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News Release Information

16-174-NEW
Thursday, January 28, 2016

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

County Employment and Wages in New York - Second Quarter 2015

Average weekly wages in all 18 large counties in New York increased from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are those with 2014 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that Saratoga County had the largest growth in average weekly wages, 5.4 percent, followed by Westchester County, 4.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Seven of New York’s large counties reported average weekly wages above the $968 national average in the second quarter of 2015. Average weekly wages in five counties (New York, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and Albany) exceeded $1,000.

Seventeen of the 18 large counties in New York had employment gains from June 2014 to June 2015. The largest growth was in Kings County, up 4.4 percent while the smallest rate of growth was in Onandaga County, at 0.1 percent. Nationally, employment grew 2.0 percent from June 2014 to June 2015 as 319 of the 342 largest U.S. counties added jobs. (See chart 2.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 44 counties in New York with employment levels below 75,000. Average wages in all but two of these smaller counties were below the national average in the second quarter of 2015. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Three of New York’s large counties had average weekly wage growth above the national average of 3.0 percent from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015. (See table 1.) Saratoga County ranked 13th and Westchester County ranked 37th among the 342 large counties in the nation with wage increases of 5.4 and 4.1 percent over the year, respectively. New York County ranked 87th with a wage gain of 3.3 percent.

Nationally, 323 of the 342 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Ventura, Calif., had the largest wage gain, up 15.2 percent from the second quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., was second with a wage increase of 11.3 percent, followed by Forsyth, N.C. (10.9 percent). Among the 16 counties with declining weekly wages, Olmsted, Minn., had the largest loss, 5.2 percent, followed by Ector, Texas, at 5.1 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

New York County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,842 and ranked 3rd among the 342 largest counties in the United States. Westchester County ($1,274) ranked in the top 25 in the nation, at 19th. Five additional counties (Nassau, Suffolk, Albany, Rockland, and Dutchess) had average weekly wages that placed them in the top 100 nationwide. Broome ($774) and Oneida ($776) reported the lowest average weekly wages among the state’s large counties and ranked 295th and 293rd, respectively.

Nationally, 102 large counties had average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $968 in the second quarter of 2015. Santa Clara., Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $2,109. San Mateo, Calif., was second at $1,863, followed by New York, N.Y. at $1,842.

Seventy percent of the largest U.S. counties (240) reported weekly wages below the national average. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($568), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($586) and Hidalgo ($614). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, San Mateo, Calif.

Large county employment

Employment rose in 17 of the 18 largest counties in New York State from June 2014 to June 2015. Seven of these counties— Kings, Queens, Saratoga, New York, Rockland, Bronx, and Westchester—had employment growth above the national rate of 2.0 percent. Only Broome County lost jobs, down 1.2 percent.

Nationally, employment grew in 319 of the 342 largest counties nationwide. The largest over-the-year percentage growth was recorded in Utah, Utah (7.5 percent). Ector, Texas, had the largest over-the-year decrease (-4.2 percent).

In New York, employment was highest in New York County (2,495,683) followed by Suffolk (634,939) and Nassau (604,958). Altogether, New York’s large counties accounted for 85.3 percent of total state employment. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made up 72.1 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages in New York’s smaller counties

Forty-two of New York’s 44 counties with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average of $968. Schenectady ($1,016) and Putnam ($987) were the exceptions. (See table 2.) Yates and Schuyler counties in western New York reported the lowest average weekly wages at $635 and $659, respectively.

When all 62 counties in New York were considered, all but 10 had wages below $950. Seventeen counties reported average weekly wages less than $749, 25 had wages from $750 to $849, and 10 had wages from $850 to$949. Nine of the 10 counties with an average weekly wage at or above $950 were clustered in the Hudson River Valley or on Long Island. The counties with the lowest average weekly wage, under $749, were all located in the northern and western parts of the state. (See chart 3.)

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 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 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 2014 are now available online at https://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 third quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


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 140.6 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 18 largest counties in New York, second quarter 2015
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2015 (thousands)Percent change, June 2014-15 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, second quarter 2014-15 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

140,594.92.0--$968--3.0--

New York

9,136.91.9--1,18033.19

Albany, N.Y.

231.11.12431,013812.9120

Bronx, N.Y.

299.92.11559281372.3194

Broome, N.Y.

87.7-1.23357742952.4180

Dutchess, N.Y.

111.71.1243977981.0298

Erie, N.Y.

468.00.82758432172.2198

Kings, N.Y.

663.04.4178132522.9120

Monroe, N.Y.

384.50.92659131502.0220

Nassau, N.Y.

626.71.22351,094482.3194

New York, N.Y.

2,378.92.31381,84233.387

Oneida, N.Y.

105.30.72847762932.1207

Onondaga, N.Y.

244.20.13158841732.2198

Orange, N.Y.

141.51.22358502062.9120

Queens, N.Y.

636.53.8429051621.0298

Richmond, N.Y.

113.41.81728532043.0114

Rockland, N.Y.

120.62.2147979970.2323

Saratoga, N.Y.

86.03.0889181495.413

Suffolk, N.Y.

665.31.12431,025721.4276

Westchester, N.Y.

429.62.11551,274194.137

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 [1] employment and wages in the United States and all counties in New York, second quarter 2015 [2]
AreaEmployment June 2015Average weekly wage (3)

United States (4)

140,594,927$968

New York

9,136,9471180

Albany

231,0771,013

Allegany

13,863709

Bronx

299,870928

Broome

87,714774

Cattaraugus

29,692745

Cayuga

27,088803

Chautauqua

51,211711

Chemung

37,296843

Chenango

18,198800

Clinton

33,242806

Columbia

22,113751

Cortland

18,243729

Delaware

14,923775

Dutchess

111,696977

Erie

467,976843

Essex

14,882725

Franklin

18,188791

Fulton

17,565708

Genesee

24,664721

Greene

14,937807

Hamilton

2,118678

Herkimer

17,252697

Jefferson

43,519757

Kings

663,005813

Lewis

6,639727

Livingston

20,264703

Madison

21,307718

Monroe

384,479913

Montgomery

18,870751

Nassau

626,7301,094

New York

2,378,8761,842

Niagara

75,120751

Oneida

105,267776

Onondaga

244,205884

Ontario

54,367842

Orange

141,475850

Orleans

13,220780

Oswego

34,150805

Otsego

24,539744

Putnam

26,618987

Queens

636,509905

Rensselaer

52,321950

Richmond

113,429853

Rockland

120,644979

Saratoga

86,026918

Schenectady

63,5821,016

Schoharie

8,782700

Schuyler

5,275659

Seneca

12,043794

St. Lawrence

35,327808

Steuben

37,880915

Suffolk

665,3461,025

Sullivan

26,259752

Tioga

13,365926

Tompkins

50,955921

Ulster

60,703777

Warren

41,641739

Washington

16,202837

Wayne

29,909761

Westchester

429,6301,274

Wyoming

14,468785

Yates

7,195635

Footnotes:
(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 employment and wages by state, second quarter 2015
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2015 (thousands)Percent change, June 2014-15Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, second quarter 2014-15National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

140,594.92.0$968--3.0--

Alabama

1,899.31.3819371.641

Alaska

346.60.41,02882.430

Arizona

2,549.92.5904211.839

Arkansas

1,184.61.7762472.135

California

16,338.92.81,13155.51

Colorado

2,517.13.2989133.013

Connecticut

1,693.10.91,17742.038

Delaware

439.12.2991121.542

District of Columbia

745.11.81,59911.839

Florida

7,907.73.6861282.623

Georgia

4,167.83.4903222.430

Hawaii

635.91.6876243.86

Idaho

678.52.9713502.333

Illinois

5,925.51.51,015102.623

Indiana

2,966.01.7811403.47

Iowa

1,561.20.9802432.818

Kansas

1,382.10.7819372.818

Kentucky

1,850.51.7822353.013

Louisiana

1,930.60.5850300.847

Maine

615.80.8768462.916

Maryland

2,631.31.41,04672.623

Massachusetts

3,488.32.11,21124.72

Michigan

4,225.01.5916202.135

Minnesota

2,826.31.5977153.28

Mississippi

1,114.71.1709510.648

Missouri

2,746.61.7842322.818

Montana

461.51.8754482.721

Nebraska

968.71.2787444.13

Nevada

1,248.13.2855292.623

New Hampshire

647.71.5967161.346

New Jersey

4,000.21.51,12662.623

New Mexico

808.40.8805411.444

New York

9,136.91.91,18033.19

North Carolina

4,185.62.6850303.94

North Dakota

445.0-1.8939180.350

Ohio

5,308.11.4865262.430

Oklahoma

1,591.50.6818390.549

Oregon

1,810.43.4899233.013

Pennsylvania

5,763.90.8958172.721

Rhode Island

480.01.5925192.916

South Carolina

1,963.52.5782452.135

South Dakota

428.61.3740493.94

Tennessee

2,832.12.8863273.19

Texas

11,689.42.4988141.542

Utah

1,345.93.9821363.19

Vermont

309.30.6831342.234

Virginia

3,767.21.71,000112.529

Washington

3,197.63.31,02693.19

West Virginia

706.5-0.8803421.444

Wisconsin

2,839.81.0836332.623

Wyoming

291.5-1.586925-0.151

Puerto Rico

884.6-1.4513(3)2.0(3)

Virgin Islands

37.90.1748(3)2.2(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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, January 28, 2016