Maine’s only large county (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2014 annual average employment.), Cumberland, reported an employment gain of 1.0 percent from September 2014 to September 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that Cumberland’s employment gain ranked 231st among the 342 large U.S. counties.

Nationwide, employment increased in 312 of the 342 largest U.S. counties. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment was recorded in Williamson, Tenn. (6.5 percent); Ector, Texas, experienced the largest over-the-year decrease (-8.3 percent).

Employment in Cumberland County stood at 176,900 in September 2015 and accounted for 29.0 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made up 72.2 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Cumberland County increased 3.1 percent to $857 from the third quarter of 2014 to the third quarter of 2015. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 2.6 percent over the year to $974.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 15 counties in Maine 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

The 3.1-percent wage gain in Cumberland County ranked in the top-third (104th) among the 342 largest U.S. counties. Nationally, 319 large counties had over-the-year wage increases. Rockland, N.Y., had the largest wage gain, up 24.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015.

Among the large U.S. counties, 20 experienced decreases in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 6.7 percent. Ector, Texas, had the second largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages down 4.9 percent, followed by Lafayette, La. (-3.2 percent); Stark, Ohio (-2.1 percent); and Gregg, Texas (-1.5 percent).

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Cumberland County’s average weekly wage of $857 placed in the middle-third of the national ranking at 206th in the third quarter of 2015. Among the 242 large U.S. counties with average weekly wages below the national average, Horry, S.C. ($598), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($615); Hidalgo, Texas ($624); Webb, Texas ($658); and Marion, Fla. ($658).

Nationally, average weekly wages were greater than the national average in 100 of the largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $2,090. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,894, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,829), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,712).  

Average Weekly Wages in Maine’s Smaller Counties

All 15 counties in Maine with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $974. Sagadahoc reported the highest average weekly wage of any county in Maine, at $955 per week. Piscataquis reported the lowest weekly wage in the state, averaging $619, followed by Lincoln at $630.

When all 16 counties in Maine were considered, all had weekly wages that were lower than the national average. Two reported wages of $649 or less, nine had wages from $650 to $749, three had wages from $750 to $849, and two had wages of $850 or more. (See chart 1.) The higher paid counties were located along the state’s southern Atlantic coastline.

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 2014 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2015, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2015 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online 2014 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2014/home.htm. The 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2016. The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 8, 2016.

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 9.6 million employer reports cover 140.4 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.

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 largest county in Maine, third quarter 2015

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2015 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2014-15 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2014-15 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	140,442.2	1.9	--	$974	--	2.6	--
Maine	609.7	0.7	--	779	46	3.3	7
Cumberland, Maine	176.9	1.0	231	857	206	3.1	104
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.