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News Release Information

18-473-BOS
Thursday, March 22, 2018

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

Boston Area Employment — January 2018

Total nonfarm employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Mass.-N.H. Metropolitan New England City and Town Area stood at 2,699,000 in January 2018, up 22,400 from one year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that nonfarm employment rose 0.8 percent locally from January a year ago. During the same period, the national job count increased 1.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1; Technical note at end of release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua area includes 10 metropolitan divisions¾separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metropolitan division, which made up 67 percent of the workforce, gained 15,500 jobs from January 2017 to January 2018. All the other divisions for which data are published also added jobs over the year except the Peabody and Framingham divisions.

Industry employment

Professional and business services had the largest annual employment gain in the Boston area from January 2017, adding 11,700 jobs. The 2.5-percent rate of job growth in Boston’s professional and business services supersector was comparable to the 2.2-percent nationwide gain.

Education and health services, the largest industry in the Boston area, had the next largest local employment gain, adding 6,000 jobs from January 2017 to January 2018. The 1.1-percent rate of local job growth in this supersector lagged the national gain of 2.1 percent.

Three other supersectors in the Boston area gained at least 1,000 jobs over the year—leisure and hospitality (+3,400), other services (+1,600), and manufacturing (+1,100). The local rates of job growth in all three of these supersectors lagged that of the nation.

Three supersectors lost jobs over the year—government (̶ 3,000), trade, transportation and utilities (̶ 2,000) and financial activities (̶ 1,400).

Employment in the twelve Largest Metropolitan Areas

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in January 2018. All 12 areas had over-the-year job growth during the period, with the rates of job growth in 6 areas exceeding the national increase of 1.4 percent. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale had the fastest rate of job growth, up 2.7 percent, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, up 2.4 percent. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin had the slowest rate of job growth, up 0.5 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area added the largest number of jobs over the year, 114,600, followed by New York-Newark-Jersey City, up 104,000. Boston had the smallest employment gain over the year, adding 22,400 jobs. Chicago and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington each added 23,200 jobs. Annual gains in the remaining seven metropolitan areas ranged from 85,800 in Dallas to 29,700 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach.

Over the year, education and health services added the most jobs in five areas: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Professional and business services gained the most jobs in four areas: Boston, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Miami, and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward.

Metropolitan area employment data for February 2018 are scheduled to be released on Friday, March 23, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).


Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. The employment data are estimated using a "link relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios. Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for approximately 39 percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-based estimates.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample survey and administrative data and thus are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data are also subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the special estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error are available for metropolitan areas or metropolitan divisions upon request. Measures of sampling error for states down to the supersector level is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/sae/benchmark2017.pdf.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget July 15, 2015. A detailed list of geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

Areas in the six New England states are defined as Metropolitan New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs), while areas in other states are county-based and identified as metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions.  However, for comparative purposes, the Boston NECTA and its divisions have been referred to as a metropolitan area and metropolitan divisions. 

The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Mass.-N.H. Metropolitan New England City and Town Area (NECTA) includes 10 NECTA divisions--subdivisions of the larger NECTA which function as distinct social, economic, and cultural areas within the larger region. The NECTA divisions that compose the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Mass.-N.H. NECTA include:  Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA; Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Mass.; Framingham, Mass.; Haverhill- Newburyport-Amesbury town, Mass.-N.H.; Lawrence-Methuen town-Salem, Mass.-N.H.; Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, Mass.-N.H.; Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, Mass.; Nashua, N.H.-Mass.; Peabody-Salem-Beverly, Mass.; Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Mass.; and select cities and towns within.  

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae/.

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. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, U.S. and Boston metropolitan area, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and IndustryJan 2017Nov 2017Dec 2017Jan 2018(p)Jan 2017 to Jan 2018
Net changePercent change

United States

Total nonfarm

143,393148,783148,530145,4722,0791.4

Mining and logging

637703700693568.8

Construction

6,4597,1176,9706,6922333.6

Manufacturing

12,27712,52212,56012,4842071.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

27,30528,17128,33727,4641590.6

Information

2,7782,7992,7842,724-54-1.9

Financial activities

8,3458,4998,5168,4611161.4

Professional and business services

19,87520,86420,77020,3194442.2

Educational and health services

22,76623,60923,55623,2504842.1

Leisure and hospitality

15,12415,87715,86215,4523282.2

Other services

5,6565,8095,8005,751951.7

Government

22,17122,81322,67522,182110.0

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

Total nonfarm

2,676.62,770.42,767.72,699.022.40.8

Mining, logging, and construction

102.8117.7114.5107.44.64.5

Manufacturing

186.6187.6188.7187.71.10.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

423.9431.7436.7421.9-2.0-0.5

Information

78.879.779.079.20.40.5

Financial activities

183.2183.9184.2181.8-1.4-0.8

Professional and business services

467.0489.6487.5478.711.72.5

Educational and health services

569.0589.9589.0575.06.01.1

Leisure and hospitality

254.2267.5267.4257.63.41.3

Other services

99.5104.9103.9101.11.61.6

Government

311.6317.9316.8308.6-3.0-1.0

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA division

Total nonfarm

1,800.01,865.91,862.71,815.515.50.9

Mining, logging, and construction

62.370.568.864.32.03.2

Manufacturing

79.979.780.380.00.10.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

250.3254.0256.3246.9-3.4-1.4

Information

58.959.759.159.40.50.8

Financial activities

152.2152.7152.9150.8-1.4-0.9

Professional and business services

351.5368.4367.9362.210.73.0

Educational and health services

406.5425.0423.5410.54.01.0

Leisure and hospitality

176.2186.6186.8179.83.62.0

Other services

65.670.068.866.71.11.7

Government

196.6199.3198.3194.9-1.7-0.9

p(preliminary)

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
AreaJan
2017
Nov
2017
Dec
2017
Jan
2018(p)
Jan 2017 to
Jan 2018(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Total nonfarm

2,665.52,770.32,767.02,709.844.31.7

Mining and logging

1.61.61.61.60.00.0

Construction

116.7126.0125.6121.14.43.8

Manufacturing

166.2168.6169.4167.31.10.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

595.0619.2622.9606.611.61.9

Information

96.9100.299.591.5-5.4-5.6

Financial activities

167.1170.7170.4166.8-0.3-0.2

Professional and business services

487.7504.4501.2492.44.71.0

Education and health services

334.2348.4349.2344.09.82.9

Leisure and hospitality

274.7290.7290.3285.510.83.9

Other services

96.999.0100.398.92.02.1

Government

328.5341.5336.6334.15.61.7

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (NECTA)

Total nonfarm

2,676.62,770.42,767.72,699.022.40.8

Mining, logging, and construction

102.8117.7114.5107.44.64.5

Manufacturing

186.6187.6188.7187.71.10.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

423.9431.7436.7421.9-2.0-0.5

Information

78.879.779.079.20.40.5

Financial activities

183.2183.9184.2181.8-1.4-0.8

Professional and business services

467.0489.6487.5478.711.72.5

Education and health services

569.0589.9589.0575.06.01.1

Leisure and hospitality

254.2267.5267.4257.63.41.3

Other services

99.5104.9103.9101.11.61.6

Government

311.6317.9316.8308.6-3.0-1.0

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Total nonfarm

4,583.74,758.64,730.94,606.923.20.5

Mining and logging

1.31.61.51.50.215.4

Construction

151.8179.4171.4155.43.62.4

Manufacturing

411.2419.1420.2416.25.01.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

944.4973.9980.3942.0-2.4-0.3

Information

80.677.878.276.7-3.9-4.8

Financial activities

299.8304.3304.8306.56.72.2

Professional and business services

797.3840.2827.6796.8-0.5-0.1

Education and health services

714.3734.6727.1721.26.91.0

Leisure and hospitality

452.0474.2467.7456.74.71.0

Other services

192.7193.2194.2192.5-0.2-0.1

Government

538.3560.3557.9541.43.10.6

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Total nonfarm

3,522.03,671.03,666.83,607.885.82.4

Mining, logging, and construction

205.3215.6211.9209.64.32.1

Manufacturing

265.8275.0274.6272.66.82.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

762.3792.2796.0773.210.91.4

Information

83.283.284.283.40.20.2

Financial activities

286.7296.4295.5294.37.62.7

Professional and business services

581.2604.6602.3588.47.21.2

Education and health services

434.4452.6450.4447.913.53.1

Leisure and hospitality

357.5382.6383.1378.120.65.8

Other services

117.6123.8123.3121.84.23.6

Government

428.0445.0445.5438.510.52.5

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Total nonfarm

2,965.13,063.43,073.43,029.564.42.2

Mining and logging

76.177.577.978.82.73.5

Construction

210.1221.6221.4219.39.24.4

Manufacturing

217.1220.1221.1221.74.62.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

613.1633.7640.2622.49.31.5

Information

32.331.431.931.7-0.6-1.9

Financial activities

157.0160.3160.4160.13.12.0

Professional and business services

467.2491.9492.8488.621.44.6

Education and health services

379.3384.1383.9380.41.10.3

Leisure and hospitality

306.4319.5318.5312.86.42.1

Other services

106.0108.0109.2108.22.22.1

Government

400.5415.3416.1405.55.01.2

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Total nonfarm

5,948.06,152.56,169.06,062.6114.61.9

Mining and logging

2.92.92.92.90.00.0

Construction

224.4243.8242.9241.116.77.4

Manufacturing

511.6506.8507.8503.1-8.5-1.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,097.91,131.01,138.91,107.89.90.9

Information

237.9247.3246.2233.5-4.4-1.8

Financial activities

337.5341.2343.9339.92.40.7

Professional and business services

889.8933.5939.1916.726.93.0

Education and health services

988.71,030.01,031.91,026.537.83.8

Leisure and hospitality

712.3750.4752.1740.728.44.0

Other services

200.2204.3203.2201.00.80.4

Government

744.8761.3760.1749.44.60.6

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Total nonfarm

2,616.22,666.52,679.32,645.929.71.1

Mining and logging

0.70.70.70.70.00.0

Construction

125.2133.0133.4131.36.14.9

Manufacturing

87.890.892.091.23.43.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

599.2614.1619.0601.52.30.4

Information

50.850.650.550.3-0.5-1.0

Financial activities

178.1179.5181.7177.9-0.2-0.1

Professional and business services

429.5441.4443.2437.47.91.8

Education and health services

387.0393.4395.6392.05.01.3

Leisure and hospitality

322.8322.4324.9327.74.91.5

Other services

122.5124.4125.7123.20.70.6

Government

312.6316.2312.6312.70.10.0

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

Total nonfarm

9,434.79,825.79,838.29,538.7104.01.1

Mining, logging, and construction

372.2405.7398.2377.14.91.3

Manufacturing

362.1363.8363.6358.8-3.3-0.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,734.11,796.21,814.01,749.415.30.9

Information

280.7290.2288.3280.70.00.0

Financial activities

763.3779.3781.8770.67.31.0

Professional and business services

1,495.51,564.61,563.51,517.421.91.5

Education and health services

1,875.91,974.91,979.71,928.252.32.8

Leisure and hospitality

854.8904.6904.6858.63.80.4

Other services

415.2425.3426.8417.32.10.5

Government

1,280.91,321.11,317.71,280.6-0.30.0

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Total nonfarm

2,854.82,955.72,950.92,878.023.20.8

Mining, logging, and construction

110.3116.8113.8106.3-4.0-3.6

Manufacturing

178.4180.5181.8179.71.30.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

523.0537.2542.1523.70.70.1

Information

46.245.045.244.9-1.3-2.8

Financial activities

212.1215.0215.6214.01.90.9

Professional and business services

455.3475.3472.1457.01.70.4

Education and health services

628.4659.4656.5644.315.92.5

Leisure and hospitality

248.2262.4260.0252.03.81.5

Other services

118.9119.2119.9118.6-0.3-0.3

Government

334.0344.9343.9337.53.51.0

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

Total nonfarm

1,999.52,086.32,088.42,052.553.02.7

Mining and logging

3.13.23.13.10.00.0

Construction

106.8117.8118.4116.79.99.3

Manufacturing

120.2125.7128.2127.27.05.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

391.4409.0409.2397.56.11.6

Information

35.035.435.635.30.30.9

Financial activities

182.8190.3188.8189.16.33.4

Professional and business services

340.5353.1354.0345.04.51.3

Education and health services

301.4314.9315.4314.813.44.4

Leisure and hospitality

216.2224.0225.9222.46.22.9

Other services

64.765.465.765.30.60.9

Government

237.4247.5244.1236.1-1.3-0.5

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

Total nonfarm

2,347.42,435.72,437.72,398.350.92.2

Mining and logging

0.40.50.50.50.125.0

Construction

111.5120.8119.5116.14.64.1

Manufacturing

135.7142.4141.6140.44.73.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

382.8394.5399.2385.62.80.7

Information

101.9108.2108.1106.95.04.9

Financial activities

140.6142.5143.9142.31.71.2

Professional and business services

468.7487.4485.9479.610.92.3

Education and health services

341.8356.5356.4352.410.63.1

Leisure and hospitality

260.0271.4273.7268.28.23.2

Other services

85.085.684.484.7-0.3-0.4

Government

319.0325.9324.5321.62.60.8

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Total nonfarm

3,214.73,306.23,310.23,258.543.81.4

Mining, logging, and construction

153.5159.6159.5156.63.12.0

Manufacturing

54.255.154.754.50.30.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

404.8414.6421.0406.01.20.3

Information

73.673.474.974.71.11.5

Financial activities

154.8157.3158.6157.83.01.9

Professional and business services

734.1751.4748.6744.810.71.5

Education and health services

433.2451.7449.8443.210.02.3

Leisure and hospitality

308.9325.9326.0321.913.04.2

Other services

202.2209.0210.6206.54.32.1

Government

695.4708.2706.5692.5-2.9-0.4

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, March 22, 2018