Employment rose in the nine largest counties in Indiana from March 2021 to March 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 Jason Palmer noted that Hamilton County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 6.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 5.0 percent over the year, with 349 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Clark, NV, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 12.5 percent. Jefferson, LA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.8 percent.

Among the nine largest counties in Indiana, employment was highest in Marion County (598,600) in March 2022. Within Marion County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the nine largest Indiana counties accounted for 54 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 83 counties in Indiana with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 81 of the 83 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,374 in the first quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All nine large Indiana counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) All nine counties had rates of wage gains that were at or above the national rate of 6.7 percent. Elkhart County had the largest gain (+16.6 percent), followed by Hendricks County (+14.5 percent) and Allen County (+13.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Indiana’s other six large counties ranged from 10.2 percent to 6.7 percent.

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 348 had over-the-year wage increases. Peoria, IL, had the largest percentage wage increase (+25.8 percent). San Francisco, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-9.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

In Indiana, Marion County’s average weekly wage of $1,435 exceeded the national average of $1,374 and ranked 66^th nationwide in the first quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in the remaining eight large counties ranged from $1,312 in Elkhart to $934 in Hendricks.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 87 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2022. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $4,064. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 268 counties. At $736 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Indiana’s smaller counties

Among the 83 smaller counties in Indiana—those with employment below 75,000—Martin ($1,452) and Bartholomew ($1,392) reported an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,374. Brown County ($597) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 92 counties in Indiana were considered, 26 reported average weekly wages of less than $825, 31 registered wages from $825 to $924, 15 had wages from $925 to $1,024, and 20 had average weekly wages of $1,025 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/.

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 nine largest counties in Indiana, first quarter 2022

Area	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2022	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,299.0	147,648.4	5.0	--	$1,374	--	6.7	--
Indiana	183.0	3,071.1	3.7	--	1,127	32	9.8	5
Allen	9.7	191.5	3.8	181	1,107	218	13.4	6
Elkhart	5.0	142.3	5.4	89	1,312	103	16.6	2
Hamilton	11.2	152.5	6.5	41	1,298	110	8.1	108
Hendricks	3.9	80.1	5.5	82	934	329	14.5	4
Lake	11.2	182.5	3.9	174	1,069	243	9.3	61
Marion	26.5	598.6	3.9	174	1,435	66	8.1	108
St. Joseph	6.1	116.2	1.6	318	1,041	265	10.2	34
Tippecanoe	4.0	88.9	5.4	89	1,030	275	8.8	79
Vanderburgh	5.0	105.9	2.4	282	999	302	6.7	189
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 Indiana, first quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment March 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,299,030	147,648,359	$1,374
Indiana	183,030	3,071,111	1,127
Adams	749	13,505	838
Allen	9,699	191,454	1,107
Bartholomew	2,017	48,651	1,392
Benton	231	2,206	815
Blackford	228	2,876	822
Boone	2,173	39,044	935
Brown	335	2,708	597
Carroll	415	5,127	841
Cass	714	14,033	846
Clark	2,923	56,065	929
Clay	517	7,422	739
Clinton	643	10,803	882
Crawford	153	1,795	716
Daviess	925	12,134	800
Dearborn	1,109	14,281	840
Decatur	685	13,788	886
De Kalb	1,047	21,444	1,181
Delaware	2,250	44,082	911
Dubois	1,335	27,294	923
Elkhart	4,979	142,279	1,312
Fayette	412	5,914	817
Floyd	1,957	30,702	951
Fountain	382	4,853	778
Franklin	358	4,585	699
Fulton	464	6,080	797
Gibson	779	21,564	1,049
Grant	1,209	27,068	879
Greene	563	6,316	768
Hamilton	11,199	152,522	1,298
Hancock	1,760	26,181	1,053
Harrison	707	10,039	874
Hendricks	3,906	80,109	934
Henry	867	12,906	815
Howard	1,767	34,943	1,158
Huntington	952	13,520	836
Jackson	972	22,794	979
Jasper	838	11,457	834
Jay	424	6,910	811
Jefferson	701	12,398	873
Jennings	427	7,371	810
Johnson	3,859	61,498	858
Knox	943	17,161	868
Kosciusko	2,049	36,116	1,146
Lagrange	968	14,836	1,083
Lake	11,181	182,520	1,069
La Porte	2,366	38,787	893
Lawrence	889	13,472	907
Madison	2,350	38,708	829
Marion	26,533	598,570	1,435
Marshall	1,099	18,206	870
Martin	279	8,137	1,452
Miami	618	8,374	813
Monroe	3,244	65,641	1,095
Montgomery	859	14,969	1,013
Morgan	1,331	15,356	861
Newton	290	3,612	793
Noble	931	16,296	897
Ohio	92	1,029	719
Orange	380	7,212	770
Owen	334	5,563	1,013
Parke	317	3,221	697
Perry	372	6,084	888
Pike	204	2,521	1,044
Porter	3,962	59,393	1,010
Posey	547	8,837	1,234
Pulaski	355	4,861	878
Putnam	746	12,195	841
Randolph	541	7,014	814
Ripley	752	10,683	997
Rush	434	4,769	797
St. Joseph	6,120	116,235	1,041
Scott	410	7,794	811
Shelby	989	16,937	970
Spencer	480	6,131	944
Starke	326	3,859	684
Steuben	987	16,056	830
Sullivan	386	5,673	919
Switzerland	153	1,652	750
Tippecanoe	4,027	88,904	1,030
Tipton	343	5,199	1,008
Union	156	1,269	649
Vanderburgh	4,982	105,875	999
Vermillion	303	4,404	1,238
Vigo	2,453	45,613	928
Wabash	772	11,748	887
Warren	151	1,867	904
Warrick	1,291	16,600	1,003
Washington	484	6,025	749
Wayne	1,425	29,217	854
Wells	657	10,436	867
White	694	8,815	864
Whitley	731	13,578	1,107
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, first quarter 2022

State	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2021–22	First quarter 2022	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2021–22	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,299.0	147,648.4	5.0	$1,374	--	6.7	--
Alabama	143.7	1,990.4	2.5	1,072	39	8.2	21
Alaska	24.2	303.9	2.8	1,178	25	4.9	45
Arizona	195.8	3,048.2	5.0	1,234	21	7.5	29
Arkansas	98.3	1,232.7	3.1	1,060	40	10.9	2
California	1,667.6	17,720.8	7.7	1,644	5	1.0	51
Colorado	238.0	2,767.9	5.1	1,455	9	8.8	11
Connecticut	135.7	1,618.6	4.3	1,716	4	9.2	6
Delaware	38.1	447.8	3.9	1,362	14	7.5	29
District of Columbia	46.9	749.1	5.8	2,221	1	2.6	49
Florida	844.0	9,249.2	6.1	1,222	23	10.8	3
Georgia	359.6	4,615.2	5.0	1,301	17	8.8	11
Hawaii	50.4	612.1	7.9	1,135	30	4.2	47
Idaho	83.6	806.4	4.7	982	49	8.5	18
Illinois	403.8	5,808.8	4.5	1,487	8	7.3	33
Indiana	183.0	3,071.1	3.7	1,127	32	9.8	5
Iowa	108.2	1,511.6	2.5	1,080	36	7.6	27
Kansas	93.1	1,369.8	2.5	1,073	38	9.0	10
Kentucky	137.5	1,911.5	4.0	1,038	44	7.6	27
Louisiana	147.6	1,820.6	1.3	1,058	42	8.6	16
Maine	60.4	604.1	2.8	1,103	35	10.3	4
Maryland	179.9	2,623.1	3.9	1,410	10	2.0	50
Massachusetts	286.6	3,516.0	5.3	1,827	3	5.9	43
Michigan	282.2	4,212.5	4.6	1,225	22	6.2	41
Minnesota	194.1	2,772.6	2.7	1,374	11	6.8	37
Mississippi	77.9	1,134.2	2.9	879	51	8.5	18
Missouri	227.1	2,788.2	3.0	1,128	31	7.0	34
Montana	57.5	479.9	3.1	991	48	8.3	20
Nebraska	78.7	965.4	1.5	1,079	37	9.2	6
Nevada	102.7	1,441.3	11.6	1,164	27	8.0	23
New Hampshire	61.1	659.9	4.3	1,361	15	7.8	25
New Jersey	317.9	4,085.1	7.2	1,606	6	4.6	46
New Mexico	68.0	817.4	5.1	1,018	45	6.5	40
New York	681.3	9,107.2	6.0	1,972	2	5.6	44
North Carolina	335.8	4,638.3	4.8	1,241	20	9.2	6
North Dakota	33.3	400.5	2.7	1,106	34	6.9	35
Ohio	320.5	5,299.0	3.1	1,179	24	7.5	29
Oklahoma	120.7	1,601.8	2.9	1,012	46	8.0	23
Oregon	175.1	1,921.9	4.0	1,259	18	7.4	32
Pennsylvania	384.0	5,778.2	4.3	1,309	16	6.9	35
Rhode Island	45.0	469.3	4.7	1,249	19	6.8	37
South Carolina	164.1	2,142.9	3.9	1,043	43	9.2	6
South Dakota	37.8	432.0	3.5	1,012	46	8.6	16
Tennessee	198.1	3,104.1	4.6	1,172	26	8.8	11
Texas	788.4	12,985.4	6.1	1,369	12	8.7	14
Utah	126.5	1,625.6	4.5	1,152	28	8.2	21
Vermont	29.3	295.8	3.9	1,107	33	7.7	26
Virginia	310.8	3,889.4	3.1	1,366	13	6.6	39
Washington	277.3	3,453.4	6.0	1,596	7	3.8	48
West Virginia	55.2	668.1	2.9	968	50	6.1	42
Wisconsin	193.9	2,816.5	2.9	1,137	29	8.7	14
Wyoming	28.9	263.6	2.6	1,059	41	11.2	1
Puerto Rico	48.7	917.1	6.8	579	(3)	2.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.5	34.8	-0.3	947	(3)	-3.7	(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.