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News Release Information

15-494-ATL
Thursday, April 09, 2015

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

County Employment and Wages in Florida — Third Quarter 2014

Employment increased in all 23 of Florida’s large counties from September 2013 to September 2014, 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 2013 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment increases ranged from 6.1 percent in both Lee and Sarasota Counties to 0.1 percent in Okaloosa County. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from September 2013 to September 2014 as 306 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., recorded the largest percentage increase, up 8.8 percent over the year. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 4.0 percent.

Among the 23 largest counties in Florida, employment was highest in Miami-Dade County (1,047,000) in September 2014, while Okaloosa County had the smallest employment level (78,200). Together, Florida’s large counties accounted for 86.3 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 71.8 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 137.7 million in September 2014.

All but 1 of Florida’s 23 large counties posted over-the-year wage increases, as Collier County (-3.9 percent) experienced a decrease. Palm Beach County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $903, followed by the counties of Hillsborough and Miami-Dade, $891 each. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.9 percent over the year to $949 in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 44 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2014.  (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in 22 of the 23 largest counties in Florida from the third quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2014. The wage gains in two of the state’s large counties placed in the top third of the national ranking–Alachua (3.4 percent, 74th) and Escambia (3.2 percent, 91st). (See table 1.)

Nationally, 328 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Olmsted, Minn., had the largest wage gain, up 11.1 percent from the third quarter of 2013. San Francisco, Calif., was second with a wage increase of 8.6 percent, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. (7.4 percent), and San Mateo, Calif. and Brazoria, Texas (7.1 percent each).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 10 experienced over-the-year wage decreases. Collier, Fla., had the largest wage decrease with a loss of 3.9 percent. Dane, Wis., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 2.2 percent from the third quarter 2013, followed by Williamson, Texas. (-0.8 percent), Hamilton, Ind. (-0.7 percent), and Shawnee, Kan. (-0.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in four of Florida’s large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking in the third quarter of 2014. However, none of these counties had an average weekly wage above the national average of $949. In contrast, the five large counties with the lowest average weekly wages in the state–Marion ($644, 336th), Pasco ($650, 335th), Lake ($656, 332nd), Osceola ($656, 332nd), and Volusia ($664, 330th)–ranked among the 10 lowest in the United States.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($949) in 99 of the 339 largest counties in the third quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $2,012, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,824), New York, N.Y. ($1,733), San Francisco, Calif. ($1,685), and Washington, D.C. ($1,631)

There were 237 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2014. Horry County, S.C. ($580), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($603), Hidalgo, Texas ($616), Marion, Fla. ($644), and Pasco, Fla. ($650).

Average weekly wages in Florida’s smaller counties

All 44 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $949. Among these counties, Nassau County had the highest average weekly wage at $772. Levy County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $561 in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Florida were considered, 4 reported average weekly wages under $600, 46 reported wages from $600-$749, 15 had wages from $750-$899, and 2 had wages at or above $900. (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 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 2013 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 2014 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages 2013 are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2013/home.htm. The 2014 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2015.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2014 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 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 9.4 million employer reports cover 137.7 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 23 largest counties in Florida, third quarter 2014
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (1)
September 2014 (thousands) Percent change, September 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, third quarter 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

137,724.1 2.0 -- $949 -- 2.9 --

Florida

7,748.4 3.3 -- 826 32 2.1 38

Alachua, Fla.

121.5 2.5 107 790 260 3.4 74

Brevard, Fla.

190.0 1.7 162 851 189 1.2 291

Broward, Fla.

739.9 2.8 86 869 174 2.2 206

Collier, Fla.

123.9 4.3 24 806 243 -3.9 339

Duval, Fla.

456.5 1.3 192 890 160 2.8 129

Escambia, Fla.

124.9 2.1 137 733 317 3.2 91

Hillsborough, Fla.

620.0 2.9 83 891 156 2.6 154

Lake, Fla.

86.2 2.8 86 656 332 2.5 165

Lee, Fla.

223.2 6.1 4 743 310 1.6 274

Leon, Fla.

142.2 2.8 86 771 280 1.7 264

Manatee, Fla.

106.5 3.1 73 706 325 1.0 300

Marion, Fla.

94.9 3.2 65 644 336 1.1 293

Miami-Dade, Fla.

1,047.0 3.0 77 891 156 2.2 206

Okaloosa, Fla.

78.2 0.1 299 779 271 2.8 129

Orange, Fla.

735.7 3.6 51 821 228 2.1 223

Osceola, Fla.

80.9 3.0 77 656 332 2.2 206

Palm Beach, Fla.

538.4 3.9 36 903 141 1.9 244

Pasco, Fla.

105.7 4.2 26 650 335 2.7 140

Pinellas, Fla.

397.8 2.1 137 826 216 2.5 165

Polk, Fla.

196.2 1.9 147 730 319 1.5 282

Sarasota, Fla.

152.5 6.1 4 754 298 1.3 290

Seminole, Fla.

169.0 4.1 29 777 273 1.8 257

Volusia, Fla.

156.2 2.6 102 664 330 2.3 194

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 employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Florida, 3rd quarter 2014
Area Employment September 2014 Average Weekly Wage (1)

United States (2)

137,724,117 $949

Florida

7,748,395 826

Alachua

121,547 790

Baker

6,855 575

Bay

74,361 694

Bradford

6,279 637

Brevard

189,989 851

Broward

739,850 869

Calhoun

2,820 548

Charlotte

41,960 633

Citrus

31,219 653

Clay

46,500 657

Collier

123,894 806

Columbia

22,632 653

De Soto

8,008 621

Dixie

2,536 583

Duval

456,511 890

Escambia

124,891 733

Flagler

20,328 584

Franklin

3,362 553

Gadsden

12,683 615

Gilchrist

3,156 588

Glades

1,491 684

Gulf

3,520 613

Hamilton

3,065 735

Hardee

6,492 639

Hendry

10,436 655

Hernando

38,100 606

Highlands

25,818 590

Hillsborough

619,973 891

Holmes

3,256 537

Indian River

46,339 701

Jackson

14,065 602

Jefferson

2,516 581

Lafayette

1,517 538

Lake

86,179 656

Lee

223,194 743

Leon

142,243 771

Levy

8,226 542

Liberty

1,997 598

Madison

4,290 585

Manatee

106,533 706

Marion

94,928 644

Martin

58,842 725

Miami-Dade

1,046,970 891

Monroe

37,804 699

Nassau

19,986 744

Okaloosa

78,194 779

Okeechobee

10,399 640

Orange

735,683 821

Osceola

80,946 656

Palm Beach

538,447 903

Pasco

105,733 650

Pinellas

397,809 826

Polk

196,233 730

Putnam

16,023 651

St. Johns

63,699 694

St. Lucie

68,645 696

Santa Rosa

33,696 605

Sarasota

152,531 754

Seminole

168,986 777

Sumter

25,105 666

Suwannee

11,201 569

Taylor

6,723 695

Union

3,452 620

Volusia

156,192 664

Wakulla

5,224 596

Walton

22,481 624

Washington

5,480 605

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.
 

NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.
 


Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2014
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2014 (thousands) Percent change, September 2013-14 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, third quarter 2013-14 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

137,724.1 2.0 $949 -- 2.9 --

Alabama

1,871.2 1.3 815 34 2.5 30

Alaska

344.7 -0.1 1,019 9 3.0 19

Arizona

2,539.6 1.8 876 24 2.0 40

Arkansas

1,170.9 1.3 737 47 1.8 44

California

16,013.4 3.1 1,095 5 3.7 7

Colorado

2,443.0 3.7 982 12 3.0 19

Connecticut

1,663.2 0.8 1,124 4 1.4 49

Delaware

426.1 1.9 961 16 2.2 37

District of Columbia

732.9 0.8 1,631 1 4.5 2

Florida

7,748.4 3.3 826 32 2.1 38

Georgia

4,059.0 3.4 891 21 2.8 23

Hawaii

625.1 0.9 870 25 3.9 4

Idaho

658.4 2.1 721 50 2.6 26

Illinois

5,807.4 1.2 982 12 2.5 30

Indiana

2,924.7 1.4 799 39 1.9 42

Iowa

1,528.8 1.1 800 38 3.6 10

Kansas

1,363.1 1.2 794 40 2.3 35

Kentucky

1,827.8 1.8 781 42 2.5 30

Louisiana

1,928.3 1.7 852 27 3.1 16

Maine

604.5 0.3 754 46 2.6 26

Maryland

2,574.5 1.1 1,042 8 3.1 16

Massachusetts

3,386.7 1.8 1,164 2 3.0 19

Michigan

4,141.0 1.7 896 19 2.4 33

Minnesota

2,757.9 1.1 965 15 2.9 22

Mississippi

1,105.0 0.5 697 51 1.3 50

Missouri

2,686.4 1.0 828 31 2.7 25

Montana

449.5 0.7 732 49 3.7 7

Nebraska

950.0 1.1 779 43 1.8 44

Nevada

1,215.8 4.0 840 28 0.5 51

New Hampshire

633.5 1.4 927 18 3.6 10

New Jersey

3,880.4 0.8 1,087 6 1.7 47

New Mexico

804.0 1.1 786 41 2.6 26

New York

8,902.1 2.0 1,145 3 3.2 15

North Carolina

4,085.5 1.9 839 29 2.8 23

North Dakota

455.9 4.3 977 14 6.1 1

Ohio

5,219.1 1.4 863 26 3.1 16

Oklahoma

1,592.3 1.0 826 32 3.6 10

Oregon

1,752.8 2.4 887 22 3.6 10

Pennsylvania

5,676.2 1.0 937 17 2.6 26

Rhode Island

471.8 1.4 895 20 1.8 44

South Carolina

1,902.7 2.4 768 45 2.4 33

South Dakota

415.8 1.7 733 48 3.7 7

Tennessee

2,775.5 2.4 837 30 2.1 38

Texas

11,433.6 3.1 988 11 3.8 6

Utah

1,304.7 3.1 803 37 1.5 48

Vermont

306.5 1.2 805 36 2.3 35

Virginia

3,667.9 0.6 989 10 2.0 40

Washington

3,112.8 3.2 1,087 6 3.9 4

West Virginia

709.3 -0.2 778 44 3.5 14

Wisconsin

2,783.1 1.1 808 35 1.9 42

Wyoming

291.3 1.7 877 23 4.4 3

Puerto Rico

896.7 -1.5 505 (3) 0.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

37.5 -1.0 720 (3) 2.0 (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.

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Florida, third quarter 2014

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 09, 2015