Employment increased in one of Mississippi’s two large counties from June 2013 to June 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are those with 2013 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Harrison County employment rose 0.8 percent during the 12-month period. Hinds County registered a 0.9-percent decline. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from June 2013 to June 2014 as 305 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., had the largest increase, with a gain of 8.9 percent over the year. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 1.6 percent.

Among Mississippi’s two largest counties, employment was higher in Hinds (118,900) in June 2014. Together, Hinds and Harrison Counties accounted for 18.4 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 137.8 million in June 2014.

From the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2014, Hinds County recorded a gain of 1.7 percent in average weekly wages, the largest rate of increase among the two large counties in Mississippi. (See table 1.) Hinds County also recorded the highest average weekly wage among these large counties at $826 per week. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $940, a 2.1 percent increase from a year ago.

Employment and wages levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 80 counties in Mississippi with employment below 75,000. In all but one of these smaller counties, wage levels were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Hinds County’s 1.7 percent rise in average weekly wages from the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2014 ranked 177^th among the nation’s largest counties. Advancing at a slower pace, wages in Harrison County increased 1.2 percent over the year, ranking 239^th. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 312 of the 339 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas had the largest wage increase among the largest U.S. counties (9.0 percent). Douglas, Colo., was second with a wage increase of 8.8 percent, followed by the counties of Hillsborough, N.H. (7.4 percent), and Collier, Fla. (6.8 percent).

Of the 339 largest counties, 22 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Williamson, Texas, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 2.7 percent. Westchester, N.Y., had the second largest wage decline (-1.6 percent), followed by lake, Ind. (-1.4 percent) and Bibb, Ga. (-1.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in both Hinds County ($826) and Harrison County ($685) were below the U.S. average of $940 and placed in the bottom half of the national ranking in the second quarter of 2014. The average weekly wage in Hinds County ranked 212^th and Harrison County’s average weekly wage ranked 328^th. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average ($940) in 109 of the 339 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,886. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,740, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,732).

Two-thirds of the largest U.S. counties (230) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2014. The lowest wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($548), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($585) and Hidalgo ($608). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,886).

Average weekly wages in Mississippi’s smaller counties

Among the 80 smaller counties in Mississippi – those with employment below 75,000 – Kemper ($1,132) was the sole county to report average weekly wages above the $940 national average. Issaquena County reported the lowest weekly wage among all the counties in the state, averaging $426 in the second quarter of 2014.

When all 82 counties in Mississippi were considered, 37 reported average weekly wages below $600, 18 had wages from $600 and $649, 14 had wages from $650 and $699, 4 had wages from $700-749 and 9 had wages at or above $750. (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 County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2014 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 19, 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 137.8 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 2 largest counties in Mississippi, second quarter 2014

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (1)
	June 2014 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2013-14 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2013-14 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	137,776.4	2.0	--	$940	--	2.1	--
Mississippi	1,101.1	0.5	--	705	50	2.0	27
Harrison, Miss.	84.0	0.8	261	685	328	1.2	239
Hinds, Miss.	118.9	-0.9	333	826	212	1.7	177
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 Mississippi, 2nd quarter 2014

Area	Employment June 2014	Average Weekly Wage (1)
United States (2)	137,776,364	$940
Mississippi	1,101,140	705
Adams	11,018	656
Alcorn	13,201	634
Amite	1,694	634
Attala	4,605	558
Benton	1,321	588
Bolivar	11,771	601
Calhoun	3,382	527
Carroll	1,100	549
Chickasaw	5,566	592
Choctaw	1,886	740
Claiborne	3,116	897
Clarke	2,976	590
Clay	4,891	659
Coahoma	8,265	624
Copiah	7,132	631
Covington	5,249	580
De Soto	48,946	631
Forrest	37,412	701
Franklin	1,674	649
George	5,303	612
Greene	2,004	560
Grenada	10,133	602
Hancock	13,129	881
Harrison	84,033	685
Hinds	118,936	826
Holmes	3,567	559
Humphreys	2,325	480
Issaquena	216	426
Itawamba	6,009	607
Jackson	49,279	920
Jasper	3,991	689
Jefferson	1,243	556
Jefferson Davis	1,627	578
Jones	28,629	687
Kemper	3,735	1,132
Lafayette	19,771	707
Lamar	17,684	523
Lauderdale	33,512	679
Lawrence	2,431	820
Leake	5,004	541
Lee	50,425	683
Leflore	14,004	596
Lincoln	11,245	650
Lowndes	23,888	743
Madison	49,474	852
Marion	7,571	619
Marshall	5,863	635
Monroe	9,577	686
Montgomery	2,457	526
Neshoba	13,068	630
Newton	5,953	581
Noxubee	2,441	530
Oktibbeha	19,062	657
Panola	10,652	633
Pearl River	9,786	594
Perry	2,086	698
Pike	14,643	578
Pontotoc	11,752	596
Prentiss	7,130	561
Quitman	1,118	503
Rankin	59,208	697
Scott	13,144	580
Sharkey	1,252	515
Simpson	7,399	518
Smith	2,758	688
Stone	3,933	602
Sunflower	8,735	549
Tallahatchie	2,997	530
Tate	5,238	587
Tippah	6,053	580
Tishomingo	5,567	587
Tunica	10,609	564
Union	9,885	786
Walthall	2,519	561
Warren	20,425	750
Washington	17,458	613
Wayne	4,851	647
Webster	1,969	556
Wilkinson	1,694	548
Winston	4,445	631
Yalobusha	2,923	583
Yazoo	6,381	678
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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, second quarter 2014

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2014 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2013-14	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2013-14	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	137,776.4	2.0	$940	--	2.1	--
Alabama	1,872.9	0.7	806	36	1.6	38
Alaska	344.9	0.5	1,014	8	4.6	2
Arizona	2,486.0	1.9	888	21	1.3	43
Arkansas	1,168.1	1.5	745	47	1.5	41
California	15,905.6	2.8	1,072	6	2.4	15
Colorado	2,439.3	3.4	960	14	2.9	8
Connecticut	1,676.6	0.6	1,155	3	2.5	13
Delaware	429.0	2.5	976	11	1.2	44
District of Columbia	732.6	1.0	1,569	1	-0.5	51
Florida	7,628.6	3.1	839	28	2.1	23
Georgia	4,036.3	3.1	882	22	1.7	35
Hawaii	624.6	1.1	845	26	2.7	10
Idaho	659.2	2.5	697	51	2.2	22
Illinois	5,836.9	1.5	988	10	1.9	32
Indiana	2,916.9	1.8	784	42	1.2	44
Iowa	1,547.8	1.6	780	43	3.0	7
Kansas	1,372.8	1.7	797	38	2.3	20
Kentucky	1,820.8	1.7	798	37	2.0	27
Louisiana	1,921.6	1.4	843	27	2.4	15
Maine	610.4	0.8	746	46	2.1	23
Maryland	2,594.4	0.9	1,020	7	1.6	38
Massachusetts	3,407.0	1.4	1,158	2	2.4	15
Michigan	4,164.7	2.3	897	20	2.3	20
Minnesota	2,782.0	1.3	947	16	1.9	32
Mississippi	1,101.1	0.5	705	50	2.0	27
Missouri	2,703.2	1.3	818	31	1.9	32
Montana	453.4	1.1	734	48	2.4	15
Nebraska	956.2	1.4	756	45	2.7	10
Nevada	1,210.1	3.4	833	30	0.6	50
New Hampshire	637.2	1.2	955	15	4.3	3
New Jersey	3,944.8	0.8	1,097	5	1.2	44
New Mexico	801.0	0.6	794	40	1.7	35
New York	8,965.2	1.8	1,146	4	2.4	15
North Carolina	4,080.7	2.4	818	31	1.2	44
North Dakota	453.0	4.4	936	17	5.5	1
Ohio	5,233.8	1.4	846	25	2.1	23
Oklahoma	1,578.0	1.0	816	33	2.6	12
Oregon	1,748.4	2.4	874	23	2.9	8
Pennsylvania	5,719.8	1.0	933	18	1.6	38
Rhode Island	472.9	1.6	898	19	2.0	27
South Carolina	1,916.4	2.7	765	44	2.5	13
South Dakota	422.9	1.4	712	49	3.3	4
Tennessee	2,755.7	1.8	836	29	2.0	27
Texas	11,402.8	3.0	973	13	3.1	5
Utah	1,297.5	2.9	796	39	1.7	35
Vermont	307.0	1.0	813	35	0.7	49
Virginia	3,710.8	0.7	976	11	0.8	48
Washington	3,109.6	3.2	990	9	2.1	23
West Virginia	711.3	-0.3	792	41	1.4	42
Wisconsin	2,809.1	1.3	816	33	2.0	27
Wyoming	295.3	1.6	871	24	3.1	5
Puerto Rico	897.0	-2.0	504	(3)	0.6	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.8	-2.2	728	(3)	2.8	(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.