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News Release Information

16-456-CHI
Thursday, April 07, 2016

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

County Employment and Wages in Wisconsin — Third Quarter 2015

Five of the six large counties in Wisconsin had employment increases from September 2014 to September 2015, 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 2014 annual average employment.) Dane County had the largest increase, up 1.8 percent, followed by Outagamie and Waukesha Counties, up 1.3 percent each. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the employment gains in the state’s five large counties were less than the national increase of 1.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Among the six large counties in Wisconsin, employment was highest in Milwaukee (484,900) in September 2015, followed by Dane (322,800), and Waukesha (237,000). Each of the three other counties—Brown, Outagamie, and Winnebago—had employment levels of less than 153,000. Collectively, Wisconsin's six large counties accounted for 49.5 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made up 72.2 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Dane County rose 4.6 percent from the third quarter of 2014 to the third quarter of 2015, the largest increase among Wisconsin's large counties, followed by Brown and Waukesha Counties at 3.8 percent each. Waukesha County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $953, followed by Dane County at $938 and Milwaukee County at $925. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.6 percent over the year to $974 in the third quarter of 2015.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 66 counties in Wisconsin with employment below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All of Wisconsin’s large counties recorded wage gains greater than the national increase of 2.6 percent from the third quarter of 2014 to the third quarter of 2015. (See table 1.) As noted, Dane County had the state’s largest average weekly wage increase, up 4.6 percent, and ranked 24th among the 342 largest U.S. counties. The over-the-year wage gains in Brown and Waukesha Counties, at 3.8 percent each, ranked 53rd nationally. The three remaining counties had average weekly wage increases ranging from 3.3 to 2.8 percent, ranking in the top-half nationwide.

Nationally, 319 of the 342 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Rockland, N.Y., had the largest wage gain, up 24.9 percent from the third quarter of 2014. Lake, Ill., was second with a wage increase of 11.7 percent, followed by Onondaga, N.Y. (6.5 percent); Washington, Ore. (6.4 percent); and Marin, Calif.; and Santa Cruz, Calif. (6.1 percent each).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 20 experienced over-the-year wage decreases. Midland, Texas, had the largest wage decrease with a loss of 6.7 percent. Ector, Texas, had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 4.9 percent from the third quarter 2014, followed by Lafayette, La. (-3.2 percent); Stark, Ohio (-2.1 percent); and Gregg, Texas (-1.5 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Wisconsin’s six largest counties were below the national average of $974 in the third quarter of 2015. As noted, Waukesha County ($953) had the highest average weekly wage in the state, ranking 114th among the 342 largest U.S. counties, followed by Dane ($938) and Milwaukee ($925) which placed 126th and 147th, respectively. The state’s remaining large counties had average weekly wages that placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($974) in 100 of the 342 largest counties in the third quarter of 2015. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $2,090, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,894); New York, N.Y. ($1,829); San Francisco, Calif. ($1,712); and Washington, D.C. ($1,667).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 242 had weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2015. Horry County, S.C. ($598), reported the lowest wage, followed by Cameron, Texas ($615); Hidalgo, Texas ($624); Webb, Texas ($658); and Marion, Fla. ($658).

Average weekly wages in Wisconsin’s smaller counties

Of the 66 counties in Wisconsin with employment below 75,000, Racine County had the highest average weekly wage at $846. Florence County had the lowest weekly wage at $490, followed by Bayfield at $525. (See table 2.)

When all 72 counties in Wisconsin were considered, 22 reported average weekly wages of $649 or lower, 29 had wages from $650 to $749, 16 had wages from $750 to $849, and 5 had wages from $850 or higher. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

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

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2014 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 2015 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2014 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2014/home.htm. The 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2016.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 8, 2016.


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 9.6 million employer reports cover 140.4 million full- and part-time workers. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

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

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

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8342.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 6 largest counties in Wisconsin, third quarter 2015
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2015 (thousands) Percent change, September 2014-15 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, third quarter 2014-15 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

140,442.2 1.9 -- $974 -- 2.6 --

Wisconsin

2,815.7 0.9 -- 834 33 3.5 5

Brown, Wis.

152.3 1.0 231 856 208 3.8 53

Dane, Wis.

322.8 1.8 172 938 126 4.6 24

Milwaukee, Wis.

484.9 0.0 313 925 147 2.8 138

Outagamie, Wis.

105.4 1.3 217 835 232 3.3 82

Waukesha, Wis.

237.0 1.3 217 953 114 3.8 53

Winnebago, Wis.

90.6 0.7 266 888 177 3.1 104

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly 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 employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Wisconsin, third quarter 2015
Area Employment September 2015 Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

140,442,224 $974

  Wisconsin

2,815,728 834

    Adams

4,728 639

    Ashland

8,118 679

    Barron

21,950 672

    Bayfield

4,324 525

    Brown

152,348 856

    Buffalo

3,752 660

    Burnett

4,734 575

    Calumet

13,472 695

    Chippewa

24,628 712

    Clark

10,944 657

    Columbia

21,953 710

    Crawford

7,621 622

    Dane

322,755 938

    Dodge

35,024 784

    Door

14,863 591

    Douglas

15,702 715

    Dunn

17,020 725

    Eau Claire

56,651 780

    Florence

979 490

    Fond du Lac

46,708 807

    Forest

3,155 653

    Grant

17,610 647

    Green

15,794 680

    Green Lake

6,649 755

    Iowa

10,477 708

    Iron

1,653 575

    Jackson

8,797 741

    Jefferson

32,808 710

    Juneau

9,195 692

    Kenosha

61,215 758

    Kewaunee

6,967 690

    La Crosse

68,286 760

    Lafayette

3,913 620

    Langlade

7,471 630

    Lincoln

10,854 721

    Manitowoc

33,645 756

    Marathon

70,152 816

    Marinette

19,096 740

    Marquette

3,800 587

    Menominee

2,091 636

    Milwaukee

484,924 925

    Monroe

19,915 738

    Oconto

9,104 585

    Oneida

16,967 704

    Outagamie

105,400 835

    Ozaukee

42,076 808

    Pepin

2,303 667

    Pierce

9,976 617

    Polk

16,103 662

    Portage

34,148 756

    Price

5,702 696

    Racine

73,921 846

    Richland

5,984 647

    Rock

64,818 780

    Rusk

5,145 619

    St. Croix

33,274 714

    Sauk

37,444 675

    Sawyer

6,839 611

    Shawano

12,665 595

    Sheboygan

59,515 813

    Taylor

7,871 679

    Trempealeau

14,486 714

    Vernon

8,831 611

    Vilas

8,163 573

    Walworth

40,725 667

    Washburn

5,970 609

    Washington

53,808 802

    Waukesha

237,042 953

    Waupaca

20,219 661

    Waushara

6,291 596

    Winnebago

90,598 888

    Wood

37,206 785

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. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
 

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2015
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2015 (thousands) Percent change, September 2014-15 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, third quarter 2014-15 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

140,442.2 1.9 $974 -- 2.6 --

Alabama

1,893.6 1.2 830 34 1.8 40

Alaska

346.4 0.4 1,041 9 2.2 34

Arizona

2,613.9 2.9 889 24 1.5 42

Arkansas

1,193.4 1.9 756 48 2.6 22

California

16,474.4 3.0 1,134 5 3.4 6

Colorado

2,513.0 2.9 1,006 12 2.4 30

Connecticut

1,668.3 0.2 1,147 4 2.0 38

Delaware

436.3 2.1 963 15 0.3 48

District of Columbia

743.6 1.4 1,667 1 2.3 33

Florida

8,023.2 3.5 852 31 3.1 10

Georgia

4,171.1 2.8 916 22 2.8 19

Hawaii

635.4 1.4 896 23 3.1 10

Idaho

680.3 3.3 736 50 2.1 37

Illinois

5,888.6 1.3 1,020 10 3.9 3

Indiana

2,971.7 1.6 818 39 2.4 30

Iowa

1,535.9 0.4 823 38 3.0 14

Kansas

1,370.9 0.6 809 41 1.8 40

Kentucky

1,852.5 1.4 804 42 2.9 18

Louisiana

1,926.3 -0.2 858 30 0.7 47

Maine

609.7 0.7 779 46 3.3 7

Maryland

2,607.8 1.3 1,067 8 2.4 30

Massachusetts

3,446.9 1.4 1,197 2 3.0 14

Michigan

4,203.0 1.6 921 20 2.7 20

Minnesota

2,800.7 1.4 990 14 2.6 22

Mississippi

1,118.9 1.2 706 51 1.3 43

Missouri

2,737.9 1.9 846 32 2.2 34

Montana

457.9 1.9 759 47 3.7 4

Nebraska

964.0 1.4 811 40 4.2 2

Nevada

1,254.5 3.2 862 29 2.5 27

New Hampshire

642.8 1.5 952 18 2.7 20

New Jersey

3,933.9 1.4 1,116 6 2.6 22

New Mexico

809.2 0.6 798 43 1.3 43

New York

9,065.4 1.8 1,180 3 3.1 10

North Carolina

4,194.1 2.5 863 28 3.0 14

North Dakota

438.0 -3.8 956 17 -2.3 51

Ohio

5,282.7 1.2 878 25 1.9 39

Oklahoma

1,598.0 0.2 825 37 0.0 49

Oregon

1,812.8 3.0 924 19 4.4 1

Pennsylvania

5,722.1 0.8 961 16 2.5 27

Rhode Island

477.4 1.2 919 21 2.6 22

South Carolina

1,959.7 2.9 788 44 2.6 22

South Dakota

419.5 0.9 756 48 3.1 10

Tennessee

2,850.6 2.7 864 27 3.2 8

Texas

11,681.0 2.1 999 13 1.1 45

Utah

1,353.9 3.7 829 35 3.2 8

Vermont

308.2 0.5 829 35 3.0 14

Virginia

3,759.7 2.5 1,014 11 2.5 27

Washington

3,187.6 2.5 1,111 7 2.2 34

West Virginia

702.4 -1.1 785 45 0.9 46

Wisconsin

2,815.7 0.9 834 33 3.5 5

Wyoming

287.4 -1.5 866 26 -1.1 50

Puerto Rico

891.1 -0.7 512 (3) 1.4 (3)

Virgin Islands

36.8 -2.1 738 (3) 2.1 (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 1.  Average weekly wages by county in Wisconsin, third quarter 2015

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 07, 2016