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News Release Information

14-504-ATL
Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

County Employment and Wages in Florida — Third Quarter 2013

Employment increased in 21 of the 22 large counties in Florida from September 2012 to September 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.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment advances ranged from 5.2 percent in Lee County to 0.7 percent in Leon County. Brevard County was the only large county in Florida to experience an employment decline, down 0.3 percent. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment rose 1.7 percent during the 12-month period as 286 of the 334 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Fort Bend, Texas, posted the largest over-the-year percentage increase with a gain of 6.0 percent, while Peoria, Ill., experienced the largest employment decline at 3.7 percent.

Among the 22 largest counties in Florida, employment was highest in Miami-Dade County (1,016,700) in September 2013. Two other counties—Broward and Orange—had employment levels exceeding 700,000. Together, Florida’s 22 large counties accounted for 85.4 percent of total employment within the state. (See table 1.) Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 135.0 million in September 2013.

The average weekly wage in Collier County rose 8.0 percent from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013, the largest increase in the state and the third largest increase in the nation. Palm Beach County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $884, followed by the counties of Hillsborough ($874) and Miami-Dade ($873). Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 1.9 percent over the year to $922 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 45 counties in Florida with employment levels below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in 20 of the 22 largest counties in Florida from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013. As noted, Collier County’s 8.0-percent wage increase ranked third among the nation’s 334 largest counties. Four other Florida counties experienced over-the-year wage increases that placed them in the top third of the national ranking—Marion (2.9 percent, 51st), Palm Beach (2.6 percent, 70th) and Alachua and Miami-Dade (2.1 percent each, 108th). (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 291 large counties experienced increases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest gain (9.9 percent) from the third quarter of 2012, followed by the counties of Dane, Wis. (9.3 percent) and Collier, Fla. (8.0 percent).

Among the 334 largest U.S. counties, 40 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Pinellas, Fla., had the largest decrease in the nation (-4.3 percent), followed by the counties of Rockland, N.Y. (-4.1 percent), Harford, Md. (-2.6 percent), and Douglas, Colo. (-2.5 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 4 of Florida’s 22 largest counties place in the top half of the national ranking among the 334 largest counties in the third quarter of 2013. However, none of these counties had an average weekly wage above the national average of $922. The four large counties with the lowest average weekly wages in the state—Pasco ($635, 331st), Marion ($639, 328th), Lake ($640, 327th), and Volusia ($650, 325th)—placed among the 10 lowest in the United States. (See table 1.)

Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 101 of the 334 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,868. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,698, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,667), Washington, D.C. ($1,560), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,549).

There were 232 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2013. Horry County, S.C. ($564), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($587), Hidalgo, Texas ($595), Pasco, Fla. ($635), and Webb, Texas ($636).

Average weekly wages in Florida’s smaller counties

All 45 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $922. Among these counties, Hamilton County had the highest average weekly wage at $750. Holmes County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $517 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Florida were considered, 22 reported average weekly wages under $600, 24 reported wages from $600 to $699, 12 had wages from $700 to $799, and 9 had wages above $800. (See chart 1.)

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

An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online, features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2012 edition of this bulletin, which was published in September 2013, contains selected data produced by the Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2013 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from the Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages 2012 are now available 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 later in 2014.

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.

Changes to QCEW Data Files

BLS discontinued its ftp service on February 28, 2014. As part of this transition, the QCEW data file collection was substantially reorganized and improved. For more information, see www.bls.gov/cew/about-data/data-files-guide.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 9.3 million employer reports cover 135.0 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 22 largest counties in Florida, third quarter 2013 (2)
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (3)
September 2013 (thousands) Percent change, September 2012-13 (4) National ranking by percent change (5) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (5) Percent change, third quarter 2012-13 (4) National ranking by percent change (5)

United States (6)

134,957.5 1.7 -- $922 -- 1.9 --

Florida

7,501.8 2.6 -- 808 31 1.1 46

Alachua, Fla.

118.2 1.6 156 764 263 2.1 108

Brevard, Fla.

186.7 -0.3 302 845 176 0.5 255

Broward, Fla.

719.4 2.6 77 846 174 1.1 212

Collier, Fla.

118.6 5.1 5 837 187 8.0 3

Duval, Fla.

451.2 2.6 77 865 161 -0.1 295

Escambia, Fla.

121.9 1.1 203 709 317 1.9 138

Hillsborough, Fla.

603.0 3.3 41 874 151 1.0 216

Lake, Fla.

83.7 3.9 23 640 327 1.3 202

Lee, Fla.

210.4 5.2 4 729 300 0.4 262

Leon, Fla.

138.4 0.7 239 757 275 0.4 262

Manatee, Fla.

103.8 2.3 97 699 320 1.9 138

Marion, Fla.

91.3 1.0 214 639 328 2.9 51

Miami-Dade, Fla.

1,016.7 2.4 90 873 152 2.1 108

Okaloosa, Fla.

77.6 1.1 203 757 275 0.5 255

Orange, Fla.

707.8 3.3 41 804 222 1.0 216

Palm Beach, Fla.

518.4 3.3 41 884 142 2.6 70

Pasco, Fla.

100.8 2.4 90 635 331 1.8 146

Pinellas, Fla.

390.5 1.5 162 802 227 -4.3 334

Polk, Fla.

193.1 1.9 130 718 311 1.8 146

Sarasota, Fla.

142.6 4.0 22 744 287 0.8 236

Seminole, Fla.

162.3 2.7 68 762 266 1.6 172

Volusia, Fla.

152.7 1.9 130 650 325 1.1 212

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 data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(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 Florida, 3rd quarter 2013 (2)
Area Employment September 2013 Average Weekly Wage (3)

United States (4)

134,957,493 $922

Florida

7,501,757 808

Alachua

118,175 764

Baker

6,844 571

Bay

72,275 673

Bradford

6,549 603

Brevard

186,656 845

Broward

719,423 846

Calhoun

2,877 550

Charlotte

41,660 632

Citrus

30,919 665

Clay

45,746 627

Collier

118,585 837

Columbia

21,632 643

De Soto

7,590 615

Dixie

2,660 526

Duval

451,181 865

Escambia

121,892 709

Flagler

19,772 582

Franklin

3,492 533

Gadsden

12,691 594

Gilchrist

3,043 571

Glades

1,530 674

Gulf

3,567 593

Hamilton

3,155 750

Hardee

6,589 594

Hendry

10,135 640

Hernando

37,589 586

Highlands

24,475 597

Hillsborough

602,960 874

Holmes

3,211 517

Indian River

44,696 674

Jackson

14,168 597

Jefferson

2,487 574

Lafayette

1,612 521

Lake

83,661 640

Lee

210,420 729

Leon

138,407 757

Levy

8,050 536

Liberty

2,121 594

Madison

4,235 568

Manatee

103,789 699

Marion

91,305 639

Martin

55,700 709

Miami-Dade

1,016,677 873

Monroe

36,589 691

Nassau

19,089 706

Okaloosa

77,567 757

Okeechobee

10,391 641

Orange

707,802 804

Osceola

76,725 640

Palm Beach

518,426 884

Pasco

100,775 635

Pinellas

390,499 802

Polk

193,054 718

Putnam

16,098 637

St. Johns

60,201 674

St. Lucie

66,233 684

Santa Rosa

32,928 586

Sarasota

142,635 744

Seminole

162,288 762

Sumter

24,054 674

Suwannee

10,949 558

Taylor

6,940 743

Union

3,656 626

Volusia

152,731 650

Wakulla

5,135 589

Walton

22,003 601

Washington

5,699 583

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.
 

SOURCE: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
 

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

United States (4)

134,957.5 1.7 $922 -- 1.9 --

Alabama

1,847.6 0.8 794 34 1.3 43

Alaska

345.0 0.4 990 9 3.0 7

Arizona

2,490.9 2.2 859 22 1.5 36

Arkansas

1,156.5 0.1 723 47 2.1 21

California

15,526.4 2.7 1,057 6 2.1 21

Colorado

2,355.7 3.1 952 12 1.7 31

Connecticut

1,650.3 0.7 1,109 3 1.9 28

Delaware

416.8 2.1 941 14 2.1 21

District of Columbia

726.2 1.5 1,560 1 3.0 7

Florida

7,501.8 2.6 808 31 1.1 46

Georgia

3,928.2 2.3 867 21 1.5 36

Hawaii

617.7 1.7 839 25 1.6 33

Idaho

644.7 2.3 703 50 2.3 19

Illinois

5,731.7 0.7 959 11 1.5 36

Indiana

2,883.6 1.2 784 38 1.6 33

Iowa

1,512.0 1.5 772 40 2.1 21

Kansas

1,347.6 1.8 776 39 2.0 26

Kentucky

1,794.5 1.0 760 43 1.1 46

Louisiana

1,893.4 1.4 827 28 2.9 10

Maine

601.5 0.7 735 46 1.8 30

Maryland

2,546.4 0.6 1,011 8 0.4 51

Massachusetts

3,318.3 1.2 1,131 2 2.6 11

Michigan

4,069.7 2.1 875 20 1.5 36

Minnesota

2,724.2 1.7 938 15 2.6 11

Mississippi

1,099.1 0.8 688 51 2.5 15

Missouri

2,661.0 1.3 805 32 1.4 40

Montana

446.7 1.2 705 49 2.3 19

Nebraska

937.5 1.3 766 41 3.4 3

Nevada

1,169.4 2.5 836 27 2.0 26

New Hampshire

624.5 0.6 895 18 2.4 17

New Jersey

3,851.9 1.2 1,068 5 1.3 43

New Mexico

793.7 0.5 766 41 0.7 49

New York

8,724.8 1.3 1,108 4 1.7 31

North Carolina

4,006.4 1.7 817 30 1.4 40

North Dakota

436.7 3.4 921 16 5.5 1

Ohio

5,147.5 1.4 837 26 1.2 45

Oklahoma

1,572.6 1.4 797 33 2.4 17

Oregon

1,709.8 2.4 856 23 2.6 11

Pennsylvania

5,622.4 0.3 913 17 1.6 33

Rhode Island

465.2 1.3 878 19 2.6 11

South Carolina

1,859.3 2.3 751 44 1.9 28

South Dakota

408.9 0.9 706 48 3.4 3

Tennessee

2,712.8 1.5 819 29 0.6 50

Texas

11,091.9 2.8 952 12 2.5 15

Utah

1,265.5 2.9 791 36 3.1 6

Vermont

302.5 0.0 788 37 3.4 3

Virginia

3,650.1 0.6 971 10 1.1 46

Washington

3,017.9 2.4 1,044 7 2.1 21

West Virginia

710.3 -0.7 751 44 3.7 2

Wisconsin

2,752.7 1.1 793 35 3.0 7

Wyoming

286.1 0.2 840 24 1.4 40

Puerto Rico

910.9 -2.5 501 (5) -0.6 (5)

Virgin Islands

37.9 -1.9 706 (5) -0.6 (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 Florida, third quarter 2013

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2014