Employment increased in both of Arizona’s large counties from June 2018 to June 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that employment rose 3.1 percent in Maricopa County and 1.0 percent in Pima County. (See table 1.)

Employment nationwide advanced 1.1 percent during the 12-month period as 279 of the 355 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Adams, CO, had the largest percentage increase in the country, up 5.3 percent over the year. Bay, FL, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 6.4 percent.

Between the two large counties in Arizona, employment was higher in Maricopa (2,010,900) in June 2019. Pima County had an employment level of 370,600. Together, Arizona’s two large counties accounted for 83.8 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Maricopa County was $1,056 in the second quarter of 2019, an increase of 3.8 percent from the second quarter of 2018. (See table 1.) Average weekly wages in Pima County were $917, a gain of 3.7 percent over the year. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.8 percent from a year ago to $1,095 in the second quarter of 2019.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 13 counties in Arizona with employment below 75,000. Twelve of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Maricopa County’s 3.8-percent rise in average weekly wages from the second quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019 ranked 133^rd among the nation’s 355 largest counties. Pima County’s 3.7-percent wage gain ranked 148^th. (See table 1.) 

Nationally, 347 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year wage increases. Benton, AR, had the largest percentage wage increase in the nation, up 16.3 percent. San Francisco, CA, had the second largest increase at 15.5 percent.

Nationwide, eight large counties registered wage declines during the period. McLean, IL, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 5.8 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Maricopa County’s $1,056 average weekly wage ranked 127^th among the 355 large U.S. counties. The average weekly wage in Pima County, at $917, ranked 252^nd. (See table 1.)

More than 70 percent of the largest U.S. counties (260) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2019. At $649 a week, Horry County, SC, had the lowest average weekly wage among the 355 large counties. The next three lowest-paying large counties were in Texas: Hidalgo ($657), Cameron ($659), and Webb ($697).

Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average in 93 of the 355 largest counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,612. San Francisco, CA, was second with an average weekly wage of $2,430, followed by San Mateo, CA ($2,373) and New York, NY ($2,109). Average wages in the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, CA, were more than four times the average wage in the lowest-ranked county, Horry, SC ($649).

Average weekly wages in Arizona’s smaller counties

Among the 13 smaller counties in Arizona with employment below 75,000, 12 reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,095. The exception was Greenlee County with an average weekly wage of $1,370. Among the remaining smaller counties, Santa Cruz had the highest weekly wages ($909), while La Paz had the lowest ($746). (See table 2.)

When all 15 counties in Arizona were considered, 4 had average wages under $800 per week, 7 had wages from $800 to $899, 2 had wages from $900 to $999, and 2 had wages of $1,000 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 2018 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2019, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employmentand-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 20, 2020.

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 (see Technical Note below) 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 Arizona, second quarter 2019

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	149,089.2	1.1	--	$1,095	--	3.8	--
Arizona	2,843.3	2.6	--	1,010	23	3.8	16
Maricopa, AZ.	2,010.9	3.1	17	1,056	127	3.8	133
Pima, AZ.	370.6	1.0	160	917	252	3.7	148
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 Arizona, second quarter 2019

Area	Employment June 2019	Average Weekly Wage(1)
United States(2)	149,089,158	$1,095
Arizona	2,843,296	1,010
Apache	17,680	898
Cochise	33,840	889
Coconino	63,560	823
Gila	15,200	822
Graham	9,176	856
Greenlee	5,148	1,370
La Paz	6,161	746
Maricopa	2,010,894	1,056
Mohave	51,034	757
Navajo	27,177	776
Pima	370,638	917
Pinal	61,880	853
Santa Cruz	13,694	909
Yavapai	64,899	778
Yuma	59,403	802
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, second quarter 2019

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2018-19	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2018-19	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	149,089.2	1.1	$1,095	--	3.8	--
Alabama	1,993.7	1.1	911	36	3.4	28
Alaska	338.9	0.7	1,078	15	3.6	26
Arizona	2,843.3	2.6	1,010	23	3.8	16
Arkansas	1,222.5	0.6	862	47	4.6	4
California	17,717.4	1.5	1,325	4	4.7	3
Colorado	2,765.7	2.2	1,128	9	4.9	2
Connecticut	1,690.8	-0.8	1,266	6	3.9	11
Delaware	458.0	0.8	1,057	17	3.4	28
District of Columbia	780.4	0.5	1,778	1	3.8	16
Florida	8,722.9	1.8	968	26	3.9	11
Georgia	4,507.1	1.7	1,016	22	3.9	11
Hawaii	652.2	-1.2	992	24	3.7	22
Idaho	765.1	2.6	820	50	3.3	33
Illinois	6,074.7	0.3	1,122	10	2.4	47
Indiana	3,089.8	0.5	910	38	3.1	39
Iowa	1,584.7	0.1	902	40	2.5	45
Kansas	1,403.0	0.6	905	39	2.8	42
Kentucky	1,909.7	0.3	911	36	3.3	33
Louisiana	1,920.2	-0.2	923	35	2.4	47
Maine	639.6	0.4	874	45	3.7	22
Maryland	2,733.6	0.7	1,178	8	3.3	33
Massachusetts	3,690.1	0.9	1,377	2	4.3	5
Michigan	4,419.7	0.1	1,018	21	2.4	47
Minnesota	2,952.6	0.8	1,101	13	2.6	44
Mississippi	1,135.9	0.4	767	51	2.0	51
Missouri	2,836.7	0.3	948	30	2.5	45
Montana	483.1	1.0	843	48	3.3	33
Nebraska	991.5	0.1	889	42	3.5	27
Nevada	1,408.8	2.6	961	29	3.2	38
New Hampshire	676.1	0.8	1,090	14	4.0	10
New Jersey	4,182.5	0.7	1,236	7	3.0	41
New Mexico	834.0	1.0	888	44	4.3	5
New York	9,682.8	1.0	1,347	3	3.9	11
North Carolina	4,527.3	2.0	970	25	3.9	11
North Dakota	431.8	1.3	1,026	20	4.1	7
Ohio	5,486.7	0.4	965	27	3.4	28
Oklahoma	1,618.5	0.5	900	41	3.1	39
Oregon	1,976.5	1.3	1,036	18	3.8	16
Pennsylvania	5,972.1	0.8	1,070	16	3.8	16
Rhode Island	494.5	0.7	1,034	19	3.4	28
South Carolina	2,144.2	1.3	867	46	3.7	22
South Dakota	441.8	0.4	838	49	3.8	16
Tennessee	3,047.8	1.8	964	28	3.3	33
Texas	12,585.6	2.0	1,102	12	3.8	16
Utah	1,526.1	3.0	936	32	4.1	7
Vermont	314.0	0.0	929	34	2.7	43
Virginia	3,981.6	1.0	1,113	11	3.7	22
Washington	3,500.6	1.8	1,288	5	5.9	1
West Virginia	700.4	-0.6	889	42	2.4	47
Wisconsin	2,945.3	0.3	940	31	4.1	7
Wyoming	287.6	1.7	932	33	3.4	28
Puerto Rico	867.7	1.5	531	(3)	-1.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.0	10.0	919	(3)	8.8	(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.