Employment rose in the seven largest counties in Missouri from September 2012 to September 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2012 annual average employment. The independent city of St. Louis has been designated a county by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.) Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that Boone County reported the largest increase at 2.6 percent followed by St. Charles, 2.3 percent. These two counties registered employment gains that exceeded the national average of 1.7 percent.

Nationally, employment increased in 286 of the 334 largest U.S. counties from September 2012 to September 2013. Fort Bend, Texas, posted the largest increase with a gain of 6.0 percent over the year. Peoria, Ill., experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 3.7 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in Missouri, employment was highest in St. Louis County (573,900) in September 2013. Two other counties, Jackson and St. Louis City, had employment levels exceeding 200,000. Together, Missouri’s seven large counties accounted for 60.7 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages increased in all but one of the large counties in Missouri from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013. Wages in Clay County experienced the largest growth (5.1 percent) followed by Greene and Jackson (2.9 percent each). Nationally, average weekly wages increased 1.9 percent during the year ending in the third quarter of 2013. St. Louis City had the highest average weekly wage among the largest counties in the state at $1,000, followed by St. Louis ($958) and Jackson ($944). Average weekly wages in these three counties exceeded the national average of $922. Greene County recorded the lowest average weekly wage at $712. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 108 counties in Missouri 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

Six of the seven large counties in Missouri recorded wage gains from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013, with three counties posting increases greater than the U.S. average of 1.9 percent. (See table 1.) As mentioned, Clay County had the largest wage gain (5.1 percent), placing 9^th in the national ranking, and Greene and Jackson (2.9 percent each) ranked 51^st. Boone (1.6 percent, 172^nd) and St. Charles and St. Louis City (0.8 percent each, 236^th) also registered wage increases while average weekly wages in St. Louis County decreased 0.8 percent and ranked 316^th.

Among the 334 largest counties, 291 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest wage gain at 9.9 percent. Forty of the 334 largest counties experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages, with Pinellas, Fla., reporting the largest percentage decrease with a loss of 4.3 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Three of the state’s large counties had average weekly wage levels that placed in the top 100 among the 334 largest counties in the United States in the third quarter of 2013. Average wages in St. Louis City ($1,000) and St. Louis County ($958) ranked 64^th and 81^st, respectively. Jackson County’s average weekly wage of $944 was also above the national average of $922 and ranked 90^th. The wage levels in Missouri’s four other large counties were below average with St. Charles and Greene ranking among the lowest 10 percent in the nation.

Nationally, weekly wages were higher than average in 101 of the 334 largest U.S. counties. 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).

Among the 232 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2013, 3 had wages below $600. Horry, S.C. ($564) reported the lowest wage, followed by Cameron, Texas ($587) and Hidalgo, Texas ($595).

Average weekly wages in Missouri’s smaller counties

Of the 108 counties in Missouri with employment below 75,000, Ralls recorded the highest average weekly wage at $758 followed by Platte at $754. Shannon County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state with an average of $379 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

When all 115 counties in Missouri were considered, all but 3 had wages below the national average of $922. Twenty-eight reported average weekly wages under $500, 50 reported wages from $500 to $599, 24 had wages from $600 to $699, and 13 had wages of $700 and above. (See chart 1.) Of the 13 counties with wages of $700 or higher, six were located in the major metropolitan areas of Kansas City and St. Louis.

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 2012 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2013, 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 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.

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 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 employment and wages in the United States and the 7 largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (1)
	September 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2012-13 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2012-13 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	134957.5	1.7	--	$922	--	1.9	--
Missouri	2661.0	1.3	--	805	32	1.4	40
Boone, Mo.	89.8	2.6	77	748	284	1.6	172
Clay, Mo.	90.7	1.5	162	843	177	5.1	9
Greene, Mo.	156.1	1.3	187	712	313	2.9	51
Jackson, Mo.	348.9	1.0	214	944	90	2.9	51
St. Charles, Mo.	131.5	2.3	97	728	304	0.8	236
St. Louis City, Mo.	223.2	0.7	239	1,000	64	0.8	236
St. Louis, Mo.	573.9	1.2	194	958	81	-0.8	316
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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013

Area	Employment September 2013	Average weekly wage (1)		Area	Employment September 2013	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	134,957,493	$922
Missouri	2,661,021	805		Linn	3,945	583
Adair	10,080	569		Livingston	6,155	585
Andrew	2,500	520		McDonald	6,882	554
Atchison	1,716	490		Macon	4,912	534
Audrain	9,237	621		Madison	3,713	505
Barry	13,702	710		Maries	1,487	596
Barton	3,334	519		Marion	13,404	614
Bates	3,553	518		Mercer	1,726	637
Benton	3,526	500		Miller	6,311	555
Bollinger	1,874	418		Mississippi	4,205	530
Boone	89,809	748		Moniteau	3,993	535
Buchanan	46,714	725		Monroe	1,960	521
Butler	18,677	594		Montgomery	2,906	545
Caldwell	1,489	543		Morgan	4,090	468
Callaway	14,395	696		New Madrid	7,262	669
Camden	16,872	533		Newton	17,794	601
Cape Girardeau	40,703	697		Nodaway	8,060	585
Carroll	2,312	544		Oregon	2,410	422
Carter	1,492	446		Osage	3,317	533
Cass	23,769	586		Ozark	1,484	398
Cedar	3,223	479		Pemiscot	5,939	549
Chariton	1,802	516		Perry	9,587	619
Christian	15,993	531		Pettis	18,966	585
Clark	1,506	467		Phelps	17,365	657
Clay	90,723	843		Pike	6,027	548
Clinton	3,831	550		Platte	39,364	754
Cole	51,347	735		Polk	7,758	606
Cooper	5,209	566		Pulaski	13,737	621
Crawford	6,608	617		Putnam	1,046	484
Dade	1,625	494		Ralls	3,549	758
Dallas	2,411	431		Randolph	9,553	633
Daviess	1,581	484		Ray	4,121	581
De Kalb	3,398	549		Reynolds	1,563	416
Dent	4,113	555		Ripley	3,069	443
Douglas	2,176	467		St. Charles	131,480	728
Dunklin	9,916	482		St. Clair	1,666	460
Franklin	36,552	694		Ste. Genevieve	5,466	717
Gasconade	5,155	526		St. Francois	22,471	541
Gentry	2,257	487		St. Louis	573,871	958
Greene	156,065	712		Saline	9,009	593
Grundy	3,539	601		Schuyler	616	488
Harrison	2,430	488		Scotland	1,187	533
Henry	7,389	624		Scott	15,108	596
Hickory	1,267	419		Shannon	1,562	379
Holt	1,362	529		Shelby	1,742	492
Howard	2,453	469		Stoddard	10,175	573
Howell	15,025	570		Stone	5,238	490
Iron	3,580	683		Sullivan	2,278	625
Jackson	348,929	944		Taney	29,894	533
Jasper	59,492	687		Texas	6,015	519
Jefferson	46,765	611		Vernon	7,008	622
Johnson	15,440	618		Warren	7,018	597
Knox	1,113	466		Washington	4,989	503
Laclede	12,052	573		Wayne	2,704	417
Lafayette	8,521	543		Webster	6,371	546
Lawrence	8,757	601		Worth	487	434
Lewis	2,564	525		Wright	4,236	502
Lincoln	10,146	649		St. Louis City	223,241	1,000
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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2013

State	Employment		Average weekly wage(1)
	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(2)	134957.5	1.7	$922	--	1.9	--
Alabama	1847.6	0.8	794	34	1.3	43
Alaska	345.0	0.4	990	9	3.0	7
Arizona	2490.9	2.2	859	22	1.5	36
Arkansas	1156.5	0.1	723	47	2.1	21
California	15526.4	2.7	1,057	6	2.1	21
Colorado	2355.7	3.1	952	12	1.7	31
Connecticut	1650.3	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	7501.8	2.6	808	31	1.1	46
Georgia	3928.2	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	5731.7	0.7	959	11	1.5	36
Indiana	2883.6	1.2	784	38	1.6	33
Iowa	1512.0	1.5	772	40	2.1	21
Kansas	1347.6	1.8	776	39	2.0	26
Kentucky	1794.5	1.0	760	43	1.1	46
Louisiana	1893.4	1.4	827	28	2.9	10
Maine	601.5	0.7	735	46	1.8	30
Maryland	2546.4	0.6	1,011	8	0.4	51
Massachusetts	3318.3	1.2	1,131	2	2.6	11
Michigan	4069.7	2.1	875	20	1.5	36
Minnesota	2724.2	1.7	938	15	2.6	11
Mississippi	1099.1	0.8	688	51	2.5	15
Missouri	2661.0	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	1169.4	2.5	836	27	2.0	26
New Hampshire	624.5	0.6	895	18	2.4	17
New Jersey	3851.9	1.2	1,068	5	1.3	43
New Mexico	793.7	0.5	766	41	0.7	49
New York	8724.8	1.3	1,108	4	1.7	31
North Carolina	4006.4	1.7	817	30	1.4	40
North Dakota	436.7	3.4	921	16	5.5	1
Ohio	5147.5	1.4	837	26	1.2	45
Oklahoma	1572.6	1.4	797	33	2.4	17
Oregon	1709.8	2.4	856	23	2.6	11
Pennsylvania	5622.4	0.3	913	17	1.6	33
Rhode Island	465.2	1.3	878	19	2.6	11
South Carolina	1859.3	2.3	751	44	1.9	28
South Dakota	408.9	0.9	706	48	3.4	3
Tennessee	2712.8	1.5	819	29	0.6	50
Texas	11091.9	2.8	952	12	2.5	15
Utah	1265.5	2.9	791	36	3.1	6
Vermont	302.5	0.0	788	37	3.4	3
Virginia	3650.1	0.6	971	10	1.1	46
Washington	3017.9	2.4	1,044	7	2.1	21
West Virginia	710.3	-0.7	751	44	3.7	2
Wisconsin	2752.7	1.1	793	35	3.0	7
Wyoming	286.1	0.2	840	24	1.4	40
Puerto Rico	910.9	-2.5	501	(3)	-0.6	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.9	-1.9	706	(3)	-0.6	(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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (OCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.