Employment increased in all of North Carolina’s nine largest counties from December 2020 to December 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment increases ranged from 6.2 percent in Buncombe County to 1.9 percent in Forsyth County. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 5.2 percent over the year, with 334 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Clark, NV, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 13.3 percent. Hinds, MS, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.9 percent.  

Among the nine largest counties in North Carolina, employment was highest in Mecklenburg County (744,700) in December 2021. Within Mecklenburg County’s private industry, finance and insurance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the nine largest North Carolina counties accounted for 54.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 91 counties in North Carolina with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 90 of the 91 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,418 in the fourth quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All nine large North Carolina counties reported average weekly wage gains from the fourth quarter of 2020 to the fourth quarter of 2021. (See chart 2.) Five counties had rates of wage gains that were at or above the national rate of 5.9 percent. Forsyth County had the largest gain (+10.0 percent), followed by Wake County (+9.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among North Carolina’s other seven large counties ranged from 7.0 percent to 3.5 percent.

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 334 had over-the-year wage increases. Palm Beach, FL, had the largest percentage wage increase (+15.6 percent). Kitsap, WA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-5.5 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in 3 of the 9 largest counties in North Carolina were above the national average of $1,418 in the fourth quarter of 2021. Average weekly wages in Durham County ($1,702, 26^th), Mecklenburg County ($1,555, 52^nd), and Wake County ($1,450, 71^st) ranked among the top one-fourth nationwide.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 84 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2021. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $4,005. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 259 counties. At $826 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in North Carolina’s smaller counties

Among the 91 smaller counties in North Carolina—those with employment below 75,000—Orange ($1,446) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,418. Pamlico County ($685) had the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 100 counties in North Carolina were considered, 22 reported average weekly wages of $849 or lower, 21 registered wages from $850 to $899, 17 had wages from $900 to $949, 15 had wages from $949 to $999, and 25 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher. (See chart 3.)

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. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The County Employment and Wages full data update for first quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the nine largest counties in North Carolina, fourth quarter 2021

Area	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		December 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Fourth quarter 2021	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,194.1	148,293.6	5.2	--	$1,418	--	5.9	--
North Carolina	324.7	4,646.6	4.7	--	1,241	26	7.8	3
Buncombe	11.2	136.1	6.2	55	1,071	305	4.8	174
Catawba	4.8	88.9	4.3	167	1,053	314	3.5	241
Cumberland	6.9	121.2	3.0	254	1,008	325	4.0	220
Durham	9.9	228.4	4.5	160	1,702	26	7.0	72
Forsyth	10.2	190.5	1.9	298	1,244	175	10.0	10
Guilford	16.1	285.9	2.1	291	1,139	255	4.8	174
Mecklenburg	45.1	744.7	5.0	123	1,555	52	6.7	80
New Hanover	9.8	120.9	4.6	153	1,196	213	5.9	109
Wake	42.8	601.4	5.9	71	1,450	71	9.4	17
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from 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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in North Carolina, fourth quarter 2021

Area	Establishments	Employment December 2021	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,194,120	148,293,597	$1,418
North Carolina	324,748	4,646,589	1,241
Alamance	3,979	63,833	1,025
Alexander	629	9,513	837
Alleghany	322	3,189	799
Anson	481	6,736	855
Ashe	701	7,340	857
Avery	645	6,472	845
Beaufort	1,268	16,206	874
Bertie	319	5,158	835
Bladen	651	13,179	887
Brunswick	3,523	35,264	976
Buncombe	11,247	136,143	1,071
Burke	1,587	28,842	906
Cabarrus	5,728	81,934	1,026
Caldwell	1,473	25,223	971
Camden	200	1,214	978
Carteret	2,467	23,551	880
Caswell	295	2,823	1,011
Catawba	4,784	88,899	1,053
Chatham	1,820	16,330	975
Cherokee	772	7,826	826
Chowan	403	4,903	955
Clay	286	2,019	833
Cleveland	2,189	35,748	961
Columbus	1,115	15,893	834
Craven	2,489	39,797	1,048
Cumberland	6,877	121,168	1,008
Currituck	862	6,670	849
Dare	2,148	17,273	903
Davidson	3,091	44,861	998
Davie	1,002	13,215	971
Duplin	1,147	18,585	890
Durham	9,929	228,431	1,702
Edgecombe	984	16,417	1,007
Forsyth	10,202	190,490	1,244
Franklin	1,353	12,932	1,041
Gaston	4,967	81,809	932
Gates	179	1,493	895
Graham	205	1,891	894
Granville	1,007	20,433	1,004
Greene	361	4,477	854
Guilford	16,147	285,902	1,139
Halifax	1,021	14,711	844
Harnett	2,032	25,805	849
Haywood	1,748	17,363	913
Henderson	3,603	40,027	1,007
Hertford	484	8,690	929
Hoke	634	8,602	849
Hyde	202	1,600	814
Iredell	6,246	79,908	1,224
Jackson	1,183	14,267	927
Johnston	4,255	54,052	985
Jones	203	1,666	837
Lee	1,605	25,795	991
Lenoir	1,373	28,542	963
Lincoln	2,116	25,763	1,030
McDowell	874	15,414	867
Macon	1,334	11,557	859
Madison	478	3,929	854
Martin	486	6,193	748
Mecklenburg	45,054	744,709	1,555
Mitchell	391	4,739	816
Montgomery	573	8,910	965
Moore	2,958	36,701	1,047
Nash	2,224	39,761	966
New Hanover	9,770	120,873	1,196
Northampton	342	5,011	942
Onslow	3,777	51,474	854
Orange	4,772	72,714	1,446
Pamlico	329	3,706	685
Pasquotank	1,039	15,192	914
Pender	1,578	13,714	889
Perquimans	256	2,262	813
Person	763	9,579	922
Pitt	4,140	78,521	1,082
Polk	630	5,177	846
Randolph	2,743	43,953	912
Richmond	890	13,682	852
Robeson	2,080	37,857	857
Rockingham	1,742	24,029	870
Rowan	2,994	50,068	1,066
Rutherford	1,362	18,151	870
Sampson	1,222	17,329	958
Scotland	645	11,666	910
Stanly	1,500	19,338	901
Stokes	782	7,407	794
Surry	1,865	27,672	910
Swain	498	10,473	968
Transylvania	1,084	9,156	884
Tyrrell	97	947	763
Union	6,551	66,835	1,088
Vance	897	14,018	880
Wake	42,787	601,396	1,450
Warren	315	2,845	791
Washington	258	3,128	906
Watauga	1,862	24,440	905
Wayne	2,407	40,407	932
Wilkes	1,328	20,164	878
Wilson	2,049	35,718	1,010
Yadkin	732	9,944	909
Yancey	415	4,335	822
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 establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2021

State	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		December 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2020–21	Fourth quarter 2021	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2020–21	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,194.1	148,293.6	5.2	$1,418	--	5.9	--
Alabama	141.2	2,007.0	3.1	1,153	36	4.9	34
Alaska	24.1	299.4	3.1	1,311	19	4.1	43
Arizona	190.2	3,057.8	5.1	1,281	23	5.5	27
Arkansas	97.0	1,236.1	3.4	1,064	49	6.4	14
California	1,701.9	17,622.2	7.4	1,804	4	4.8	37
Colorado	232.9	2,776.4	6.2	1,484	10	7.8	3
Connecticut	134.0	1,639.9	3.9	1,611	6	3.9	45
Delaware	37.0	452.0	4.5	1,337	16	5.9	23
District of Columbia	46.1	749.4	5.1	2,320	1	1.0	50
Florida	834.7	9,241.1	6.7	1,297	20	9.7	2
Georgia	351.2	4,629.8	5.0	1,292	21	7.0	9
Hawaii	50.4	613.8	9.2	1,229	28	0.8	51
Idaho	81.8	802.3	5.1	1,111	42	7.4	6
Illinois	400.5	5,877.3	5.4	1,473	11	6.9	11
Indiana	179.4	3,089.3	3.4	1,153	36	7.0	9
Iowa	107.3	1,527.4	2.2	1,157	35	5.3	30
Kansas	92.5	1,381.0	2.4	1,132	41	5.8	24
Kentucky	136.5	1,919.8	4.5	1,110	43	5.0	33
Louisiana	146.1	1,853.9	2.9	1,142	40	6.0	21
Maine	59.7	613.7	3.3	1,163	34	6.4	14
Maryland	178.1	2,648.4	3.9	1,499	9	3.8	46
Massachusetts	281.8	3,556.9	5.5	1,832	2	3.7	47
Michigan	274.9	4,250.8	6.3	1,291	22	2.7	49
Minnesota	191.0	2,823.7	5.2	1,378	13	4.0	44
Mississippi	78.5	1,147.3	2.4	944	51	4.8	37
Missouri	226.1	2,804.8	2.9	1,179	33	4.5	40
Montana	56.7	489.0	4.6	1,108	44	7.1	8
Nebraska	77.5	978.5	1.5	1,144	38	6.1	19
Nevada	98.3	1,432.6	11.5	1,246	25	5.8	24
New Hampshire	61.2	662.2	3.9	1,580	7	12.3	1
New Jersey	315.6	4,123.7	6.8	1,563	8	3.0	48
New Mexico	66.5	819.1	6.5	1,097	47	4.4	41
New York	674.4	9,195.8	5.8	1,829	3	6.8	13
North Carolina	324.7	4,646.6	4.7	1,241	26	7.8	3
North Dakota	33.3	407.9	3.4	1,192	31	4.9	34
Ohio	318.8	5,352.6	2.9	1,221	29	5.2	31
Oklahoma	117.8	1,604.5	2.1	1,080	48	6.9	11
Oregon	173.4	1,915.0	4.8	1,332	17	6.1	19
Pennsylvania	379.7	5,807.9	4.5	1,352	15	5.1	32
Rhode Island	44.1	475.5	5.7	1,315	18	4.4	41
South Carolina	155.8	2,147.9	3.5	1,101	46	6.4	14
South Dakota	37.6	435.5	2.7	1,108	44	5.7	26
Tennessee	191.7	3,123.3	3.9	1,258	24	7.3	7
Texas	779.4	13,012.7	6.1	1,376	14	6.3	17
Utah	126.9	1,624.1	4.3	1,231	27	6.2	18
Vermont	28.7	298.7	4.3	1,189	32	4.9	34
Virginia	303.4	3,918.0	3.1	1,424	12	4.8	37
Washington	276.1	3,427.0	6.3	1,683	5	6.0	21
West Virginia	54.7	674.4	3.1	1,053	50	5.5	27
Wisconsin	194.0	2,832.6	2.4	1,202	30	5.4	29
Wyoming	28.8	267.2	2.7	1,143	39	7.7	5
Puerto Rico	48.2	935.3	6.8	645	(3)	3.9	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.4	35.0	-0.4	1,090	(3)	3.0	(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.