Employment rose in 25 of the 26 largest counties in Texas from September 2018 to September 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 Stanley W. Suchman noted that job growth in Williamson and Denton Counties ranked among the top 10 nationwide. Williamson County ranked sixth with an employment increase of 3.9 percent, and Denton ranked 10^th (3.5 percent). Ector was the only large Texas county to record a job loss (-1.3 percent) during the period. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment increased 1.1 percent over the year with 283 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting increases. New Hanover, NC, had the largest percentage increase in the country, up 5.8 percent over the year.  Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 5.9 percent.

Among the largest counties in Texas, employment was highest in Harris County (2,350,400) in September 2019, followed by Dallas County (1,750,700). Three other counties (Tarrant, Bexar, and Travis) had employment levels exceeding 750,000. Together, the 26 largest Texas counties accounted for 80.4 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

All large counties in Texas experienced average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2018 to the third quarter of 2019. Among the large counties in Texas, Williamson had the largest increase in average weekly wages with a gain of 12.3 percent, which ranked third in the nation. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.6 percent from a year ago to $1,093 in the third quarter of 2019. 

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 228 counties in Texas with annual average employment levels below 75,000 in 2018. Among these smaller counties, 204 had average weekly wages below the national average in September 2019. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All of the 26 large Texas counties recorded wage gains from the third quarter of 2018 to the third quarter of 2019. Over-the-year wage growth in six large Texas counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Williamson (12.3 percent, 3^rd), Smith (5.1 percent, 31^st), Cameron, Dallas and Tarrant (4.9 percent, tied for 42^nd), and Travis (4.8 percent, 47^th). Brazoria County had the smallest over-the-year wage increase (0.9 percent, 339^th) among the state’s large counties. Nationally, average weekly wages rose 3.6 percent.

Nationally, 350 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year wage increases. Boulder, CO, had the largest percentage wage increase (+18.4 percent). The remaining five large counties registered wage declines during the period. Linn, IA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-2.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 5 of the 26 large Texas counties were more than 15 percent above the national average of $1,093 in the third quarter of 2019. Midland County led at $1,459 per week and ranked 17^th among the 355 large U.S. counties. Midland was followed by Harris ($1,315, 28^th), Travis ($1,312, 29^th), Dallas ($1,303, 32^nd), and Collin ($1,278, 39^th). Three additional Texas counties reported average weekly wages above the national average: Ector ($1,227, 49^th), Williamson ($1,143, 82^nd), and Brazoria ($1,095, 97^th).

Texas also had a number of low-paying large counties. Three of the four lowest-paying large counties in the nation were located along the Texas-Mexico border: Cameron ($659, 355^th), Hidalgo ($683, 353^rd), and Webb ($712, 352^nd). Other Texas counties with low national rankings included El Paso ($765, 346^th), Brazos ($815, 334^th), and Lubbock ($861, 304^th).

Nationally, 98 large counties reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2019. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $2,447. Average weekly wages were below the national average in 257 counties. At $659 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in smaller Texas counties

Of the 228 smaller Texas counties–those with employment below 75,000–24 reported average weekly wages above the national average of $1,093. Two of these smaller counties had wages that were also the highest in the state: Carson ($1,711) and Loving ($1,561). Real County registered the lowest weekly wage, averaging $511 in the third quarter of 2019.

When all 254 counties in Texas were considered, all but 32 had wages below the national average. Thirty-three counties reported average weekly wages under $700, 110 registered wages from $700 to $849, 64 had wages from $850 to $999, 23 had wages from $1,000 to $1,149, and 24 had wages of $1,150 or higher. (See chart 1.) The counties with the highest average weekly wages were concentrated around the larger metropolitan areas of Dallas, Houston, and Austin, as well as the smaller areas of Midland, Odessa, and Amarillo. Lower-paying counties tended to be located in the agricultural areas of central Texas, the Texas Panhandle, and along the Texas-Mexico border.

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 this news release. Tables and additional content from the 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm. The 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 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 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 26 largest counties in Texas, third quarter 2019

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	148,556.5	1.1	--	$1,093	--	3.6	--
Texas	12,603.2	2.1	--	1,109	12	4.1	10
Bell	120.9	1.3	132	916	254	4.2	93
Bexar	878.4	1.2	142	965	195	3.8	132
Brazoria	116.6	2.0	69	1,095	97	0.9	339
Brazos	109.2	2.2	60	815	334	3.6	157
Cameron	141.5	1.5	110	659	355	4.9	42
Collin	432.0	3.0	25	1,278	39	3.1	212
Dallas	1,750.7	2.7	37	1,303	32	4.9	42
Denton	260.9	3.5	10	962	198	3.0	227
Ector	81.1	-1.3	344	1,227	49	2.4	276
El Paso	312.9	1.4	122	765	346	4.2	93
Fort Bend	195.8	2.2	60	977	187	3.5	168
Galveston	110.1	0.9	186	959	202	4.1	103
Harris	2,350.4	1.9	76	1,315	28	3.1	212
Hidalgo	265.0	2.3	54	683	353	3.6	157
Jefferson	123.1	1.9	76	1,084	102	3.5	168
Lubbock	141.6	1.1	153	861	304	4.1	103
McLennan	114.4	1.4	122	892	281	4.4	78
Midland	107.7	0.5	226	1,459	17	3.4	182
Montgomery	192.0	2.6	43	1,061	119	4.2	93
Nueces	163.4	1.1	153	937	225	2.9	238
Potter	77.1	1.6	102	888	289	3.3	195
Smith	103.4	0.4	238	893	280	5.1	31
Tarrant	923.3	1.6	102	1,079	106	4.9	42
Travis	779.9	3.1	21	1,312	29	4.8	47
Webb	103.0	0.8	196	712	352	2.2	288
Williamson	181.4	3.9	6	1,143	82	12.3	3
(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 Texas, third quarter 2019

Area	Employment September 2019	Average weekly wage(1)
United States(2)	148,556,525	$1,093
Texas	12,603,160	1,109
Anderson	20,912	853
Andrews	7,999	1,328
Angelina	35,427	784
Aransas	5,564	769
Archer	1,787	731
Armstrong	390	757
Atascosa	14,283	1,046
Austin	10,765	933
Bailey	2,497	773
Bandera	3,343	711
Bastrop	18,681	776
Baylor	1,417	666
Bee	8,886	716
Bell	120,913	916
Bexar	878,443	965
Blanco	3,361	983
Borden	261	776
Bosque	3,707	776
Bowie	41,808	784
Brazoria	116,600	1,095
Brazos	109,181	815
Brewster	4,096	787
Briscoe	323	598
Brooks	2,749	852
Brown	15,341	735
Burleson	4,555	902
Burnet	14,824	821
Caldwell	8,899	746
Calhoun	12,873	1,314
Callahan	2,510	802
Cameron	141,467	659
Camp	3,846	759
Carson	5,037	1,711
Cass	7,818	731
Castro	2,517	721
Chambers	18,138	1,269
Cherokee	14,501	717
Childress	2,525	737
Clay	1,497	703
Cochran	657	812
Coke	736	761
Coleman	1,962	614
Collin	431,973	1,278
Collingsworth	821	779
Colorado	7,020	822
Comal	60,194	843
Comanche	3,847	675
Concho	926	782
Cooke	14,907	902
Coryell	16,059	818
Cottle	415	895
Crane	1,148	1,119
Crockett	1,458	823
Crosby	1,265	728
Culberson	1,221	1,050
Dallam	4,484	874
Dallas	1,750,722	1,303
Dawson	4,270	789
De Witt	7,938	878
Deaf Smith	7,809	823
Delta	1,004	512
Denton	260,926	962
Dickens	441	659
Dimmit	6,504	1,074
Donley	849	628
Duval	3,534	753
Eastland	7,519	1,037
Ector	81,051	1,227
Edwards	572	808
El Paso	312,881	765
Ellis	52,520	868
Erath	16,906	714
Falls	3,165	721
Fannin	8,525	798
Fayette	8,997	833
Fisher	788	818
Floyd	1,554	672
Foard	378	572
Fort Bend	195,792	977
Franklin	3,127	824
Freestone	4,613	805
Frio	7,617	1,008
Gaines	6,618	986
Galveston	110,078	959
Garza	1,858	834
Gillespie	10,879	751
Glasscock	581	993
Goliad	1,297	835
Gonzales	7,341	844
Gray	7,749	961
Grayson	47,276	851
Gregg	76,321	919
Grimes	7,320	992
Guadalupe	42,137	867
Hale	11,533	726
Hall	758	572
Hamilton	2,596	738
Hansford	2,088	950
Hardeman	1,333	716
Hardin	12,757	836
Harris	2,350,392	1,315
Harrison	23,126	957
Hartley	2,562	787
Haskell	1,451	620
Hays	73,520	815
Hemphill	1,875	1,166
Henderson	17,553	725
Hidalgo	264,971	683
Hill	10,166	809
Hockley	9,677	1,154
Hood	16,906	856
Hopkins	12,989	768
Houston	7,071	944
Howard	13,659	1,003
Hudspeth	1,516	1,171
Hunt	27,705	964
Hutchinson	8,014	1,157
Irion	1,005	1,099
Jack	2,597	928
Jackson	6,165	891
Jasper	9,460	802
Jeff Davis	861	672
Jefferson	123,076	1,084
Jim Hogg	1,686	786
Jim Wells	16,457	936
Johnson	48,726	901
Jones	3,004	746
Karnes	6,752	1,096
Kaufman	32,578	834
Kendall	17,765	962
Kenedy	507	1,358
Kent	297	696
Kerr	18,550	814
Kimble	1,239	605
King	152	743
Kinney	1,055	984
Kleberg	11,720	781
Knox	1,073	862
La Salle	3,526	1,411
Lamar	22,209	819
Lamb	4,057	821
Lampasas	4,655	698
Lavaca	5,484	770
Lee	7,941	1,039
Leon	5,059	1,030
Liberty	18,835	903
Limestone	8,127	859
Lipscomb	1,327	841
Live Oak	4,220	1,135
Llano	4,903	735
Loving	288	1,561
Lubbock	141,585	861
Lynn	1,471	927
Madison	4,330	766
Marion	1,964	626
Martin	2,817	1,165
Mason	1,046	642
Matagorda	10,814	993
Maverick	17,926	674
McCulloch	2,514	804
McLennan	114,375	892
McMullen	622	969
Medina	10,147	740
Menard	456	534
Midland	107,687	1,459
Milam	5,220	793
Mills	1,292	676
Mitchell	1,943	805
Montague	4,958	767
Montgomery	192,011	1,061
Moore	11,367	890
Morris	3,791	937
Motley	326	549
Nacogdoches	22,271	736
Navarro	17,630	758
Newton	1,277	725
Nolan	6,464	850
Nueces	163,358	937
Ochiltree	4,445	919
Oldham	973	796
Orange	22,564	1,025
Palo Pinto	8,715	884
Panola	8,252	930
Parker	34,924	866
Parmer	5,799	863
Pecos	5,632	946
Polk	11,572	799
Potter	77,104	888
Presidio	2,153	863
Rains	1,980	662
Randall	32,531	832
Reagan	2,073	1,362
Real	710	511
Red River	2,682	677
Reeves	9,158	1,319
Refugio	2,336	834
Roberts	260	932
Robertson	4,389	861
Rockwall	32,807	819
Runnels	2,907	718
Rusk	13,737	853
Sabine	2,448	712
San Augustine	2,150	828
San Jacinto	2,156	709
San Patricio	18,657	929
San Saba	1,849	800
Schleicher	758	940
Scurry	6,465	1,077
Shackelford	1,309	1,089
Shelby	8,606	782
Sherman	1,069	813
Smith	103,371	893
Somervell	3,692	1,117
Starr	14,816	613
Stephens	3,267	731
Sterling	522	817
Stonewall	487	786
Sutton	1,610	1,142
Swisher	1,844	680
Tarrant	923,263	1,079
Taylor	65,172	837
Terrell	266	832
Terry	3,502	835
Throckmorton	379	595
Titus	16,347	742
Tom Green	47,773	860
Travis	779,855	1,312
Trinity	2,270	668
Tyler	3,905	688
Upshur	7,249	765
Upton	1,693	1,438
Uvalde	9,883	687
Val Verde	18,492	719
Van Zandt	11,312	691
Victoria	38,722	905
Walker	25,454	797
Waller	18,217	896
Ward	6,267	1,225
Washington	15,406	778
Webb	102,968	712
Wharton	16,378	832
Wheeler	1,951	919
Wichita	54,774	791
Wilbarger	5,890	734
Willacy	3,989	734
Williamson	181,431	1,143
Wilson	8,994	781
Winkler	3,542	1,342
Wise	20,901	911
Wood	10,450	734
Yoakum	3,623	1,225
Young	6,717	799
Zapata	3,422	1,007
Zavala	2,331	782
(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: Covered employment and wages 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, third quarter 2019

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2018-19	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2018-19	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	148,556.5	1.1	$1,093	--	3.6	--
Alabama	1,989.5	1.1	919	36	3.8	18
Alaska	338.0	1.2	1,105	14	3.7	21
Arizona	2,913.4	2.6	1,018	22	4.5	4
Arkansas	1,222.8	0.0	841	49	3.8	18
California	17,713.1	1.4	1,309	5	3.8	18
Colorado	2,749.0	2.4	1,170	8	6.1	1
Connecticut	1,676.6	-0.3	1,236	6	2.3	50
Delaware	453.2	1.1	1,078	15	3.3	32
District of Columbia	776.4	0.6	1,851	1	2.5	49
Florida	8,838.2	1.7	955	29	3.4	27
Georgia	4,509.7	1.4	1,026	20	3.4	27
Hawaii	654.1	-0.3	1,012	23	3.9	15
Idaho	765.2	2.9	838	50	4.1	10
Illinois	6,023.1	0.0	1,125	10	3.6	23
Indiana	3,083.5	0.3	914	37	3.5	26
Iowa	1,556.9	0.1	914	37	3.0	39
Kansas	1,395.9	0.4	893	43	2.9	43
Kentucky	1,910.8	0.7	884	45	3.4	27
Louisiana	1,913.5	-0.3	923	35	2.6	47
Maine	632.6	0.9	887	44	4.2	7
Maryland	2,696.9	0.2	1,169	9	3.6	23
Massachusetts	3,642.5	0.9	1,359	2	4.2	7
Michigan	4,375.8	0.2	1,021	21	3.0	39
Minnesota	2,917.8	0.4	1,107	13	3.0	39
Mississippi	1,135.8	0.1	768	51	2.7	46
Missouri	2,826.5	0.6	942	31	3.9	15
Montana	478.9	1.2	848	48	3.9	15
Nebraska	984.7	0.3	908	39	4.0	13
Nevada	1,412.2	2.1	973	26	4.1	10
New Hampshire	667.9	0.8	1,075	16	3.4	27
New Jersey	4,104.0	0.9	1,217	7	3.0	39
New Mexico	842.1	1.7	899	40	5.1	2
New York	9,575.4	1.1	1,314	4	3.3	32
North Carolina	4,501.3	2.2	972	27	3.6	23
North Dakota	428.4	0.9	1,028	19	3.3	32
Ohio	5,443.3	0.3	976	25	3.1	37
Oklahoma	1,628.8	0.5	897	41	2.6	47
Oregon	1,970.7	1.4	1,037	18	3.2	35
Pennsylvania	5,947.9	0.8	1,064	17	3.2	35
Rhode Island	491.3	0.6	991	24	2.8	44
South Carolina	2,132.4	2.2	866	46	3.7	21
South Dakota	433.4	0.4	855	47	3.4	27
Tennessee	3,060.8	1.9	966	28	2.8	44
Texas	12,603.2	2.1	1,109	12	4.1	10
Utah	1,535.2	2.8	954	30	4.8	3
Vermont	311.0	0.0	927	34	4.3	5
Virginia	3,931.4	1.0	1,125	10	4.0	13
Washington	3,489.8	2.1	1,335	3	4.3	5
West Virginia	694.4	-1.8	897	41	0.3	51
Wisconsin	2,893.8	0.1	929	33	3.1	37
Wyoming	283.1	1.5	942	31	4.2	7
Puerto Rico	878.9	1.9	528	(3)	-0.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.8	9.6	1,012	(3)	12.8	(3)
(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.