (5) -0.6 (5)

Virgin Islands

37.9 -1.9 706 (5) -0.6 (5)

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) Data not included in the national ranking.
 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in North Dakota, second quarter 2013

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 24, 2014