Employment rose in the six largest counties in Wisconsin 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 Jason Palmer noted that Brown County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 2.2 percent. (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 six largest counties in Wisconsin, employment was highest in Milwaukee County (466,200) in September 2022. Within Milwaukee County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the six largest Wisconsin counties accounted for 48.6 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 66 counties in Wisconsin with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in the 66 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All six large Wisconsin counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Five counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 6.7 percent. Dane County had the largest gain (+9.2 percent), followed by Brown County (+8.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Wisconsin’s other four large counties ranged from 8.3 percent to 6.2 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 the six largest counties in Wisconsin were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in one of these counties ranked among the top 100 nationwide: Dane County ($1,328, 94^th).

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 Wisconsin’s smaller counties

Among the 66 smaller counties in Wisconsin—those with employment below 75,000—all reported an average weekly wage below the national average of $1,334. Sheboygan County ($1,102) reported the highest average weekly wage, while Florence County ($636) reported the state’s lowest.

When all 72 counties in Wisconsin were considered, 15 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 22 registered wages from $850 to $949, 19 had wages from $950 to $1,049, and 16 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/.

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 six largest counties in Wisconsin, third quarter 2022

Area	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average 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)	11,608.9	151,239.6	4.3	--	$1,334	--	6.7	--
Wisconsin	200.7	2,899.1	2.8	--	1,140	33	8.7	17
Brown	7.2	156.2	2.2	272	1,153	218	8.9	97
Dane	17.2	345.2	2.0	289	1,328	94	9.2	85
Milwaukee	28.1	466.2	1.2	328	1,233	158	8.0	148
Outagamie	5.7	106.6	1.9	294	1,117	246	8.3	127
Waukesha	13.7	241.8	1.3	322	1,258	137	7.7	172
Winnebago	4.1	92.1	1.6	307	1,154	216	6.2	253
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 Wisconsin, third quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment September 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,608,876	151,239,638	$1,334
Wisconsin	200,726	2,899,093	1,140
Adams	347	4,117	810
Ashland	605	7,891	925
Barron	1,517	21,541	917
Bayfield	522	4,201	786
Brown	7,155	156,205	1,153
Buffalo	378	3,774	929
Burnett	426	4,700	799
Calumet	829	15,465	1,016
Chippewa	1,769	25,347	963
Clark	944	11,183	907
Columbia	1,742	21,871	961
Crawford	509	6,644	832
Dane	17,191	345,236	1,328
Dodge	1,953	36,127	1,086
Door	1,336	14,328	836
Douglas	1,161	16,408	1,023
Dunn	1,067	17,873	982
Eau Claire	3,038	58,053	1,098
Florence	124	970	636
Fond du Lac	2,421	46,007	1,077
Forest	293	3,095	848
Grant	1,503	17,715	878
Green	1,117	14,946	963
Green Lake	492	5,899	918
Iowa	703	10,159	987
Iron	230	1,707	709
Jackson	463	8,054	967
Jefferson	2,202	34,258	966
Juneau	688	9,431	918
Kenosha	3,925	71,100	1,023
Kewaunee	549	6,618	877
La Crosse	3,323	69,231	1,051
Lafayette	481	4,333	864
Langlade	612	7,333	859
Lincoln	771	10,584	949
Manitowoc	1,882	32,878	981
Marathon	3,663	69,813	1,088
Marinette	1,213	17,829	996
Marquette	370	3,932	843
Menominee	109	1,979	850
Milwaukee	28,113	466,162	1,233
Monroe	1,268	20,744	968
Oconto	828	8,939	844
Oneida	1,416	16,258	1,009
Outagamie	5,712	106,649	1,117
Ozaukee	3,021	39,701	1,096
Pepin	269	2,340	924
Pierce	982	10,834	836
Polk	1,233	15,808	953
Portage	1,845	33,523	1,022
Price	441	5,057	931
Racine	4,853	73,985	1,089
Richland	495	5,656	866
Rock	3,706	66,622	1,065
Rusk	363	4,775	880
St. Croix	2,468	35,015	1,027
Sauk	2,113	34,989	950
Sawyer	674	7,065	888
Shawano	1,040	12,054	824
Sheboygan	2,891	59,565	1,102
Taylor	504	7,792	898
Trempealeau	832	12,735	904
Vernon	754	8,781	867
Vilas	961	8,182	833
Walworth	3,150	42,977	928
Washburn	597	5,740	808
Washington	3,662	56,574	1,088
Waukesha	13,739	241,772	1,258
Waupaca	1,332	18,466	885
Waushara	531	6,019	813
Winnebago	4,071	92,108	1,154
Wood	2,110	36,829	1,024
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

State	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average 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)	11,608.9	151,239.6	4.3	$1,334	--	6.7	--
Alabama	150.1	2,031.6	3.2	1,120	35	9.1	9
Alaska	24.9	325.2	2.5	1,304	15	8.2	29
Arizona	205.4	3,080.6	3.9	1,251	20	7.7	36
Arkansas	100.1	1,262.1	4.4	1,036	50	7.5	38
California	1,741.3	18,051.1	4.9	1,601	5	1.5	50
Colorado	247.1	2,813.9	3.3	1,432	8	8.5	22
Connecticut	140.6	1,652.8	2.8	1,491	6	6.5	42
Delaware	39.7	465.7	5.1	1,292	18	8.4	25
District of Columbia	49.0	756.6	2.7	2,134	1	4.5	48
Florida	860.6	9,417.2	5.6	1,220	23	9.0	11
Georgia	378.4	4,726.4	5.1	1,255	19	8.5	22
Hawaii	52.8	623.2	4.5	1,208	24	5.1	46
Idaho	86.7	834.7	3.8	1,063	45	11.5	1
Illinois	410.9	5,982.2	3.9	1,361	12	6.9	40
Indiana	188.3	3,140.6	3.9	1,123	34	8.6	19
Iowa	111.1	1,541.1	1.9	1,118	36	10.1	3
Kansas	95.6	1,401.3	3.7	1,085	41	8.8	15
Kentucky	142.9	1,941.5	3.8	1,082	43	9.4	6
Louisiana	150.7	1,866.3	4.5	1,103	39	8.2	29
Maine	62.2	637.7	2.5	1,117	37	8.4	25
Maryland	188.3	2,669.1	2.5	1,418	9	7.9	32
Massachusetts	292.6	3,628.8	3.6	1,651	3	3.6	49
Michigan	296.0	4,334.0	3.5	1,236	21	7.2	39
Minnesota	201.6	2,880.9	3.4	1,346	13	7.9	32
Mississippi	81.5	1,151.8	2.4	933	51	8.7	17
Missouri	236.9	2,849.2	3.2	1,149	31	8.9	14
Montana	61.2	505.5	3.9	1,059	46	10.0	4
Nebraska	80.5	989.2	2.4	1,117	37	9.9	5
Nevada	107.0	1,496.1	7.5	1,205	26	6.2	43
New Hampshire	63.8	677.3	3.4	1,365	11	1.2	51
New Jersey	320.9	4,176.5	5.0	1,461	7	5.6	44
New Mexico	70.9	838.1	3.5	1,087	40	9.1	9
New York	683.2	9,355.0	4.8	1,608	4	4.8	47
North Carolina	348.9	4,737.5	4.9	1,207	25	8.5	22
North Dakota	34.5	419.8	2.9	1,190	28	10.7	2
Ohio	328.9	5,402.7	2.9	1,187	29	8.1	31
Oklahoma	123.9	1,646.6	3.8	1,047	48	8.6	19
Oregon	179.5	1,932.6	1.1	1,301	16	6.6	41
Pennsylvania	390.7	5,913.7	3.8	1,296	17	7.6	37
Rhode Island	46.5	487.3	3.1	1,225	22	8.3	27
South Carolina	166.6	2,200.9	4.7	1,079	44	9.4	6
South Dakota	39.1	448.5	2.9	1,052	47	9.0	11
Tennessee	204.0	3,202.4	5.1	1,198	27	7.9	32
Texas	805.5	13,371.1	5.9	1,333	14	8.6	19
Utah	134.1	1,663.9	4.4	1,186	30	9.0	11
Vermont	30.8	300.6	2.4	1,142	32	7.9	32
Virginia	330.1	3,979.4	3.4	1,380	10	9.3	8
Washington	235.3	3,572.9	4.4	1,657	2	5.2	45
West Virginia	56.8	678.8	1.9	1,042	49	8.3	27
Wisconsin	200.7	2,899.1	2.8	1,140	33	8.7	17
Wyoming	29.9	278.2	2.3	1,083	42	8.8	15
Puerto Rico	50.0	924.6	3.9	616	(3)	8.5	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.7	34.3	-1.0	1,030	(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.