Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

15-1254-ATL
Friday, July 10, 2015

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

County Employment and Wages in North Carolina — Fourth Quarter 2014

Employment increased in all of North Carolina’s nine large counties from December 2013 to December 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 employment growth in five of the nine large counties was equal to or above the national average. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.2 percent from December 2013 to December 2014 as 319 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., and Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increases, with gains of 8.0 percent each over the year. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a loss of 5.0 percent.

Among the nine largest counties in North Carolina, employment was highest in Mecklenburg County (630,400) and Wake County (503,300) in December 2014. Guilford County (275,200) was the only other large county in North Carolina to have an employment level greater than 250,000. Together, the nine largest North Carolina counties accounted for 53.4 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 72.1 percent of total U.S. employment.

From the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014, Buncombe County recorded the fastest rate of increase in average weekly wages among the nine large counties in North Carolina, registering a gain of 4.9 percent. (See table 1.) Durham County recorded the highest average weekly wage among these large counties at $1,271, followed by Mecklenburg County ($1,125) and Wake County ($1,008). Nationally, the average weekly wage increased to $1,035, a 3.5 percent increase, during the year ending in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 91 counties in North Carolina with employment levels below 75,000. With the exception of Orange County ($1,044), wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average in the fourth quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in each of the nine largest counties in North Carolina from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014. The wage gains in two of the state’s large counties placed in the top 100 of the national ranking—Buncombe (4.9 percent, 50th) and Guilford (4.2 percent, 99th). (See table 1.)

Nationally, 332 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Benton, Ark., had the largest wage gain, up 9.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013. Washington, Pa., was second with a wage increase of 9.2 percent, followed by the counties of Midland, Texas (9.0 percent), Brazoria, Texas (8.9 percent), and Douglas, Colo. (8.8 percent).

Of the 339 largest U.S. counties, 7 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 20.4 percent from the fourth quarter 2013. Olmsted, Minn., had the second largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 5.5 percent, followed by Morris, N.J. (-2.9 percent), Rockland, N.Y. (-1.3 percent), and Camden, N.J. and Butler, Pa. (-0.8 percent each).

Large county average weekly wages

Durham County ($1,271) and Mecklenburg County ($1,125) had the highest average weekly wages in North Carolina and ranked 28th and 60th, respectively, among the 339 large U.S. counties by wage level. Average weekly wages in the state’s remaining seven large counties were below the national average of $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014. Catawba ($760) reported the lowest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties and ranked 323rd nationwide.

Nationally, 95 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014. San Mateo, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,166. New York, N.Y., was second at $2,138, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. ($2,114), Suffolk Mass. ($1,856), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,850).

Seventy-two percent of the largest U.S. counties (244) reported weekly wages below the national average. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($610), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($621) and Hidalgo ($641), and the Florida counties of Osceola ($687) and Lake ($691).

Average weekly wages in North Carolina’s smaller counties

With the exception of Orange County ($1,044), all 91 counties in North Carolina with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average of $1,035. Among these smaller counties, Iredell had the second highest average weekly wage at $886, while Clay had the lowest at $553. (See table 2.)

When all 100 counties in North Carolina were considered, all but 4 had wages below the national average. Ten reported average weekly wages under $600, 51 had wages from $600 to $699, 26 reported wages from $700 to $799, 8 had wages from $800 to $899, and 5 had wages of $900 or more. (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 first quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 17, 2015.


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 9.5 million employer reports cover 139.2 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 9 largest counties in North Carolina, fourth quarter 2014
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (1)
December 2014 (thousands) Percent change, December 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, fourth quarter 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

139,204.8 2.2 -- $1,035 -- 3.5 --

North Carolina

4,141.8 2.4 -- 890 33 3.4 34

Buncombe, N.C.

122.9 3.4 71 797 307 4.9 50

Catawba, N.C.

83.2 1.7 183 760 323 4.0 113

Cumberland, N.C.

118.6 0.1 317 771 318 0.7 326

Durham, N.C.

192.2 2.2 140 1,271 28 1.0 319

Forsyth, N.C.

181.6 2.0 158 933 180 4.2 99

Guilford, N.C.

275.2 1.5 209 890 219 3.5 168

Mecklenburg, N.C.

630.4 3.8 46 1,125 60 2.5 248

New Hanover, N.C.

104.9 3.5 66 828 281 3.8 133

Wake, N.C.

503.3 3.9 42 1,008 119 2.4 258

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 North Carolina, 4th quarter 2014 (2)
Area Employment December 2014 Average Weekly Wage (3)

United States (4)

139,204,840 $1,035

North Carolina

4,141,759 890

Alamance

59,428 721

Alexander

8,877 645

Alleghany

3,184 581

Anson

7,833 629

Ashe

6,882 659

Avery

6,678 571

Beaufort

15,769 704

Bertie

6,527 572

Bladen

12,271 692

Brunswick

28,643 729

Buncombe

122,928 797

Burke

29,808 692

Cabarrus

69,074 749

Caldwell

23,395 669

Camden

1,448 775

Carteret

21,986 628

Caswell

3,051 614

Catawba

83,187 760

Chatham

14,660 698

Cherokee

8,010 604

Chowan

4,656 705

Clay

2,031 553

Cleveland

33,764 714

Columbus

15,692 656

Craven

38,554 805

Cumberland

118,557 771

Currituck

5,935 669

Dare

16,685 623

Davidson

42,173 710

Davie

11,448 669

Duplin

20,073 638

Durham

192,204 1,271

Edgecombe

17,606 673

Forsyth

181,568 933

Franklin

11,549 785

Gaston

70,241 757

Gates

1,501 687

Graham

1,823 678

Granville

20,106 800

Greene

4,019 607

Guilford

275,182 890

Halifax

16,059 630

Harnett

22,710 650

Haywood

16,776 665

Henderson

35,116 734

Hertford

9,114 722

Hoke

7,609 604

Hyde

2,068 570

Iredell

69,016 886

Jackson

12,960 663

Johnston

45,945 714

Jones

1,563 628

Lee

24,259 758

Lenoir

27,820 711

Lincoln

21,705 706

McDowell

16,177 637

Macon

10,879 636

Madison

3,827 605

Martin

7,234 593

Mecklenburg

630,439 1,125

Mitchell

4,918 633

Montgomery

9,210 669

Moore

33,087 767

Nash

40,783 737

New Hanover

104,906 828

Northampton

5,398 645

Onslow

48,870 629

Orange

66,478 1,044

Pamlico

3,288 561

Pasquotank

15,490 707

Pender

10,322 675

Perquimans

1,949 635

Person

9,982 736

Pitt

75,445 833

Polk

4,859 599

Randolph

44,426 677

Richmond

13,576 651

Robeson

39,252 624

Rockingham

26,347 681

Rowan

45,915 785

Rutherford

18,460 642

Sampson

18,348 685

Scotland

11,829 704

Stanly

18,824 645

Stokes

7,067 588

Surry

28,163 660

Swain

9,147 669

Transylvania

8,181 643

Tyrrell

1,112 581

Union

59,282 815

Vance

15,009 653

Wake

503,267 1,008

Warren

3,338 663

Washington

3,529 770

Watauga

22,371 674

Wayne

42,622 687

Wilkes

21,441 673

Wilson

38,358 805

Yadkin

9,806 631

Yancey

3,682 603

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 employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2014
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2014 (thousands) Percent change, December 2013-14 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, fourth quarter 2013-14 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

139,204.8 2.2 $1,035 -- 3.5 --

Alabama

1,891.4 1.3 881 35 3.5 31

Alaska

317.6 0.8 1,063 13 4.0 20

Arizona

2,630.8 2.2 926 25 2.3 47

Arkansas

1,180.5 2.2 807 47 4.5 5

California

16,068.5 2.6 1,209 6 2.9 41

Colorado

2,478.0 3.9 1,066 12 4.1 17

Connecticut

1,681.2 1.2 1,278 4 2.7 45

Delaware

433.0 2.9 1,049 16 1.5 51

District of Columbia

736.9 0.9 1,696 1 3.7 28

Florida

8,009.6 3.5 911 28 3.1 40

Georgia

4,131.9 3.7 958 21 3.8 25

Hawaii

638.3 0.7 908 29 4.2 15

Idaho

650.7 2.5 782 50 4.0 20

Illinois

5,844.1 1.4 1,089 8 2.8 42

Indiana

2,946.5 1.7 846 41 3.9 22

Iowa

1,527.6 1.1 870 38 4.3 11

Kansas

1,377.2 1.3 855 39 2.6 46

Kentucky

1,852.2 1.8 836 43 4.1 17

Louisiana

1,954.0 2.1 923 26 3.8 25

Maine

592.7 0.9 826 44 5.1 4

Maryland

2,590.3 1.3 1,113 7 3.5 31

Massachusetts

3,415.6 2.2 1,315 3 4.5 5

Michigan

4,158.9 2.1 984 20 3.3 37

Minnesota

2,762.9 1.4 1,024 17 3.6 30

Mississippi

1,118.6 1.0 747 51 2.3 47

Missouri

2,709.8 1.5 891 32 3.4 34

Montana

442.2 0.5 794 48 4.5 5

Nebraska

958.1 1.4 837 42 5.2 3

Nevada

1,229.6 4.2 899 30 1.6 50

New Hampshire

638.0 1.4 1,081 10 6.3 2

New Jersey

3,933.6 1.3 1,211 5 2.0 49

New Mexico

808.4 1.3 850 40 4.4 10

New York

9,067.6 2.0 1,321 2 4.3 11

North Carolina

4,141.8 2.4 890 33 3.4 34

North Dakota

454.8 4.5 1,050 15 7.1 1

Ohio

5,264.3 1.6 922 27 3.9 22

Oklahoma

1,614.3 2.1 876 36 2.8 42

Oregon

1,755.4 3.2 928 23 3.8 25

Pennsylvania

5,716.5 1.2 1,013 18 3.7 28

Rhode Island

471.5 1.9 1,003 19 4.5 5

South Carolina

1,931.4 2.9 817 46 3.2 39

South Dakota

412.5 1.3 791 49 4.2 15

Tennessee

2,822.1 2.4 927 24 3.5 31

Texas

11,662.7 3.7 1,070 11 4.3 11

Utah

1,324.2 3.0 872 37 4.3 11

Vermont

311.0 0.7 882 34 4.1 17

Virginia

3,691.4 0.6 1,057 14 2.8 42

Washington

3,069.7 3.2 1,082 9 4.5 5

West Virginia

712.0 0.1 818 45 3.3 37

Wisconsin

2,789.3 1.3 894 31 3.4 34

Wyoming

283.6 1.5 952 22 3.9 22

Puerto Rico

944.2 -1.5 556 (3) 0.7 (3)

Virgin Islands

38.5 -0.3 746 (3) -1.2 (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.
 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages in North Carolina, fourth quarter, 2014

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, July 10, 2015