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News Release Information

18-1990-KAN
Friday, January 11, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

County Employment and Wages in Kansas – Second Quarter 2018

Employment rose in 3 of the 4 largest counties in Kansas from June 2017 to June 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or greater as measured by 2017 annual average employment.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that employment increased 2.2 percent in Wyandotte County, 2.0 percent in Johnson County and 1.2 percent in Sedgwick County. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, employment advanced 1.5 percent during the 12-month period as 309 of the 349 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage increase, up 11.6 percent over the year. McLean, IL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 2.0 percent.

Among the four largest counties in Kansas, employment was highest in Johnson (352,200) and lowest in Wyandotte (90,800) in June 2018. Together, the four largest Kansas counties accounted for 56.7 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages increased in each of the four large counties in Kansas from the second quarter of 2017 to the second quarter of 2018. Shawnee County had over-the-year wage growth of 6.3 percent, which exceeded the 3.4-percent increase for the nation. Johnson ($1,068) had the highest average weekly wage among Kansas’s large counties and was above the national average of $1,055.  (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 101 counties in Kansas with employment levels below 75,000. Of these small counties, only Coffey ($1,260) had an average weekly wage that exceeded the national average.  (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Shawnee County’s 6.3-percent annual wage gain was the largest among the state’s large counties and placed 13th in the national ranking. (See table 1.)  Wyandotte County’s 3.2-percent gain ranked 150th. Johnson County (2.9 percent, 185th) and Sedgwick County (2.7 percent, 204th) placed in the bottom half of the national ranking in wage growth.

Among the 349 largest U.S. counties, 340 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the second quarter of 2018. Marin, CA, had the largest percentage increase in average weekly wages with a gain of 11.7 percent. Nationally, eight large counties experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. New Hanover, NC, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 6.4 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Johnson County’s average weekly wage of $1,068 ranked 87th among the 349 largest U.S. counties in the second quarter of 2018. Wyandotte County recorded an average weekly wage of $1,009 and placed 136th. Shawnee County ($900, 231st) and Sedgwick County ($882, 258th) had average weekly wages that placed them in the bottom third of the ranking.

Nationally, weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average of $1,055 in 94 of the 349 largest counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,573. San Mateo, CA, was second at $2,357, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,083) and New York, NY ($2,025). Among the 255 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2018, Horry, SC ($625) reported the lowest wage.

Average weekly wages in Kansas’s smaller counties

Of the 101 counties in Kansas with employment below 75,000, Coffey County reported the highest weekly wage with an average of $1,260, above the national average of $1,055. Washington County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state with an average of $519 in the second quarter of 2018. (See table 2.)

When all 105 counties in Kansas were considered, all but 2 had wages below the national average. Fifteen reported average weekly wages under $600, 20 had wages from $600 to $649, 25 had wages from $650 to $699, 24 had wages from $700 to $749, and 21 reported wages of $750 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 2017 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2018, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2018 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2017 are now available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2017/home.htm. The 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2019.

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.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. (EST).

New BLS Local Data iPhone App Includes QCEW Data

BLS has partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Chief Information Officer to develop a new mobile app for iPhones. The BLS Local Data app is ideal for customers, such as jobseekers and economic and workforce development professionals, who want to know more about local labor markets. For more information, please go to: https://blogs.bls.gov/blog/2018/10/18/new-bls-local-data-app-now-available/


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 sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 4 largest counties in Kansas, second quarter 2018
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2018 (thousands)Percent change, June 2017-18 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, second quarter 2017-18 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

147,431.21.5--$1,055--3.4--

Kansas

1,393.31.0--879403.414

Johnson, Kan.

352.22.0941,068872.9185

Sedgwick, Kan.

250.81.21768822582.7204

Shawnee, Kan.

96.4-0.13169002316.313

Wyandotte, Kan.

90.82.2761,0091363.2150

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 Kansas, 2nd quarter 2018
AreaEmployment June 2018Average Weekly Wage(1)

United States(2)

147,431,154$1,055

Kansas

1,393,269879

Allen

5,640655

Anderson

2,126635

Atchison

5,707751

Barber

1,707672

Barton

12,082715

Bourbon

6,592637

Brown

5,325763

Butler

19,315720

Chase

1,014661

Chautauqua

775571

Cherokee

5,822742

Cheyenne

922621

Clark

771750

Clay

3,088623

Cloud

3,203571

Coffey

3,6821,260

Comanche

662528

Cowley

14,126736

Crawford

17,136694

Decatur

972532

Dickinson

6,469641

Doniphan

2,298682

Douglas

48,371760

Edwards

991697

Elk

633531

Ellis

15,327727

Ellsworth

2,366673

Finney

19,681763

Ford

17,060773

Franklin

9,369729

Geary

13,125756

Gove

1,298640

Graham

873659

Grant

3,024856

Gray

3,520713

Greeley

629632

Greenwood

1,729614

Hamilton

1,454681

Harper

2,388698

Harvey

13,552738

Haskell

1,907757

Hodgeman

590619

Jackson

4,395644

Jefferson

3,855700

Jewell

788564

Johnson

352,1761,068

Kearny

1,579672

Kingman

2,429641

Kiowa

1,125581

Labette

9,144702

Lane

676734

Leavenworth

21,418867

Lincoln

965626

Linn

2,102812

Logan

1,351630

Lyon

14,993684

McPherson

14,931820

Marion

3,675620

Marshall

4,586690

Meade

1,747794

Miami

8,668717

Mitchell

3,212665

Montgomery

14,847679

Morris

1,585585

Morton

852683

Nemaha

5,295689

Neosho

6,312684

Ness

1,132724

Norton

2,438672

Osage

2,916541

Osborne

1,473575

Ottawa

1,302596

Pawnee

2,830699

Phillips

2,633648

Pottawatomie

10,041765

Pratt

4,684748

Rawlins

966664

Reno

27,252723

Republic

1,920559

Rice

4,009716

Riley

29,361756

Rooks

1,877627

Rush

1,101657

Russell

2,531639

Saline

29,817731

Scott

2,381707

Sedgwick

250,782882

Seward

10,565766

Shawnee

96,394900

Sheridan

991724

Sherman

2,502712

Smith

1,293595

Stafford

1,237628

Stanton

876740

Stevens

1,901712

Sumner

7,003700

Thomas

4,076682

Trego

1,239649

Wabaunsee

1,374658

Wallace

554612

Washington

2,080519

Wichita

942727

Wilson

3,765692

Woodson

717539

Wyandotte

90,7881,009

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: 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, second quarter 2018
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2018 (thousands)Percent change, June 2017-18Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, second quarter 2017-18National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

147,431.21.5$1,055--3.4--

Alabama

1,969.91.2882372.835

Alaska

335.8-0.91,043153.79

Arizona

2,770.82.6973233.319

Arkansas

1,214.60.7824471.747

California

17,473.11.91,26544.63

Colorado

2,704.42.41,075103.227

Connecticut

1,704.50.31,21850.150

Delaware

454.31.31,023171.449

District of Columbia

777.31.31,71312.639

Florida

8,568.92.1931282.932

Georgia

4,440.52.0979222.343

Hawaii

658.30.5956242.541

Idaho

745.33.1794503.88

Illinois

6,061.10.81,09793.414

Indiana

3,075.81.1883362.835

Iowa

1,583.70.8880393.319

Kansas

1,393.31.0879403.414

Kentucky

1,905.90.9882372.343

Louisiana

1,918.60.4901333.79

Maine

636.81.0843453.611

Maryland

2,712.00.71,14183.414

Massachusetts

3,650.11.01,32223.512

Michigan

4,424.71.3997202.932

Minnesota

2,925.60.81,072123.319

Mississippi

1,130.70.2752512.738

Missouri

2,829.00.5924303.97

Montana

478.71.1817482.541

Nebraska

990.80.6859433.129

Nevada

1,372.43.1931283.319

New Hampshire

670.80.81,049143.319

New Jersey

4,157.00.91,20172.343

New Mexico

823.61.0852443.512

New York

9,579.21.71,29734.54

North Carolina

4,450.22.2933253.319

North Dakota

426.10.8986213.414

Ohio

5,461.30.7933252.343

Oklahoma

1,606.41.2875413.227

Oregon

1,947.31.5999183.319

Pennsylvania

5,924.91.11,031163.129

Rhode Island

491.00.7998191.747

South Carolina

2,126.53.4833460.051

South Dakota

439.70.9807492.835

Tennessee

2,994.11.6932272.932

Texas

12,326.32.21,062133.414

Utah

1,483.93.4899354.35

Vermont

312.4-0.8907314.35

Virginia

3,941.01.31,073112.639

Washington

3,444.12.71,21856.91

West Virginia

702.91.6868424.82

Wisconsin

2,933.50.9904323.319

Wyoming

282.20.5901333.031

Puerto Rico

853.5-2.3543(3)5.2(3)

Virgin Islands

33.4-14.4838(3)12.8(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 Kansas, second quarter 2018

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, January 11, 2019