The three large counties in Kentucky reported employment gains from March 2017 to March 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with 2017 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Boone County’s employment increased 5.9 percent over the year, the third-largest employment gain among the 349 largest U.S. counties. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.6 percent from March 2017 to March 2018 as 314 of the 349 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increase with a gain of 12.6 percent over the year. Kanawha, W.Va., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest U.S. counties, with a loss of 1.4 percent.

Among the three largest counties in Kentucky, employment was highest in Jefferson (464,400) in March 2018, while Boone had the smallest employment level (91,100). Together, Kentucky’s large counties accounted for 39.9 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 73.1 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 144.6 million in March 2018.

Each of Kentucky’s three large counties had an over-the-year wage increase in the first quarter of 2018, with the largest gain in Fayette County (2.5 percent). Jefferson County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $1,118. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.7 percent over the year to $1,152 in the first quarter of 2018. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 117 counties in Kentucky with employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,390 to $494. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

As noted, average weekly wages rose in all of Kentucky’s large counties from the first quarter of 2017 to the first quarter of 2018. At 2.5 percent, Fayette County’s wage gain ranked 214^th among the nation’s 349 large counties. Jefferson County’s 2.0-percent increase ranked 273^rd and Boone County’s 0.1-percent increase ranked 336^th. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 336 of the 349 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Peoria, Ill., had the largest percentage wage increase, up 23.8 percent from the first quarter of 2017. Suffolk, Mass., followed with an increase of 12.1 percent.

Of the 349 largest counties, 13 experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly wages. Forsyth, N.C., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-4.8 percent), followed by Washington, Ark. (-3.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Kentucky’s three large counties were below the U.S. average of $1,152. The average weekly wage in Jefferson County ($1,118, 107^th) placed in the top third of the national ranking. Average weekly wages in Fayette County ($925, 244^th) and Boone County ($905, 260^th) placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Among the 349 largest U.S. counties, 259 had average weekly wages below the national average in the first quarter of 2018. Cameron, Texas reported the lowest wage ($628), followed by Horry County, S.C. ($631), and the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($657) and Webb ($690).

Nationwide, 90 large counties had average weekly wages at or above the U.S. average of $1,152 in the first quarter of 2018. New York, N.Y., had the highest average weekly wage at $3,087. Santa Clara, Calif. ($2,651) was second, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($2,606); San Francisco, Calif. ($2,485); Suffolk, Mass. ($2,268); and Somerset, N.J. ($2,078).

Average weekly wages in Kentucky’s smaller counties

Among the 117 counties in Kentucky with employment below 75,000, Hancock ($1,390) and Carroll ($1,171) were the only two with an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,152. Robertson County had the lowest wage in the state, averaging $494 in the first quarter of 2018. (See table 2.)

When all 120 counties in Kentucky were considered, 15 reported average weekly wages below $600, 46 had average weekly wages from $600 to $699, 31 had wages from $700 to $799, 14 had wages from $800 to $899, and 14 had wages 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 2017 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 2018 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from the 2017 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2017/home.htm. The 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2019.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 21, 2018. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

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 10.0 million employer reports cover 144.6 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 3 largest counties in Kentucky, first quarter 2018

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	144,562.9	1.6	--	$1,152	--	3.7	--
Kentucky	1,873.7	0.5	--	901	41	2.5	39
Boone, Ky.	91.1	5.9	3	905	260	0.1	336
Fayette, Ky.	191.4	0.1	310	925	244	2.5	214
Jefferson, Ky.	464.4	0.6	267	1,118	107	2.0	273
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 Kentucky, first quarter 2018

Area	Employment March 2018	Average Weekly Wage (1)
United States (2)	144,562,926	$1,152
Kentucky	1,873,666	901
Adair	4,587	603
Allen	4,571	669
Anderson	4,756	686
Ballard	1,464	936
Barren	16,667	688
Bath	1,845	713
Bell	8,171	655
Boone	91,120	905
Bourbon	6,536	780
Boyd	24,179	946
Boyle	14,182	749
Bracken	1,324	683
Breathitt	3,085	644
Breckinridge	3,461	629
Bullitt	25,250	745
Butler	2,864	679
Caldwell	4,105	652
Calloway	16,551	666
Campbell	30,433	849
Carlisle	1,063	585
Carroll	6,823	1,171
Carter	5,490	615
Casey	3,896	576
Christian	31,630	793
Clark	14,579	789
Clay	3,904	665
Clinton	3,756	571
Crittenden	2,020	598
Cumberland	1,777	647
Daviess	46,513	813
Edmonson	1,606	621
Elliott	945	612
Estill	2,396	662
Fayette	191,435	925
Fleming	3,093	655
Floyd	10,248	772
Franklin	30,797	830
Fulton	1,997	607
Gallatin	2,408	999
Garrard	2,258	659
Grant	4,935	783
Graves	11,031	719
Grayson	7,886	671
Green	1,683	652
Greenup	7,845	738
Hancock	3,894	1,390
Hardin	48,163	806
Harlan	5,901	677
Harrison	4,887	795
Hart	5,329	676
Henderson	19,302	859
Henry	2,682	722
Hickman	996	579
Hopkins	17,290	818
Jackson	1,614	617
Jefferson	464,422	1,118
Jessamine	16,573	765
Johnson	5,127	647
Kenton	66,387	1,131
Knott	2221	596
Knox	8,028	635
Larue	2,559	617
Laurel	26,763	704
Lawrence	3,398	655
Lee	1,651	601
Leslie	1,561	728
Letcher	4,547	651
Lewis	1,958	618
Lincoln	4,195	623
Livingston	2,422	832
Logan	8,755	797
Lyon	2,365	610
McCracken	38,528	819
McCreary	2,643	662
McLean	2,093	707
Madison	33,628	764
Magoffin	1,597	588
Marion	8,649	797
Marshall	10,827	950
Martin	2,387	830
Mason	8,490	769
Meade	4,272	704
Menifee	932	595
Mercer	6,189	963
Metcalfe	1,874	648
Monroe	3,233	607
Montgomery	10,367	766
Morgan	2,861	656
Muhlenberg	8,121	783
Nelson	15,707	792
Nicholas	893	528
Ohio	7,725	687
Oldham	15,874	833
Owen	1,520	785
Owsley	669	532
Pendleton	2,381	765
Perry	11,221	740
Pike	20,965	807
Powell	2,563	593
Pulaski	24,754	668
Robertson	327	494
Rockcastle	3,890	613
Rowan	10,638	672
Russell	5,722	596
Scott	26,326	948
Shelby	17,180	764
Simpson	9,002	767
Spencer	1,921	645
Taylor	11,782	624
Todd	2,152	604
Trigg	2,985	607
Trimble	1,299	1,107
Union	4,827	855
Warren	64269	820
Washington	3,374	703
Wayne	5,870	599
Webster	3,105	910
Whitley	11,518	708
Wolfe	1,245	548
Woodford	9,064	823
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, first quarter 2018

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2017-18	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2017-18	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	144,562.9	1.6	$1,152	--	3.7	--
Alabama	1,948.9	1.1	919	36	2.9	34
Alaska	311.2	-0.5	1,074	20	2.3	44
Arizona	2,822.5	2.8	1,025	22	3.5	19
Arkansas	1,211.4	0.9	879	44	2.4	40
California	17,152.5	2.1	1,352	6	4.4	6
Colorado	2,639.5	2.5	1,175	11	3.4	22
Connecticut	1,651.9	0.1	1,447	4	2.4	40
Delaware	438.7	1.2	1,202	10	1.3	51
District of Columbia	770.2	1.2	1,917	1	1.9	49
Florida	8,716.8	2.2	988	25	4.1	9
Georgia	4,409.1	2.3	1,095	17	2.3	44
Hawaii	658.4	0.3	974	29	2.3	44
Idaho	712.6	3.5	809	50	4.3	7
Illinois	5,909.3	1.0	1,241	8	3.9	10
Indiana	3,018.8	1.2	954	32	3.9	10
Iowa	1,525.8	0.5	921	35	2.4	40
Kansas	1,370.6	0.2	912	40	2.7	38
Kentucky	1,873.7	0.5	901	41	2.5	39
Louisiana	1,914.7	0.5	932	34	3.0	30
Maine	592.1	0.9	891	43	3.6	16
Maryland	2,646.9	0.9	1,209	9	3.2	26
Massachusetts	3,509.9	1.1	1,510	3	5.6	2
Michigan	4,289.0	1.4	1,078	19	3.4	22
Minnesota	2,823.6	0.7	1,175	11	2.1	47
Mississippi	1,125.9	0.1	765	51	2.1	47
Missouri	2,777.6	0.5	960	31	3.1	28
Montana	455.5	1.0	819	49	2.4	40
Nebraska	966.0	0.4	898	42	3.6	16
Nevada	1,351.6	3.0	977	28	4.8	5
New Hampshire	648.2	0.8	1,122	15	4.9	3
New Jersey	3,997.6	1.3	1,373	5	3.0	30
New Mexico	813.3	1.0	862	47	2.9	34
New York	9,318.9	1.8	1,597	2	3.4	22
North Carolina	4,370.6	1.8	1,022	23	3.0	30
North Dakota	408.2	0.6	988	25	3.7	15
Ohio	5,328.5	0.9	1,005	24	2.9	34
Oklahoma	1,600.9	1.8	914	38	3.5	19
Oregon	1,894.3	2.0	1,026	21	4.3	7
Pennsylvania	5,787.2	1.4	1,115	16	3.4	22
Rhode Island	469.9	1.1	1,086	18	3.2	26
South Carolina	2,067.4	2.2	877	45	1.7	50
South Dakota	417.5	1.0	842	48	2.8	37
Tennessee	2,950.0	1.6	978	27	3.5	19
Texas	12,179.2	2.0	1,168	13	3.9	10
Utah	1,458.8	3.3	949	33	4.9	3
Vermont	307.1	0.4	917	37	3.1	28
Virginia	3,854.4	1.5	1,162	14	3.0	30
Washington	3,316.1	2.8	1,306	7	7.7	1
West Virginia	684.8	0.6	868	46	3.6	16
Wisconsin	2,831.7	1.0	968	30	3.8	14
Wyoming	263.7	0.3	914	38	3.9	10
Puerto Rico	856.7	-3.8	563	(3)	7.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	33.3	-15.5	969	(3)	24.4	(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.