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News Release Information

19-952-ATL
Tuesday, July 02, 2019

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

County Employment and Wages in Georgia – Fourth Quarter 2018

Employment increased in 8 of Georgia’s 10 large counties from December 2017 to December 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with 2017 average annual employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment increases ranged from 2.3 percent in Hall County to 0.1 percent in DeKalb County. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.5 percent from December 2017 to December 2018 as 296 of the 349 largest U.S. counties had increases. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 10.0 percent. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 5.6 percent.

Among the 10 largest counties in Georgia, employment was highest in Fulton County (889,300) in December 2018, while Bibb County had the smallest employment level (82,900). Together, Georgia’s large counties accounted for 57.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 73.2 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 148.1 million in December 2018.

Among Georgia’s 10 large counties, 9 had over-the-year wage increases in the fourth quarter of 2018 with the largest gain in DeKalb County, up 4.1 percent. Fulton County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties ($1,480), followed by Cobb County ($1,156). Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.2 percent over the year to $1,144. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 149 counties in Georgia with 2017 average annual employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,480 to $537. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

In the fourth quarter of 2018, average weekly wage gains in three of Georgia’s large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking—DeKalb (4.1 percent, 84th), Bibb (3.7 percent, 104th), and Clayton (3.3 percent, 146th). Muscogee County had the only average weekly wage decline among the state’s large counties with a loss of 3.7 percent over the year.

Nationally, 332 of the 349 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Tippecanoe, IN, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 15.1 percent, followed by Williamson, TN  (13.1 percent) and Olmsted, MN (13.0 percent).

Of the 349 largest U.S. counties, 15 had over-the-year wage decreases. Washington, PA, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-6.6 percent), followed by Elkhart, IN (-5.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 4 of Georgia’s 10 large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking in the fourth quarter of 2018. Fulton ($1,480, 18th) and Cobb ($1,156, 86th) had average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,144. DeKalb ($1,127) and Gwinnett ($1,068), ranked 103rd and 146th, respectively.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($1,144) in 94 of the 349 largest counties in the fourth quarter of 2018. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $2,670, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,452); San Mateo, CA ($2,410); and New York, NY ($2,400).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 255 had weekly wages below the national average in the fourth quarter of 2018. Hidalgo, TX ($680) reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, TX and Horry, SC ($685 each).

Average weekly wages in Georgia’s smaller counties

Among the 149 smaller counties in Georgia – those with 2017 average annual employment levels below 75,000 – only Burke County ($1,480) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,144. Taliaferro had the lowest average weekly wage in the state, averaging $537 in the fourth quarter of 2018. (See table 2.)

When all 159 counties in Georgia were considered, 60 reported average weekly wages below $700, 52 had wages from $700 to $799, 33 had wages from $800 to $899, 7 had wages from $900 to $999, and 7 had wages above $1,000. (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 Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2017 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 first quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. The County Employment and Wages full data update for first quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 4, 2019.

BLS Local Data App Now Available for Android Devices

The BLS Local Data app, first released for iPhones last fall, is now available for Android devices. Search using your current location, a zip code, or a location name to find employment and wage data for detailed industries and occupations. BLS continues to partner with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Chief Information Officer to expand the features and data in the app. For more information please visit: www.bls.gov/blog/2019/bls-local-data-app-now-available-for-android-devices.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 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 10 largest counties in Georgia, fourth quarter 2018
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2018 (thousands) Percent change, December 2017-18 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, fourth quarter 2017-18 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

148,061.8 1.5 -- $1,144 -- 3.2 --

Georgia

4,499.8 1.8 -- 1,053 21 2.4 43

Bibb, GA

82.9 -0.6 335 867 314 3.7 104

Chatham, GA

157.2 1.3 149 933 264 2.5 220

Clayton, GA

124.5 1.5 134 1,024 179 3.3 146

Cobb, Ga.

369.2 1.3 149 1,156 86 2.8 194

DeKalb, GA

303.1 0.1 282 1,127 103 4.1 84

Fulton, GA

889.3 1.9 86 1,480 18 1.7 279

Gwinnett, GA

358.2 0.3 258 1,068 146 2.0 257

Hall, GA

90.0 2.3 54 997 204 2.6 210

Muscogee, GA

95.0 0.9 185 844 325 -3.7 347

Richmond, GA

105.8 -0.3 318 902 295 1.7 279

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 Georgia, fourth quarter 2018
Area Employment December 2018 Average weekly wage(1)

United States(2)

148,061,773 $1,144

Georgia

4,499,757 1,053

Appling

6,787 813

Atkinson

2,201 711

Bacon

3,687 750

Baker

427 717

Baldwin

15,188 667

Banks

4,508 651

Barrow

19,684 804

Bartow

39,566 881

Ben Hill

5,577 665

Berrien

3,718 653

Bibb

82,941 867

Bleckley

2,673 637

Brantley

2,456 690

Brooks

3,280 695

Bryan

9,030 731

Bulloch

26,328 683

Burke

13,080 1,480

Butts

7,137 728

Calhoun

1,105 669

Camden

14,286 852

Candler

3,166 577

Carroll

41,541 874

Catoosa

15,219 686

Charlton

1,928 727

Chatham

157,183 933

Chattahoochee

2,370 913

Chattooga

6,283 677

Cherokee

62,979 838

Clarke

72,128 897

Clay

494 644

Clayton

124,510 1,024

Clinch

2,168 702

Cobb

369,229 1,156

Coffee

17,729 711

Colquitt

15,013 699

Columbia

35,029 788

Cook

4,400 664

Coweta

40,537 837

Crawford

1,279 673

Crisp

8,253 725

Dade

4,009 728

Dawson

9,727 607

Decatur

9,309 642

De Kalb

303,122 1,127

Dodge

5,186 659

Dooly

3,926 677

Dougherty

48,581 850

Douglas

44,816 800

Early

4,296 891

Echols

681 784

Effingham

10,592 870

Elbert

5,751 696

Emanuel

6,658 662

Evans

4,556 716

Fannin

6,723 674

Fayette

46,109 909

Floyd

39,890 853

Forsyth

76,822 1,021

Franklin

7,972 714

Fulton

889,318 1,480

Gilmer

6,902 613

Glascock

415 539

Glynn

38,352 860

Gordon

22,772 826

Grady

5,943 744

Greene

6,416 753

Gwinnett

358,194 1,068

Habersham

14,742 722

Hall

89,959 997

Hancock

1,501 690

Haralson

6,825 865

Harris

5,727 613

Hart

6,985 752

Heard

2,005 889

Henry

63,718 755

Houston

61,177 918

Irwin

1,966 661

Jackson

29,904 764

Jasper

2,258 639

Jeff Davis

4,208 689

Jefferson

4,933 737

Jenkins

1,349 660

Johnson

1,561 598

Jones

4,080 724

Lamar

3,470 730

Lanier

1,379 661

Laurens

19,108 788

Lee

6,620 695

Liberty

19,075 820

Lincoln

1,260 625

Long

1,037 620

Lowndes

49,867 756

Lumpkin

7,563 728

McDuffie

6,892 709

McIntosh

1,794 617

Macon

2,800 801

Madison

3,293 671

Marion

1,056 641

Meriwether

4,752 745

Miller

1,717 715

Mitchell

6,775 655

Monroe

7,880 786

Montgomery

1,614 612

Morgan

7,235 710

Murray

8,957 709

Muscogee

95,003 844

Newton

25,651 852

Oconee

12,908 817

Oglethorpe

1,649 694

Paulding

24,641 732

Peach

9,437 776

Pickens

8,129 898

Pierce

4,077 700

Pike

3,009 700

Polk

11,177 770

Pulaski

2,815 738

Putnam

5,764 671

Quitman

345 638

Rabun

5,212 617

Randolph

1,947 672

Richmond

105,833 902

Rockdale

32,837 931

Schley

976 736

Screven

3,225 660

Seminole

2,131 775

Spalding

22,293 738

Stephens

9,110 800

Stewart

1,362 883

Sumter

10,798 750

Talbot

822 677

Taliaferro

188 537

Tattnall

5,865 717

Taylor

1,583 770

Telfair

2,906 630

Terrell

2,075 683

Thomas

20,443 862

Tift

20,417 799

Toombs

12,037 666

Towns

3,300 675

Treutlen

1,045 603

Troup

39,434 878

Turner

1,893 646

Twiggs

3,022 765

Union

6,835 748

Upson

6,705 735

Walker

13,231 696

Walton

23,524 874

Ware

15,755 685

Warren

1,554 815

Washington

6,430 742

Wayne

8,059 782

Webster

491 815

Wheeler

1,099 675

White

8,993 641

Whitfield

57,194 873

Wilcox

1,119 584

Wilkes

2,850 700

Wilkinson

3,579 824

Worth

3,184 715

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, fourth quarter 2018
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2018 (thousands) Percent change, December 2017-18 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, fourth quarter 2017-18 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

148,061.8 1.5 $1,144 -- 3.2 --

Alabama

1,986.6 1.6 957 36 3.1 33

Alaska

308.3 0.4 1,103 16 4.9 7

Arizona

2,921.1 3.0 1,017 24 4.1 11

Arkansas

1,227.0 0.8 869 50 2.4 43

California

17,556.7 1.7 1,392 4 3.3 26

Colorado

2,713.7 2.2 1,180 10 4.1 11

Connecticut

1,697.9 0.5 1,334 5 1.3 49

Delaware

451.2 1.1 1,107 15 2.4 43

District of Columbia

775.1 0.6 1,943 1 7.3 2

Florida

8,902.7 2.1 1,006 27 3.1 33

Georgia

4,499.8 1.8 1,053 21 2.4 43

Hawaii

669.3 0.6 1,016 25 3.3 26

Idaho

734.4 3.2 890 47 3.6 20

Illinois

6,026.0 0.3 1,189 9 3.3 26

Indiana

3,086.2 0.9 941 38 2.8 37

Iowa

1,558.4 0.5 966 35 3.0 35

Kansas

1,402.2 0.8 927 41 3.7 18

Kentucky

1,914.0 0.3 924 42 3.2 30

Louisiana

1,934.1 0.7 968 34 3.8 15

Maine

618.4 1.3 906 44 2.5 41

Maryland

2,702.5 0.8 1,228 8 1.7 48

Massachusetts

3,620.3 1.0 1,457 2 3.3 26

Michigan

4,366.5 1.0 1,077 19 1.3 49

Minnesota

2,902.3 0.9 1,140 14 3.6 20

Mississippi

1,144.3 0.2 793 51 2.5 41

Missouri

2,821.3 0.5 980 31 3.6 20

Montana

468.8 1.6 888 48 5.2 5

Nebraska

983.0 0.2 930 40 3.2 30

Nevada

1,397.4 3.3 1,006 27 5.3 4

New Hampshire

666.0 0.7 1,158 12 2.3 46

New Jersey

4,125.6 0.8 1,298 6 2.7 38

New Mexico

830.2 1.5 905 45 4.6 9

New York

9,613.2 1.5 1,445 3 1.0 51

North Carolina

4,458.9 1.6 1,013 26 5.1 6

North Dakota

422.3 1.5 1,057 20 4.7 8

Ohio

5,442.9 0.5 1,006 27 3.4 24

Oklahoma

1,632.3 1.5 932 39 4.1 11

Oregon

1,935.8 1.7 1,052 22 3.7 18

Pennsylvania

5,932.5 1.0 1,103 16 2.6 39

Rhode Island

487.2 0.8 1,085 18 2.6 39

South Carolina

2,119.6 2.8 893 46 1.9 47

South Dakota

428.4 1.2 885 49 3.4 24

Tennessee

3,039.8 1.8 1,030 23 3.0 35

Texas

12,531.7 2.5 1,148 13 3.5 23

Utah

1,511.5 3.2 972 33 3.8 15

Vermont

314.2 -0.4 954 37 3.2 30

Virginia

3,927.2 1.1 1,164 11 3.8 15

Washington

3,384.2 2.4 1,292 7 6.3 3

West Virginia

704.2 1.5 917 43 8.3 1

Wisconsin

2,892.3 0.6 989 30 4.0 14

Wyoming

272.1 1.8 978 32 4.4 10

Puerto Rico

896.4 0.8 576 (3) 0.9 (3)

Virgin Islands

34.5 0.5 925 (3) 2.3 (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 Georgia, fourth quarter 2018

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, July 02, 2019