Employment fell in all seven of the largest counties in Missouri from September 2019 to September 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2019. The independent city of St. Louis has been designated as a county-equivalent entity for the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.) Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that St. Louis City (-9.2 percent) and St. Louis County (-7.1 percent) had the largest over-the-year rate declines in employment in Missouri. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment decreased 6.8 percent over the year, with 355 of the 357 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Maui + Kalawao, HI, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 35.4 percent. Utah, UT, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment with a gain of 1.9 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in Missouri, employment was highest in St. Louis County (566,000) in September 2020. Within St. Louis County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the seven largest Missouri counties accounted for 61.0 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 357 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 108 counties in Missouri with employment below 75,000 in 2019. Wage levels in all of the smaller counties were below the national average in the third quarter of 2020. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All seven large Missouri counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020. (See chart 2.) Two counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 7.4 percent. Boone County had the largest gain (+12.3 percent), followed by Clay County (+8.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Missouri’s other five large counties ranged from 6.8 percent to 3.2 percent.

Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 350 had over-the-year wage increases. Nationally, the increases in average weekly wages largely reflect substantial employment loss among lower-paid industries. Employment declines occurring in some higher-paid industries also feature significant wage increases. San Mateo, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+23.2 percent). Seven large counties had wage declines during the period. Ector, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-11.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the two large counties in Missouri were above the national average of $1,173 in the third quarter of 2020. Average weekly wages in St. Louis City ($1,211, 87^th) and St. Louis County ($1,194, 89^th) ranked among the top 100 nationwide.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 96 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2020. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $2,922. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in 261 counties. At $697 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Missouri’s smaller counties

All 108 smaller counties in Missouri—those with employment below 75,000—reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,173. Among the smaller counties, Platte County ($987) recorded the highest weekly wage, while Ripley County ($476) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 115 counties in Missouri were considered, 9 reported average weekly wages of less than $550, 29 registered wages from $550 to $649, 40 had wages from $650 to $749, 23 had wages from $750 to $849, and 14 had average weekly wages of $850 or higher. (See chart 3.) The southern counties in Missouri had the highest concentration of lower wages.

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. The 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2021.

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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the seven largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2020

Area	Establishments, third quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2019–20 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Third quarter 2020	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2019–20 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	10,561.3	138,549.5	-6.8	--	$1,173	--	7.4	--
Missouri	218.8	2,681.7	-5.1	--	995	32	5.6	38
Boone	5.0	91.2	-4.4	71	1,006	222	12.3	16
Clay	6.1	102.3	-3.9	51	998	230	8.4	103
Greene	9.7	164.6	-3.5	44	896	323	6.8	202
Jackson	23.4	351.8	-6.3	175	1,132	120	5.7	263
St. Charles	10.2	150.7	-2.1	14	920	307	6.7	209
St. Louis City	15.8	209.6	-9.2	297	1,211	87	3.2	336
St. Louis	42.5	566.0	-7.1	208	1,194	89	5.5	271
(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 Missouri, 3rd quarter 2020

Area	Employment September 2020	Average Weekly Wage(1)
United States(2)	138,549,503	$1,173
Missouri	2,681,749	995
Adair	9,507	686
Andrew	2,567	721
Atchison	1,640	668
Audrain	8,222	730
Barry	13,992	786
Barton	3,252	669
Bates	3,593	670
Benton	3,565	612
Bollinger	1,792	570
Boone	91,195	1,006
Buchanan	44,953	921
Butler	18,129	694
Caldwell	1,828	655
Callaway	14,447	910
Camden	16,782	720
Cape Girardeau	40,062	831
Carroll	2,337	707
Carter	1,528	553
Cass	26,504	761
Cedar	3,221	583
Chariton	1,879	664
Christian	17,672	673
Clark	1,384	559
Clay	102,257	998
Clinton	4,005	748
Cole	51,556	866
Cooper	4,674	702
Crawford	6,591	696
Dade	1,683	615
Dallas	2,578	519
Daviess	1,613	542
De Kalb	2,789	732
Dent	3,894	636
Douglas	2,382	574
Dunklin	8,702	557
Franklin	37,386	826
Gasconade	5,082	630
Gentry	2,097	709
Greene	164,648	896
Grundy	2,964	606
Harrison	2,404	637
Henry	7,149	783
Hickory	1,352	544
Holt	1,200	805
Howard	2,469	597
Howell	14,569	682
Iron	3,308	760
Jackson	351,753	1,132
Jasper	54,787	787
Jefferson	45,983	776
Johnson	15,434	768
Knox	864	601
Laclede	13,216	710
Lafayette	8,512	679
Lawrence	8,373	712
Lewis	2,400	692
Lincoln	11,775	802
Linn	3,772	688
Livingston	6,101	682
McDonald	6,938	694
Macon	4,799	689
Madison	3,560	629
Maries	1,249	693
Marion	12,939	766
Mercer	1,610	887
Miller	7,400	689
Mississippi	3,449	649
Moniteau	4,262	766
Monroe	1,717	617
Montgomery	2,921	731
Morgan	4,488	608
New Madrid	7,554	709
Newton	20,192	836
Nodaway	7,469	722
Oregon	2,204	517
Osage	4,007	777
Ozark	1,518	512
Pemiscot	5,194	604
Perry	9,026	755
Pettis	18,624	728
Phelps	18,212	796
Pike	5,225	687
Platte	43,673	987
Polk	8,291	725
Pulaski	12,644	825
Putnam	885	603
Ralls	3,449	899
Randolph	9,161	745
Ray	3,958	734
Reynolds	1,856	716
Ripley	2,594	476
St. Charles	150,735	920
St. Clair	1,580	570
Ste. Genevieve	5,848	826
St. Francois	22,310	651
St. Louis	566,016	1,194
Saline	8,542	768
Schuyler	563	575
Scotland	1,160	645
Scott	15,249	767
Shannon	1,552	514
Shelby	1,763	639
Stoddard	10,070	735
Stone	6,882	622
Sullivan	2,425	976
Taney	26,679	646
Texas	5,479	631
Vernon	6,707	759
Warren	7,597	789
Washington	4,810	597
Wayne	2,314	538
Webster	7,891	680
Worth	354	490
Wright	3,892	625
St. Louis City	209,596	1,211
(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, third quarter 2020

State	Establishments, third quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2019–20	Third quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2019–20	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	10,561.3	138,549.5	-6.8	$1,173	--	7.4	--
Alabama	132.2	1,902.4	-4.5	978	33	6.4	27
Alaska	22.9	302.6	-10.7	1,165	14	5.4	42
Arizona	174.1	2,797.1	-4.2	1,091	22	7.3	17
Arkansas	93.6	1,180.1	-3.4	892	49	6.1	31
California	1,643.8	16,096.8	-9.2	1,466	4	12.0	1
Colorado	220.1	2,597.2	-5.6	1,235	9	5.6	38
Connecticut	125.4	1,555.6	-7.3	1,328	7	7.4	15
Delaware	34.9	428.8	-5.6	1,150	15	6.8	21
District of Columbia	43.3	713.7	-8.1	1,962	1	6.1	31
Florida	749.1	8,329.7	-5.8	1,029	27	8.0	11
Georgia	313.0	4,282.1	-5.2	1,084	23	5.8	35
Hawaii	46.5	507.5	-22.9	1,114	18	10.3	4
Idaho	70.7	763.7	-0.2	884	50	5.5	41
Illinois	385.9	5,558.5	-7.8	1,199	11	6.8	21
Indiana	172.4	2,941.8	-4.7	961	39	5.3	43
Iowa	105.1	1,475.0	-5.2	969	36	6.0	34
Kansas	89.2	1,325.4	-5.0	952	40	6.6	24
Kentucky	128.0	1,807.1	-5.5	935	43	5.8	35
Louisiana	139.5	1,734.6	-9.6	970	35	5.2	45
Maine	54.4	597.3	-5.9	966	37	9.0	9
Maryland	172.4	2,496.6	-7.6	1,277	8	9.5	7
Massachusetts	265.1	3,314.8	-9.4	1,488	2	9.7	6
Michigan	266.9	4,035.9	-7.9	1,096	20	7.5	14
Minnesota	183.1	2,703.3	-7.4	1,178	12	6.4	27
Mississippi	74.9	1,092.4	-4.0	810	51	5.6	38
Missouri	218.8	2,681.7	-5.1	995	32	5.6	38
Montana	53.0	466.9	-2.5	904	48	6.6	24
Nebraska	73.7	949.9	-3.8	964	38	6.4	27
Nevada	87.9	1,251.0	-11.6	1,048	24	7.8	13
New Hampshire	56.1	634.2	-5.2	1,171	13	8.9	10
New Jersey	289.3	3,778.4	-8.0	1,331	6	9.5	7
New Mexico	63.1	771.9	-8.6	944	41	5.1	46
New York	657.6	8,547.7	-10.8	1,446	5	10.0	5
North Carolina	301.4	4,308.2	-4.4	1,039	26	6.9	20
North Dakota	32.5	398.2	-7.0	1,025	28	-0.3	50
Ohio	305.7	5,136.8	-5.6	1,040	25	6.6	24
Oklahoma	112.4	1,538.5	-5.7	917	46	2.3	48
Oregon	164.6	1,837.3	-7.0	1,113	19	7.4	15
Pennsylvania	366.5	5,501.0	-7.6	1,139	17	7.0	19
Rhode Island	40.1	452.5	-8.0	1,092	21	10.4	3
South Carolina	146.6	2,022.9	-5.2	924	44	6.7	23
South Dakota	35.2	422.3	-2.6	918	45	7.2	18
Tennessee	173.6	2,918.1	-4.6	1,022	29	5.8	35
Texas	733.1	11,926.8	-5.5	1,150	15	3.8	47
Utah	114.3	1,518.2	-1.0	1,015	30	6.1	31
Vermont	26.4	283.9	-8.6	1,001	31	7.9	12
Virginia	285.7	3,737.0	-5.0	1,201	10	6.4	27
Washington	256.6	3,266.2	-6.3	1,482	3	11.0	2
West Virginia	51.7	649.1	-6.7	913	47	1.8	49
Wisconsin	181.2	2,746.6	-5.2	977	34	5.3	43
Wyoming	27.5	264.0	-6.8	939	42	-0.4	51
Puerto Rico	45.7	831.6	-5.3	547	(3)	3.4	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.4	33.9	-13.0	1,019	(3)	-0.5	(3)
(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.