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News Release Information

14-176-BOS
Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

County Employment and Wages in Rhode Island - Second Quarter 2013

Rhode Island’s only large county, Providence, reported an employment gain of 1.0 percent from June 2012 to June 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2012 annual average employment.) Employment in Rhode Island’s largest county accounted for 59 percent of statewide employment in June 2013.

Nationally, 288 of the 334 large counties had employment gains from June 2012 to June 2013. The largest over-the-year percentage gain was recorded in Fort Bend, Texas, 7.0 percent. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 4.5 percent. The 334 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more jobs accounted for 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Providence County was $908 in the second quarter of 2013, 2.0 percent higher than it was one year earlier. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 2.1 percent over the year to $921 in the second quarter 2013.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the four counties in Rhode Island with employment below 75,000. None of these counties registered an average weekly wage above the national average in the second quarter of 2013. Newport ($861) had the highest average weekly wage among the smaller counties while Bristol County had the lowest average weekly wage at $729. (See table 2.)

Large County Wage Changes

Providence County’s 2.0-percent wage gain ranked 133rd among the 334 largest U.S. counties. Nationwide, Union, N.J., ranked first in average weekly wage growth, with an increase of 8.1 percent from the second quarter of 2012. San Mateo, Calif., placed second with a wage gain of 8.0 percent, followed by Williamson, Tenn. (7.8 percent) and Rockingham, N.H. (6.9 percent).

Among the 334 largest U.S. counties, 18 experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. Davidson, Tenn., had the largest average weekly wage decrease with a loss of 2.2 percent. Whatcom, Wash., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, followed by Washington, Ore., and Shelby, Tenn., which tied for the third largest percentage decrease.

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Providence County, with an average weekly wage of $908 in the second quarter of 2013, although ranking in the top-half (117th), was not among 107 large counties nationwide with wages above the U.S. average. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid counties with an average weekly wage of $1,810. New York, N.Y., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,675, followed by San Mateo, Calif., ($1,632), Washington, D.C., ($1,575), and Arlington, Va. ($1,525).

More than two-thirds of the largest U.S. counties (227) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2013. The lowest wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($537), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($572) and Hidalgo ($592). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,810).

Average Weekly Wages in Rhode Island’s Smaller Counties

All four counties in Rhode Island with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $921. Bristol County’s wage, at $729, was over 20 percent below the U.S. average. (See table 2.)

When all five counties in Rhode Island were considered, none reported wages above the national average. Overall, one county reported wages below $749, one reported waged ranging from $750 to $799, one reported wages ranging from $800 to $849, and two reported wages of $850 or above. (See chart 1.)

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 the QCEW Web site at www.bls.gov/cew.

An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages Annual Wages 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 news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online 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 Services: 1-800-877-8339.

For personal assistance or further information on the QCEW program, as well as other Bureau programs, contact the New England Information Office at 617-565-2327. This release is available in PDF and HTML format on the New England BLS Web site at https://www.bls.gov/regions/northeast/news-release/countyemploymentandwages_rhodeisland.htm.


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 9.2 million employer reports cover 135.1 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 (1) employment and wages in the United States and the largest county in Rhode Island, second quarter 2013 (2)
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (3)
June
2013
(thousands)
Percent change,
June
2012-13 (4)
National
ranking by
percent change (5)
Average
weekly
wage
National
ranking by
level (5)
Percent change,
second quarter
2012-13 (4)
National
ranking by
percent change (5)

United States (6)

135,094.0 1.6 -- $921 -- 2.1 --

Rhode Island

465.5 1.0 -- 880 19 2.3 16

Providence, R.I.

273.2 1.0 203 908 117 2.0 133

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(5) Ranking does not include the county of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(6) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

Table 2. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Rhode Island, 2nd quarter 2013 (2)
Area Employment
June
2013
Average
Weekly
Wage (3)

United States (4)

135,093,963 $921

Rhode Island

465,450 880

Bristol County

14,037 729

Kent County

75,229 826

Newport County

40,438 861

Providence County

273,220 908

Washington County

52,485 788

Footnotes
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

 
Table 3. Covered (1) employment and wages by state, second quarter 2013 (2)
State Employment Average weekly wage (3)
June 2013 (thousands) Percent change, June 2012-13 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, second quarter 2012-13 National ranking by percent change

United States (4)

135,094.0 1.6 $921 -- 2.1 --

Alabama

1,859.5 0.9 794 35 1.4 44

Alaska

342.6 -0.1 970 9 1.6 37

Arizona

2,438.1 1.8 877 20 1.7 32

Arkansas

1,150.4 -0.6 734 46 2.4 10

California

15,485.8 2.4 1,048 6 2.0 21

Colorado

2,359.4 2.9 933 14 1.6 37

Connecticut

1,666.3 1.0 1,128 3 1.5 41

Delaware

417.8 1.8 966 12 2.0 21

District of Columbia

725.0 0.9 1,575 1 2.1 19

Florida

7,402.0 2.4 822 29 2.0 21

Georgia

3,917.2 1.7 867 22 2.2 17

Hawaii

617.0 1.9 823 28 1.6 37

Idaho

642.7 2.7 683 51 1.9 28

Illinois

5,750.0 0.8 971 8 1.9 28

Indiana

2,863.4 1.1 776 42 1.7 32

Iowa

1,523.9 1.3 757 43 2.0 21

Kansas

1,350.0 1.2 779 41 2.1 19

Kentucky

1,790.6 0.6 782 38 1.3 46

Louisiana

1,894.7 0.9 824 27 2.4 10

Maine

604.4 0.4 732 47 1.8 30

Maryland

2,570.3 0.9 1,005 7 1.4 44

Massachusetts

3,352.7 1.3 1,131 2 2.0 21

Michigan

4,073.7 2.2 875 21 2.0 21

Minnesota

2,745.2 1.9 929 15 2.4 10

Mississippi

1,094.9 0.7 691 49 1.5 41

Missouri

2,668.2 1.2 803 33 1.6 37

Montana

448.4 1.5 717 48 2.4 10

Nebraska

941.0 0.9 737 45 2.6 7

Nevada

1,168.3 2.3 829 26 1.7 32

New Hampshire

629.1 0.8 916 17 2.9 4

New Jersey

3,917.5 1.0 1,084 5 2.6 7

New Mexico

795.0 0.4 781 39 -0.3 51

New York

8,804.9 1.1 1,118 4 2.0 21

North Carolina

3,985.1 1.7 808 31 2.5 9

North Dakota

433.7 3.2 887 18 3.7 1

Ohio

5,162.3 1.1 830 25 1.7 32

Oklahoma

1,560.7 0.9 794 35 3.5 2

Oregon

1,708.0 2.5 848 23 1.3 46

Pennsylvania

5,665.9 0.3 918 16 2.8 5

Rhode Island

465.5 1.0 880 19 2.3 16

South Carolina

1,864.9 1.8 747 44 1.5 41

South Dakota

417.0 1.0 689 50 1.8 30

Tennessee

2,709.3 1.5 820 30 0.5 49

Texas

11,078.8 2.7 944 13 2.4 10

Utah

1,259.7 2.8 783 37 2.2 17

Vermont

303.1 0.3 808 31 2.7 6

Virginia

3,685.4 0.7 968 11 1.7 32

Washington

3,013.3 2.2 969 10 2.4 10

West Virginia

713.1 -0.1 781 39 0.6 48

Wisconsin

2,768.2 0.6 801 34 3.0 3

Wyoming

290.4 0.4 845 24 0.5 49

Puerto Rico

926.1 -1.1 503 (5) 1.0 (5)

Virgin Islands

38.9 -3.0 706 (5) -13.8 (5)

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) Data not included in the national ranking.
 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Rhode Island, second quarter 2013

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, February 04, 2014