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News Release Information

22-584-CHI
Friday, April 08, 2022

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

County Employment and Wages in Minnesota — Third Quarter 2021

Employment rose in all of the eight largest counties in Minnesota 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 Jason Palmer noted that Hennepin County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 3.2 percent. (See chart 1 and 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.

Among the eight largest counties in Minnesota, employment was highest in Hennepin County (879,300) in September 2021. Within Hennepin County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the eight largest Minnesota counties accounted for 66.8 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 79 counties in Minnesota with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 78 of the 79 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,251 in the third quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All eight large Minnesota counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2021. (See chart 2.) Two counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 6.7 percent. St. Louis County had the largest gain (+9.6 percent), followed by Anoka County (+8.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Minnesota’s remaining large counties ranged from 6.3 percent to 4.4 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 the 3 of the 8 largest counties in Minnesota were above the national average of $1,251 in the third quarter of 2021. Average weekly wages in the three counties ranked among the top 100 nationwide: Hennepin ($1,516, 27th), Ramsey ($1,316, 65th), and Olmsted ($1,282, 77th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 85 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second 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 Minnesota’s smaller counties

Among the 79 smaller counties in Minnesota—those with employment below 75,000—Clearwater County ($1,254) reported an average weekly wage above the national average. Fillmore County ($726) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 87 counties in Minnesota were considered, 28 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 27 registered wages from $850 to $949, 21 had wages from $950 to $1,049, and 11 had average weekly wages of $1,050 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 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 eight largest counties in Minnesota, 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--

Minnesota

186.92,780.52.7--1,249136.124

Anoka

8.0124.32.52271,2211018.930

Dakota

10.9180.21.72851,1931184.6229

Hennepin

42.6879.33.21841,516274.7222

Olmsted

3.899.32.42341,282774.7222

Ramsey

14.4311.41.92671,316654.4244

St. Louis

5.491.92.12561,0432399.623

Stearns

4.482.70.93161,0622205.3190

Washington

6.388.42.42341,0092676.3124

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 Minnesota, third quarter 2021
AreaEstablishmentsEmployment September 2021Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

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

Minnesota

186,9272,780,5201,249

Aitkin

4704,264801

Anoka

8,045124,3251,221

Becker

1,07314,674851

Beltrami

1,25619,758946

Benton

1,02317,563979

Big Stone

2071,692843

Blue Earth

2,07237,466994

Brown

86213,072908

Carlton

76312,7321,033

Carver

2,62138,3551,174

Cass

90712,5221,161

Chippewa

4185,357869

Chisago

1,27215,964983

Clay

1,41118,977904

Clearwater

2272,7661,254

Cook

3182,817749

Cottonwood

4285,692836

Crow Wing

2,23329,485907

Dakota

10,883180,2241,193

Dodge

4595,8291,182

Douglas

1,42519,055949

Faribault

4774,536961

Fillmore

7356,292726

Freeborn

81811,318886

Goodhue

1,30520,3631,020

Grant

2551,831849

Hennepin

42,551879,2881,516

Houston

4375,091747

Hubbard

6346,293845

Isanti

88410,952882

Itasca

1,26815,646942

Jackson

3494,769826

Kanabec

3373,951878

Kandiyohi

1,42422,636887

Kittson

1871,422776

Koochiching

4164,201936

Lac qui Parle

2342,091780

Lake

3394,032935

Lake of the Woods

1741,593762

Le Sueur

7468,684941

Lincoln

2181,501742

Lyon

82313,484953

McLeod

97715,304941

Mahnomen

1131,7281,003

Marshall

3342,352936

Martin

6797,960936

Meeker

6237,329901

Mille Lacs

7289,236835

Morrison

1,03110,702818

Mower

86615,9961,046

Murray

3182,781800

Nicollet

77814,683967

Nobles

61110,383954

Norman

2441,691771

Olmsted

3,81999,2711,282

Otter Tail

1,85822,747846

Pennington

40910,1281,012

Pine

6737,581751

Pipestone

3664,211826

Polk

1,00011,471939

Pope

3624,282899

Ramsey

14,399311,3501,316

Red Lake

1251,033743

Redwood

5725,865849

Renville

5765,674901

Rice

1,66924,611990

Rock

3143,585823

Roseau

4537,803969

St. Louis

5,37691,8781,043

Scott

3,62856,1301,096

Sherburne

2,26626,1501,016

Sibley

4054,350895

Stearns

4,42982,6701,062

Steele

1,07419,622955

Stevens

3585,5041,026

Swift

3413,434873

Todd

6056,430924

Traverse

1511,115769

Wabasha

5756,701799

Wadena

4425,484848

Waseca

5395,944911

Washington

6,31088,4241,009

Watonwan

3344,256827

Wilkin

2021,6771,008

Winona

1,19623,202933

Wright

3,56645,354981

Yellow Medicine

3673,677799

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