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Economic News Release
PRINT:Print
QCEW QCEW Program Links

County Employment and Wages News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST), Thursday, March 8, 2018	USDL-18-0334

Technical Information:	(202) 691-6567  *  QCEWInfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cew
Media Contact:		(202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov

COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES
Third Quarter 2017

From September 2016 to September 2017, employment increased in 283 of the 346 largest U.S. 
counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage 
increase with a gain of 10.4 percent over the year, above the national job growth rate of 1.0 percent. 
Within Midland, the largest employment increase occurred in natural resources and mining, which 
gained 4,526 jobs over the year (24.4 percent). Collier, Fla., had the largest over-the-year percentage 
decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a loss of 5.2 percent. Within 
Collier, construction had the largest decrease in employment, with a loss of 1,879 jobs (-12.8 percent). 

The U.S. average weekly wage decreased 0.6 percent over the year, declining to $1,021 in the third 
quarter of 2017. This is the third decline since first quarter 2016, and one of only nine declines in the 
history of the series, which dates back to 1978. Mercer, N.J., had the largest over-the-year percentage 
decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 8.8 percent. Within Mercer, an average weekly wage 
loss of $260 (-13.1 percent) in professional and business services made the largest contribution to the 
county’s decrease in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas, had the largest over-the-year percentage 
increase in average weekly wages with a gain of 8.4 percent. Within Midland, natural resources and 
mining had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage change with an increase of $180 
(9.5 percent) over the year.

County employment and wage data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 
program, which provides the only detailed quarterly and annual universe count of establishments, 
employment, and wages at the county, metropolitan statistical area, state, and national levels by detailed 
industry. These data are published within 6 months following the end of each quarter.

Large County Employment

In September 2017, national employment was 144.5 million (as measured by the QCEW program). Over 
the year, employment increased 1.0 percent, or 1.5 million. In September 2017, the 346 U.S. counties 
with 75,000 or more jobs accounted for 72.7 percent of total U.S. employment and 77.8 percent of total 
wages. These 346 counties had a net job growth of 1.1 million over the year, accounting for 77.3 percent 
of the overall U.S. employment increase. The 5 counties with the largest increases in employment levels 
had a combined over-the-year employment gain of 201,100 jobs, which was 13.8 percent of the overall 
job increase for the U.S. (See table A.) 

Employment declined in 60 of the largest counties from September 2016 to September 2017. Collier, 
Fla., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-5.2 percent), followed by Lee, 
Fla.; Jefferson, Texas; Sangamon, Ill.; and Brazoria, Texas. (See table 1.)

Table A.  Large counties ranked by September 2017 employment, September 2016-17 employment increase, and 
September 2016-17 percent increase in employment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Employment in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     September 2017 employment    |      Increase in employment,     |  Percent increase in employment, 
            (thousands)           |         September 2016-17        |         September 2016-17
                                  |            (thousands)           |                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States           144,464.4| United States             1,459.4| United States                 1.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 Los Angeles, Calif.       4,408.1| Los Angeles, Calif.          58.1| Midland, Texas               10.4
 Cook, Ill.                2,578.3| Maricopa, Ariz.              48.2| Elkhart, Ind.                 5.2
 New York, N.Y.            2,451.9| King, Wash.                  36.7| Weld, Colo.                   5.0
 Harris, Texas             2,261.3| Dallas, Texas                31.1| Clark, Wash.                  4.6
 Maricopa, Ariz.           1,938.0| New York, N.Y.               27.0| Calcasieu, La.                4.5
 Dallas, Texas             1,691.1| Kings, N.Y.                  25.4| Rutherford, Tenn.             4.3
 Orange, Calif.            1,598.6| Santa Clara, Calif.          23.2| Utah, Utah                    4.2
 San Diego, Calif.         1,439.5| Clark, Nev.                  22.8| Montgomery, Texas             4.0
 King, Wash.               1,367.1| San Bernardino, Calif.       22.6| Benton, Wash.                 3.8
 Miami-Dade, Fla.          1,092.6| Orange, Calif.               21.7| Kings, N.Y.                   3.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Average weekly wages for the nation decreased to $1,021, a 0.6 percent decrease, during the year ending 
in the third quarter of 2017. Among the 346 largest counties, 265 had over-the-year decreases in average 
weekly wages. Mercer, N.J., had the largest percentage wage decrease among the largest U.S. counties (-
8.8 percent). (See table B.) 

Of the 346 largest counties, 71 experienced an over-the-year increase in average weekly wages. 
Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increase in average weekly wages (8.4 percent), followed by 
Union, N.J.; Elkhart, Ind.; Forsyth, N.C.; and Maui + Kalawao, Hawaii. (See table 1.)

Table B.  Large counties ranked by third quarter 2017 average weekly wages, third quarter 2016-17
decrease in average weekly wages, and third quarter 2016-17 percent decrease in average weekly wages 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Average weekly wage in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Average weekly wage,      |    Decrease in average weekly    |    Percent decrease in average 
         third quarter 2017       |    wage, third quarter 2016-17   |         weekly wage, third
                                  |                                  |          quarter 2016-17
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States              $1,021| United States                 -$6| United States                -0.6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 Santa Clara, Calif.        $2,320| Mercer, N.J.                -$118| Mercer, N.J.                 -8.8
 San Mateo, Calif.           2,123| Somerset, N.J.                -74| Wyandotte, Kan.              -6.0
 San Francisco, Calif.       1,954| Wyandotte, Kan.               -61| Clark, Nev.                  -5.3
 New York, N.Y.              1,889| Fairfield, Conn.              -58| Somerset, N.J.               -5.0
 Washington, D.C.            1,759| Middlesex, Mass.              -57| Clay, Mo.                    -4.8
 Suffolk, Mass.              1,691| Clark, Nev.                   -50| Washington, Ark.             -4.7
 Arlington, Va.              1,642| Clay, Mo.                     -43| Okaloosa, Fla.               -4.3
 King, Wash.                 1,626| Jefferson, Ky.                -42| McLean, Ill.                 -4.2
 Fairfax, Va.                1,540| Dauphin, Pa.                  -42| Jefferson, Ky.               -4.2
 Middlesex, Mass.            1,498| Anchorage, Alaska             -41| Montgomery, Ala.             -4.1
                                  | Washington, Ark.              -41| Sedgwick, Kan.               -4.1
                                  | McLean, Ill.                  -41|                                  
                                  | Mecklenburg, N.C.             -41|                                  
                                  | Norfolk City, Va.             -41|                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten Largest U.S. Counties

Among the 10 largest counties, 9 had over-the-year percentage increases in employment in September 
2017. King, Wash., had the largest gain (2.8 percent). Within King, trade, transportation, and utilities 
had the largest over-the-year employment level increase, with a gain of 16,733 jobs, or 6.6 percent. 
Miami-Dade, Fla., had the only percentage decrease in employment among the 10 largest counties (-1.7 
percent). Within Miami-Dade, leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-year employment level 
decrease, with a loss of 6,855 jobs, or -4.9 percent. (See table 2.)

Average weekly wages decreased over the year in 7 of the 10 largest U.S. counties. Dallas, Texas, 
experienced the largest percentage loss in average weekly wages (-1.9 percent). Within Dallas, trade, 
transportation, and utilities had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage loss. Within 
trade, transportation, and utilities, average weekly wages decreased by $61, or -5.5 percent, over the 
year. King, Wash., had the largest percentage gain in average weekly wages among the 10 largest 
counties (2.7 percent). Within King, information had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly 
wage growth with an increase of $169 (3.4 percent) over the year. 

For More Information

The tables included in this release contain data for the nation and for the 346 U.S. counties with annual 
average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2016. September 2017 employment and 2017 third 
quarter average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 3 of this release.

The data are derived from reports submitted by employers who are subject to unemployment insurance 
(UI) laws. The 9.9 million employer reports cover 144.5 million full- and part-time workers. Data for the 
third quarter of 2017 will be available later at www.bls.gov/cew. Additional information about the 
quarterly employment and wages data is available in the Technical Note. More information about 
QCEW data may be obtained by calling (202) 691-6567.

The most current news release on quarterly measures of gross job flows is available from QCEW 
Business Employment Dynamics at www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewbd.pdf.

Several BLS regional offices issue QCEW news releases targeted to local data users. Links to these 
releases are available at www.bls.gov/cew/cewregional.htm.

_____________
The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2017 is scheduled to be released 
on Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                                                          |
|           Effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages           |
|                                                                                                          |
|  Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall in the United States on September 7 and September 20,           |
|  2017, respectively, during the QCEW third quarter reference period. These events did not cause changes  |
|  to QCEW methodology. However, they did affect data collection in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin        |
|  Islands. For more information, please visit this webpage:                                               |
|  www.bls.gov/bls/hurricanes-harvey-irma-maria.htm.                                                       |
|                                                                                                          |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                                                          |
|                    QCEW Publication Acceleration and Conversion to Two Data Releases                     |
|                                                                                                          |
|  The QCEW publication process is accelerating for a more timely release. Beginning with the fourth       |
|  quarter 2017 release, QCEW data will be published in two parts. The current County Employment and       |
|  Wages news release and associated data will be accelerated and published first. The full QCEW data      |
|  release will occur two weeks later, accompanied by a data release notice.                               |
|                                                                                                          |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                                                          |
|                Alaska Area Name Changes Effective with QCEW Release for Third Quarter 2017               |
|            These Alaska area names have been updated for the current and future QCEW releases            |
|                                                                                                          |
|                         ------------------------------------------------------------                     |
|                        | Previous Name              |   Current Name                |                    |
|                        |------------------------------------------------------------|                    |
|                        | Aleutian East Borough      |   Aleutians East Borough      |                    |
|                        | Aleutian West Census Area  |   Aleutians West Census Area  |                    |
|                        | Anchorage Borough          |   Anchorage Municipality      |                    |
|                        | Juneau Borough             |   Juneau City and Borough     |                    |
|                        | Petersburg Census Area     |   Petersburg Borough          |                    |
|                        | Sitka Borough              |   Sitka City and Borough      |                    |
|                        | Yakutat Borough            |   Yakutat City and Borough    |                    |
|                         ------------------------------------------------------------                     |
|                                                                                                          |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------






Technical Note

These data are the product of a federal-state cooperative program, 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 
summaries are a result of the administration of state unemployment insurance programs that 
require most employers to pay quarterly taxes based on the employment and wages of workers 
covered by UI. QCEW data in this release are based on the 2017 North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS). Data for 2017 are preliminary and subject to revision. 

For purposes of this release, large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or 
greater. In addition, data for San Juan, Puerto Rico, are provided, but not used in calculating U.S. 
averages, rankings, or in the analysis in the text. Each year, these large counties are selected on the 
basis of the preliminary annual average of employment for the previous year. The 347 counties 
presented in this release were derived using 2016 preliminary annual averages of employment. For 
2017 data, three counties have been added to the publication tables: Sussex, Del.; Maui + Kalawao, 
Hawaii; and Deschutes, Ore. These counties will be included in all 2017 quarterly releases. One 
county, Gregg, Texas, which was published in the 2016 releases, will be excluded from this and 
future 2017 releases because its 2016 annual average employment level was less than 75,000. The 
counties in table 2 are selected and sorted each year based on the annual average employment from 
the preceding year. 

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the 
individual states. These potential differences result from the states' continuing receipt of UI data 
over time and ongoing review and editing. The individual states determine their data release 
timetables.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment measures for any 
given quarter: QCEW, Business Employment Dynamics (BED), and Current Employment 
Statistics (CES). Each of these measures makes use of the quarterly UI employment reports in 
producing data; however, each measure has a somewhat different universe coverage, estimation 
procedure, and publication product. 

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat different measures of 
employment change over time. It is important to understand program differences and the intended 
uses of the program products. (See table.) Additional information on each program can be obtained 
from the program Web sites shown in the table.

Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            |         QCEW        |         BED          |         CES
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Source     |--Count of UI admini-|--Count of longitudi- |--Sample survey:
            |  strative records   |  nally-linked UI ad- |  651,000 establish-
            |  submitted by 9.9   |  ministrative records|  ments
            |  million establish- |  submitted by 7.9    |
            |  ments in first     |  million private-sec-|
            |  quarter of 2017    |  tor employers       |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Coverage   |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and sal-
            |  age, including all |  ing government, pri-|  ary jobs:
            |  employers subject  |  vate households, and|--UI coverage, exclud-
            |  to state and fed-  |  establishments with |  ing agriculture, pri-
            |  eral UI laws       |  zero employment     |  vate households, and
            |                     |                      |  self-employed workers
            |                     |                      |--Other employment, in-
            |                     |                      |  cluding railroads, 
            |                     |                      |  religious organiza-
            |                     |                      |  tions, and other non-
            |                     |                      |  UI-covered jobs
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Publication|--Quarterly          |--Quarterly           |--Monthly 
 frequency  |  -Within 6 months   |  -7 months after the |  -Usually the 3rd Friday
            |   after the end of  |   end of each quarter|   after the end of the 
            |   each quarter      |                      |   week including 
            |                     |                      |   the 12th of the month
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Use of UI  |--Directly summarizes|--Links each new UI   |--Uses UI file as a sam-
 file       |  and publishes each |  quarter to longitu- |  pling frame and to an-
            |  new quarter of UI  |  dinal database and  |  nually realign sample-
            |  data               |  directly summarizes |  based estimates to pop-
            |                     |  gross job gains and |  ulation counts (bench- 
            |                     |  losses              |  marking)
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Principal  |--Provides a quarter-|--Provides quarterly  |--Provides current month-
 products   |  ly and annual uni- |  employer dynamics   |  ly estimates of employ-
            |  verse count of es- |  data on establish-  |  ment, hours, and earn-
            |  tablishments, em-  |  ment openings, clos-|  ings at the MSA, state,
            |  ployment, and wages|  ings, expansions,   |  and national level by
            |  at the county, MSA,|  and contractions at |  industry
            |  state, and national|  the national level  |
            |  levels by detailed |  by NAICS supersec-  |
            |  industry           |  tors and by size of |
            |                     |  firm, and at the    |
            |                     |  state private-sector|
            |                     |  total level         |
            |                     |--Future expansions   |
            |                     |  will include data   |
            |                     |  with greater indus- |
            |                     |  try detail and data |
            |                     |  at the county and   |
            |                     |  MSA level           |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Principal  |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
 uses       |  -Detailed locality |  -Business cycle     |  -Principal federal
            |   data              |   analysis           |   economic indicator
            |  -Periodic universe |  -Analysis of employ-|  -Official time series 
            |   counts for bench- |   er dynamics under- |   for employment change
            |   marking sample    |   lying economic ex- |   measures
            |   survey estimates  |   pansions and con-  |  -Input into other ma-
            |  -Sample frame for  |   tractions          |   jor economic indi-
            |   BLS establishment |  -Analysis of employ-|   cators
            |   surveys           |   ment expansion and |
            |                     |   contraction by size|
            |                     |   of firm            |
            |                     |                      |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew/   |--www.bls.gov/bdm/    |--www.bls.gov/ces/
 Web sites  |                     |                      |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI laws are compiled from quarterly 
contribution reports submitted to the SWAs by employers. For federal civilian workers covered by 
the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program, employment and 
wage data are compiled from quarterly reports submitted by four major federal payroll processing 
centers on behalf of all federal agencies, with the exception of a few agencies which still report 
directly to the individual SWA. In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers who 
operate multiple establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called the "Multiple 
Worksite Report," which provides detailed information on the location and industry of each of their 
establishments. QCEW employment and wage data are derived from microdata summaries of 9.7 
million employer reports of employment and wages submitted by states to the BLS in 2016. These 
reports are based on place of employment rather than place of residence.

UI and UCFE coverage is broad and has been basically comparable from state to state since 1978, 
when the 1976 amendments to the Federal Unemployment Tax Act became effective, expanding 
coverage to include most state and local government employees. In 2016, UI and UCFE programs 
covered workers in 141.9 million jobs. The estimated 136.6 million workers in these jobs (after 
adjustment for multiple jobholders) represented 96.4 percent of civilian wage and salary 
employment. Covered workers received $7.607 trillion in pay, representing 94.1 percent of the 
wage and salary component of personal income and 40.9 percent of the gross domestic product.

Major exclusions from UI coverage include self-employed workers, most agricultural workers on 
small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials in most states, most employees of 
railroads, some domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and employees of certain small 
nonprofit organizations.

State and federal UI laws change periodically. These changes may have an impact on the 
employment and wages reported by employers covered under the UI program. Coverage changes 
may affect the over-the-year comparisons presented in this news release.

Concepts and methodology

Monthly employment is based on the number of workers who worked during or received pay for 
the pay period including the 12th of the month. With few exceptions, all employees of covered 
firms are reported, including production and sales workers, corporation officials, executives, 
supervisory personnel, and clerical workers. Workers on paid vacations and part-time workers also 
are included.

Average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the 
three monthly employment levels (all employees, as described above) and dividing the result by 
13, for the 13 weeks in the quarter. These calculations are made using unrounded employment and 
wage values. The average wage values that can be calculated using rounded data from the BLS 
database may differ from the averages reported. Included in the quarterly wage data are non-wage 
cash payments such as bonuses, the cash value of meals and lodging when supplied, tips and other 
gratuities, and, in some states, employer contributions to certain deferred compensation plans such 
as 401(k) plans and stock options. Over-the-year comparisons of average weekly wages may 
reflect fluctuations in average monthly employment and/or total quarterly wages between the 
current quarter and prior year levels.

Average weekly wages are affected by the ratio of full-time to part-time workers as well as the 
number of individuals in high-paying and low-paying occupations and the incidence of pay periods 
within a quarter. For instance, the average weekly wage of the workforce could increase 
significantly when there is a large decline in the number of employees that had been receiving 
below-average wages. Wages may include payments to workers not present in the employment 
counts because they did not work during the pay period including the 12th of the month. When 
comparing average weekly wage levels between industries, states, or quarters, these factors should 
be taken into consideration.

Wages measured by QCEW may be subject to periodic and sometimes large fluctuations. This 
variability may be due to calendar effects resulting from some quarters having more pay dates than 
others. The effect is most visible in counties with a dominant employer. In particular, this effect 
has been observed in counties where government employers represent a large fraction of overall 
employment. Similar calendar effects can result from private sector pay practices. However, these 
effects are typically less pronounced for two reasons: employment is less concentrated in a single 
private employer, and private employers use a variety of pay period types (weekly, biweekly, 
semimonthly, monthly).

For example, the effect on over-the-year pay comparisons can be pronounced in federal 
government due to the uniform nature of federal payroll processing. Most federal employees are 
paid on a biweekly pay schedule. As a result, in some quarters federal wages include six pay dates, 
while in other quarters there are seven pay dates. Over-the-year comparisons of average weekly 
wages may also reflect this calendar effect. Growth in average weekly wages may be attributed, in 
part, to a comparison of quarterly wages for the current year, which include seven pay dates, with 
year-ago wages that reflect only six pay dates. An opposite effect will occur when wages in the 
current quarter reflecting six pay dates are compared with year-ago wages for a quarter including 
seven pay dates.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, states verify with employers and update, if 
necessary, the industry, location, and ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year 
cycle. Changes in establishment classification codes resulting from this process are introduced with 
the data reported for the first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from improved employer 
reporting also are introduced in the first quarter.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual 
establishment records and reflect 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 
that reflect economic events or administrative changes. For example, economic change would 
come from a firm relocating into the county; administrative change would come from a company 
correcting its county designation.

The over-the-year changes of employment and wages presented in this release have been adjusted 
to account for most of the administrative corrections made to the underlying establishment reports. 
This is done by modifying the prior-year levels used to calculate the over-the-year changes. 
Percent changes are calculated using an adjusted version of the final 2016 quarterly data as the 
base data. The adjusted prior-year levels used to calculate the over-the-year percent change in 
employment and wages are not published. These adjusted prior-year levels do not match the 
unadjusted data maintained on the BLS Web site. Over-the-year change calculations based on data 
from the Web site, or from data published in prior BLS news releases, may differ substantially 
from the over-the-year changes presented in this news release.

The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change measures presented in this release 
eliminate the effect of most of the administrative changes (those occurring when employers update 
the industry, location, and ownership information of their establishments). The most common 
adjustments for administrative change are the result of updated information about the county 
location of individual establishments. Included in these adjustments are administrative changes 
involving the classification of establishments that were previously reported in the unknown or 
statewide county or unknown industry categories. Adjusted data account for improvements in 
reporting employment and wages for individual and multi-unit establishments. To accomplish this, 
adjustments were implemented to account for: administrative changes caused by multi-unit 
employers who start reporting for each individual establishment rather than as a single entity (first 
quarter of 2008); selected large administrative changes in employment and wages (second quarter 
of 2011); and state verified improvements in reporting of employment and wages (third quarter of 
2014). These adjustments allow QCEW to include county employment and wage growth rates in 
this news release that would otherwise not meet publication standards.

The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change measures presented in any County 
Employment and Wages news release are valid for comparisons between the starting and ending 
points (a 12-month period) used in that particular release. Comparisons may not be valid for any 
time period other than the one featured in a release even if the changes were calculated using 
adjusted data.

County definitions are assigned according to Federal Information Processing Standards 
Publications (FIPS PUBS) as issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, after 
approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 5131 of the Information Technology 
Management Reform Act of 1996 and the Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law 104-106. 
Areas shown as counties include those designated as independent cities in some jurisdictions and, 
in Alaska, those designated as census areas where counties have not been created. County data also 
are presented for the New England states for comparative purposes even though townships are the 
more common designation used in New England (and New Jersey). The regions referred to in this 
release are defined as census regions.

Additional statistics and other information

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed 
industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2016 edition 
of this publication, which was published in September 2017, contains selected data produced by 
Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the 
first quarter 2017 version of this news release. Tables and additional content from the 2016 edition 
of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at 
www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn16.htm. The 2017 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages 
Online will be available in September 2018.

News releases on quarterly measures of gross job flows also are available from BED at 
www.bls.gov/bdm, (202) 691-6467, or data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/forms/bdm.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 
Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: (800) 877-8339. 






Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 347 largest counties,
third quarter 2017

                                                   Employment               Average weekly wage(2)

                          Establishments,
        County(1)          third quarter                Percent    Ranking            Percent   Ranking
                                2017       September    change,      by      Third    change,     by
                            (thousands)       2017     September   percent  quarter    third    percent
                                          (thousands)  2016-17(3)  change     2017    quarter   change
                                                                                     2016-17(3)

United States(4).........       9,916.5     144,464.4       1.0        -    $1,021      -0.6       -

Jefferson, AL............          18.7         344.2       1.1       145      990      -1.8      237
Madison, AL..............           9.6         195.5       1.3       114    1,103      -1.6      217
Mobile, AL...............          10.2         170.5       0.6       209      874      -1.5      208
Montgomery, AL...........           6.4         132.7       1.0       157      825      -4.1      336
Shelby, AL...............           5.8          85.8       1.4       104      956      -1.4      195
Tuscaloosa, AL...........           4.6          94.0       1.0       157      831       1.0       35
Anchorage, AK............           8.3         151.5      -1.2       332    1,063      -3.7      330
Maricopa, AZ.............          96.6       1,938.0       2.6        32      987      -1.1      168
Pima, AZ.................          18.7         365.6       1.1       145      869       0.6       49
Benton, AR...............           6.5         118.1       1.0       157      942       0.7       43

Pulaski, AR..............          14.4         251.3       0.8       182      904      -2.2      266
Washington, AR...........           6.0         107.1       2.6        32      823      -4.7      341
Alameda, CA..............          63.5         777.0       2.4        42    1,390       0.0       72
Butte, CA................           8.5          84.2       1.2       132      789       1.3       27
Contra Costa, CA.........          32.4         368.0       0.6       209    1,240       0.0       72
Fresno, CA...............          35.5         393.4       1.6        80      804      -0.4      103
Kern, CA.................          19.0         330.3       1.7        79      844      -1.9      245
Los Angeles, CA..........         488.1       4,408.1       1.3       114    1,147       1.1       32
Marin, CA................          12.5         114.5       0.7       192    1,237      -0.1       82
Merced, CA...............           6.7          84.3       2.6        32      807      -0.5      111

Monterey, CA.............          13.7         204.8       0.3       244      885      -0.7      133
Napa, CA.................           5.9          79.2       1.9        67    1,020       0.7       43
Orange, CA...............         120.4       1,598.6       1.4       104    1,135      -1.1      168
Placer, CA...............          13.0         161.9       1.9        67    1,033      -1.0      156
Riverside, CA............          63.9         711.3       2.8        28      831      -1.3      186
Sacramento, CA...........          58.1         649.7       2.1        54    1,110      -0.4      103
San Bernardino, CA.......          59.0         731.5       3.2        20      864      -1.3      186
San Diego, CA............         110.9       1,439.5       1.2       132    1,112      -1.6      217
San Francisco, CA........          60.7         722.3       2.4        42    1,954       3.2        8
San Joaquin, CA..........          17.7         253.2       2.5        40      868      -0.7      133

San Luis Obispo, CA......          10.4         118.8       3.1        22      860      -0.8      142
San Mateo, CA............          28.3         400.2       1.3       114    2,123       1.1       32
Santa Barbara, CA........          15.6         202.5       1.6        80      979      -2.1      263
Santa Clara, CA..........          72.8       1,077.2       2.2        52    2,320       2.6       13
Santa Cruz, CA...........           9.6         107.6       0.6       209      924      -1.2      175
Solano, CA...............          11.5         139.7       1.8        75    1,058      -0.1       82
Sonoma, CA...............          20.1         209.0       1.5        92      993      -0.5      111
Stanislaus, CA...........          15.6         190.1       0.7       192      880      -0.8      142
Tulare, CA...............          10.4         162.9       0.5       223      737      -0.8      142
Ventura, CA..............          27.1         321.2       1.2       132      988      -3.1      314

Yolo, CA.................           6.7         102.0      -0.5       306    1,094      -2.2      266
Adams, CO................          11.0         207.1       3.1        22    1,015       0.0       72
Arapahoe, CO.............          22.1         329.5       1.9        67    1,187      -0.9      150
Boulder, CO..............          15.4         181.0       2.1        54    1,237       1.5       26
Denver, CO...............          32.4         510.4       2.0        60    1,257       0.8       38
Douglas, CO..............          12.1         121.3       2.5        40    1,114      -0.6      121
El Paso, CO..............          19.8         272.5       2.0        60      948       1.7       17
Jefferson, CO............          20.3         234.3       0.6       209    1,057       0.6       49
Larimer, CO..............          12.2         160.2       2.1        54      967       3.0       10
Weld, CO.................           7.4         106.7       5.0         3      927       1.6       21

Fairfield, CT............          35.5         420.9      -0.8       321    1,422      -3.9      333
Hartford, CT.............          28.0         509.9       0.6       209    1,185      -1.3      186
New Haven, CT............          24.2         364.3       0.5       223    1,051      -1.2      175
New London, CT...........           7.5         124.5       0.8       182      993      -2.6      296
New Castle, DE...........          20.0         286.4       0.1       270    1,146       1.2       30
Sussex, DE...............           6.8          81.9       3.0        24      737      -1.9      245
Washington, DC...........          40.4         764.7       0.7       192    1,759       1.3       27
Alachua, FL..............           7.1         129.1       0.6       209      881       0.0       72
Bay, FL..................           5.6          77.5       0.3       244      729      -3.6      326
Brevard, FL..............          15.6         201.6      -1.1       329      902      -3.0      311

Broward, FL..............          68.8         778.9      -0.7       314      941      -1.1      168
Collier, FL..............          13.8         128.3      -5.2       346      857      -1.6      217
Duval, FL................          29.2         498.6       1.3       114      951      -1.7      231
Escambia, FL.............           8.0         133.7       1.2       132      802      -0.6      121
Hillsborough, FL.........          41.8         662.5      -0.5       306      976      -1.8      237
Lake, FL.................           8.1          93.8      -0.5       306      692      -3.5      323
Lee, FL..................          21.7         239.7      -2.8       345      810       0.1       64
Leon, FL.................           8.7         146.8      -1.5       334      852       0.8       38
Manatee, FL..............          10.7         116.1      -0.1       287      793      -3.2      316
Marion, FL...............           8.2          99.0      -0.1       287      695      -3.2      316

Miami-Dade, FL...........          97.5       1,092.6      -1.7       337      984      -0.1       82
Okaloosa, FL.............           6.3          82.9       0.7       192      819      -4.3      340
Orange, FL...............          41.9         811.7       1.3       114      895      -1.4      195
Osceola, FL..............           6.9          90.6       2.0        60      689      -2.5      285
Palm Beach, FL...........          55.9         576.0      -1.0       328      951      -2.4      281
Pasco, FL................          10.8         115.0       0.9       167      717      -0.1       82
Pinellas, FL.............          32.7         418.2       0.2       259      881      -1.9      245
Polk, FL.................          13.1         211.4       1.2       132      777      -0.8      142
Sarasota, FL.............          15.8         161.5      -0.8       321      841       0.5       52
Seminole, FL.............          14.9         185.3       0.4       233      866       0.1       64

Volusia, FL..............          14.2         166.8      -0.7       314      720      -1.0      156
Bibb, GA.................           4.2          81.8      -1.5       334      799       0.8       38
Chatham, GA..............           8.0         148.9      -0.1       287      852      -2.3      274
Clayton, GA..............           4.0         122.9       0.9       167    1,027       4.3        6
Cobb, GA.................          21.8         356.1       1.6        80    1,066      -2.2      266
DeKalb, GA...............          17.9         298.0       1.4       104    1,031      -0.5      111
Fulton, GA...............          43.0         853.5       2.0        60    1,324      -1.5      208
Gwinnett, GA.............          24.8         351.3       1.4       104      968      -1.6      217
Hall, GA.................           4.4          85.7       2.7        31      853      -0.8      142
Muscogee, GA.............           4.5          93.2       0.7       192      842       2.8       11

Richmond, GA.............           4.4         104.5       0.6       209      866      -1.9      245
Honolulu, HI.............          26.1         472.5       0.2       259      989      -0.9      150
Maui + Kalawao, HI.......           6.2          76.4       0.2       259      891       4.6        5
Ada, ID..................          15.9         236.5       3.2        20      902      -0.2       90
Champaign, IL............           4.0          91.3       0.9       167      885      -1.4      195
Cook, IL.................         137.9       2,578.3       0.1       270    1,157      -0.3       98
DuPage, IL...............          34.5         621.8       0.8       182    1,161       0.5       52
Kane, IL.................          12.5         211.0      -0.4       300      921      -0.9      150
Lake, IL.................          20.1         339.7       1.6        80    1,263      -2.0      256
McHenry, IL..............           7.8          99.1       0.2       259      833      -2.9      307

McLean, IL...............           3.4          84.0      -0.4       300      939      -4.2      338
Madison, IL..............           5.4          99.4       1.3       114      782      -2.6      296
Peoria, IL...............           4.2         103.6      -0.4       300    1,077       1.6       21
St. Clair, IL............           5.0          94.0       0.3       244      808      -1.9      245
Sangamon, IL.............           4.7         127.1      -2.1       343    1,012      -0.4      103
Will, IL.................          14.6         244.2       2.6        32      879      -3.5      323
Winnebago, IL............           6.0         126.2      -0.7       314      888       1.8       16
Allen, IN................           8.8         186.3       0.4       233      821      -1.6      217
Elkhart, IN..............           4.7         135.7       5.2         2      924       6.5        3
Hamilton, IN.............           9.4         140.4       1.1       145      976       0.7       43

Lake, IN.................          10.4         189.3      -0.4       300      877       0.0       72
Marion, IN...............          24.0         598.2       0.1       270    1,020      -1.6      217
St. Joseph, IN...........           5.8         123.7      -1.1       329      827      -1.2      175
Tippecanoe, IN...........           3.4          83.9      -0.1       287      886       1.6       21
Vanderburgh, IN..........           4.8         110.2       2.0        60      824       0.2       63
Johnson, IA..............           4.2          84.5       0.7       192      965      -0.6      121
Linn, IA.................           6.9         130.6      -0.2       296      966      -3.4      321
Polk, IA.................          17.4         298.5       0.3       244    1,012      -2.7      300
Scott, IA................           5.6          91.4       0.1       270      825      -2.3      274
Johnson, KS..............          23.9         343.6       1.6        80    1,008      -1.9      245

Sedgwick, KS.............          12.7         247.0      -0.5       306      849      -4.1      336
Shawnee, KS..............           5.2          96.5      -1.8       340      820      -2.3      274
Wyandotte, KS............           3.5          92.4       1.5        92      953      -6.0      345
Boone, KY................           4.4          87.7       3.3        16      877      -3.8      332
Fayette, KY..............          10.9         195.8       0.5       223      893      -2.7      300
Jefferson, KY............          25.0         468.0       0.7       192      959      -4.2      338
Caddo, LA................           7.3         111.5      -1.7       337      812       0.0       72
Calcasieu, LA............           5.3          99.2       4.5         5      909      -0.8      142
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          15.8         264.9      -0.1       287      940      -3.0      311
Jefferson, LA............          14.0         189.4      -1.8       340      899      -2.5      285

Lafayette, LA............           9.6         129.6       0.2       259      858      -3.6      326
Orleans, LA..............          12.7         192.9       0.2       259      937      -2.5      285
St. Tammany, LA..........           8.4          88.0      -0.7       314      844      -1.2      175
Cumberland, ME...........          14.0         184.2       1.8        75      932      -0.4      103
Anne Arundel, MD.........          15.2         271.4       0.5       223    1,071      -1.4      195
Baltimore, MD............          21.2         373.7      -0.9       325    1,012      -1.8      237
Frederick, MD............           6.4         101.4       1.0       157      939      -2.6      296
Harford, MD..............           5.8          94.1       1.1       145      984      -2.5      285
Howard, MD...............          10.0         171.3       0.6       209    1,230      -2.5      285
Montgomery, MD...........          32.8         469.9       0.2       259    1,336      -1.3      186

Prince George's, MD......          15.9         316.4      -0.3       299    1,080      -2.7      300
Baltimore City, MD.......          13.6         346.0       2.1        54    1,199      -1.2      175
Barnstable, MA...........           9.6         102.1       0.1       270      849      -0.7      133
Bristol, MA..............          17.7         227.6       1.1       145      901      -1.3      186
Essex, MA................          25.9         327.3       0.0       284    1,072      -0.2       90
Hampden, MA..............          18.4         210.3       0.8       182      915      -1.8      237
Middlesex, MA............          55.4         904.1       1.6        80    1,498      -3.7      330
Norfolk, MA..............          25.5         352.5       0.4       233    1,142      -0.2       90
Plymouth, MA.............          16.0         194.8       1.3       114      937      -0.7      133
Suffolk, MA..............          29.9         675.0       0.9       167    1,691       1.7       17

Worcester, MA............          25.5         349.3       0.7       192    1,011      -0.3       98
Genesee, MI..............           6.8         134.8       0.2       259      845      -1.2      175
Ingham, MI...............           6.0         153.2       1.1       145      935      -2.2      266
Kalamazoo, MI............           5.0         117.7      -0.1       287      944       0.3       59
Kent, MI.................          14.5         396.4       1.5        92      891      -2.0      256
Macomb, MI...............          17.6         327.7       0.1       270    1,016      -0.2       90
Oakland, MI..............          39.4         731.3       1.0       157    1,116      -1.3      186
Ottawa, MI...............           5.7         126.9       1.0       157      864      -0.2       90
Saginaw, MI..............           3.9          84.3      -0.7       314      812      -2.2      266
Washtenaw, MI............           8.2         213.1       1.5        92    1,101       0.5       52

Wayne, MI................          30.9         722.3       0.7       192    1,092      -1.8      237
Anoka, MN................           7.2         123.0       2.0        60    1,008      -1.9      245
Dakota, MN...............           9.9         188.7       0.7       192      959      -3.6      326
Hennepin, MN.............          41.0         927.2       1.8        75    1,236      -2.9      307
Olmsted, MN..............           3.4          97.7       1.6        80    1,180       2.5       14
Ramsey, MN...............          13.4         334.9       0.4       233    1,124      -2.5      285
St. Louis, MN............           5.3          99.1       0.6       209      844      -3.1      314
Stearns, MN..............           4.3          87.2       0.9       167      877      -0.8      142
Washington, MN...........           5.5          85.4       3.3        16      851      -2.0      256
Harrison, MS.............           4.6          85.0      -1.1       329      697      -2.4      281

Hinds, MS................           5.8         120.4      -0.7       314      855      -1.8      237
Boone, MO................           5.1          94.6       1.2       132      819      -1.9      245
Clay, MO.................           5.7         107.4       2.8        28      856      -4.8      342
Greene, MO...............           9.1         166.2       1.3       114      781      -2.6      296
Jackson, MO..............          22.4         369.2       1.0       157    1,019      -0.6      121
St. Charles, MO..........           9.6         147.9       0.9       167      807      -1.7      231
St. Louis, MO............          39.7         607.8       0.8       182    1,048      -0.7      133
St. Louis City, MO.......          14.8         228.0       0.2       259    1,066      -3.6      326
Yellowstone, MT..........           6.8          82.0      -0.6       311      865      -1.7      231
Douglas, NE..............          19.3         338.7       0.1       270      957      -2.5      285

Lancaster, NE............          10.4         168.9      -0.4       300      842      -0.4      103
Clark, NV................          55.3         970.2       2.4        42      898      -5.3      344
Washoe, NV...............          14.8         218.8       2.1        54      933       0.1       64
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.2         201.9       0.6       209    1,126      -0.8      142
Merrimack, NH............           5.2          77.2       0.1       270      962       0.8       38
Rockingham, NH...........          11.0         151.0       0.9       167      993       0.3       59
Atlantic, NJ.............           6.5         126.2      -1.7       337      841      -0.7      133
Bergen, NJ...............          33.0         445.4       0.6       209    1,166      -0.5      111
Burlington, NJ...........          11.0         206.0       1.4       104    1,019      -3.3      319
Camden, NJ...............          12.1         206.9       1.5        92      966      -1.5      208

Essex, NJ................          20.4         342.5       1.6        80    1,228      -2.1      263
Gloucester, NJ...........           6.3         108.3       1.1       145      848      -2.8      306
Hudson, NJ...............          15.1         262.2       1.9        67    1,363       0.1       64
Mercer, NJ...............          11.2         250.0       0.4       233    1,219      -8.8      346
Middlesex, NJ............          22.3         425.0       1.3       114    1,152      -2.9      307
Monmouth, NJ.............          20.1         261.9       1.0       157      972      -0.5      111
Morris, NJ...............          17.1         290.8       1.5        92    1,466      -0.7      133
Ocean, NJ................          13.2         169.6       2.3        48      797      -2.3      274
Passaic, NJ..............          12.7         167.1       0.3       244      976      -2.3      274
Somerset, NJ.............          10.2         187.1       0.2       259    1,415      -5.0      343

Union, NJ................          14.3         220.4       0.4       233    1,332       8.2        2
Bernalillo, NM...........          18.3         327.4      -0.2       296      876      -1.6      217
Albany, NY...............          10.4         234.4      -0.4       300    1,049      -1.0      156
Bronx, NY................          18.9         300.9       0.1       270    1,005       1.6       21
Broome, NY...............           4.5          86.6      -0.9       325      818       1.2       30
Dutchess, NY.............           8.5         113.2       0.7       192      974      -0.6      121
Erie, NY.................          24.9         473.3       0.3       244      893      -1.7      231
Kings, NY................          63.2         714.5       3.7        10      856      -1.2      175
Monroe, NY...............          18.9         386.8       0.7       192      947      -2.7      300
Nassau, NY...............          54.5         631.2       0.9       167    1,108       1.7       17

New York, NY.............         129.2       2,451.9       1.1       145    1,889       0.5       52
Oneida, NY...............           5.4         104.6      -0.5       306      789      -0.6      121
Onondaga, NY.............          12.9         245.6       0.0       284      924      -1.4      195
Orange, NY...............          10.5         143.8       1.4       104      850      -1.2      175
Queens, NY...............          53.4         665.8       2.3        48      970      -0.5      111
Richmond, NY.............           9.9         116.0       1.3       114      928       0.5       52
Rockland, NY.............          10.9         125.0       1.6        80      953      -3.4      321
Saratoga, NY.............           6.0          87.0       2.4        42      917      -1.1      168
Suffolk, NY..............          53.4         665.9       0.5       223    1,098      -2.7      300
Westchester, NY..........          36.6         428.4       1.0       157    1,235       0.1       64

Buncombe, NC.............           9.2         130.3       1.5        92      789       0.4       58
Catawba, NC..............           4.4          87.0       1.5        92      774      -1.4      195
Cumberland, NC...........           6.2         118.3      -0.1       287      802      -1.5      208
Durham, NC...............           8.3         197.9       0.7       192    1,255      -0.3       98
Forsyth, NC..............           9.2         184.8       0.4       233      952       5.3        4
Guilford, NC.............          14.3         279.5       0.1       270      886       0.3       59
Mecklenburg, NC..........          37.6         685.8       2.4        42    1,132      -3.5      323
New Hanover, NC..........           8.1         111.8       1.5        92      820      -0.1       82
Wake, NC.................          34.3         544.1       2.6        32    1,039      -1.0      156
Cass, ND.................           7.2         118.4      -0.1       287      934      -1.6      217

Butler, OH...............           7.9         155.2       2.0        60      901      -1.4      195
Cuyahoga, OH.............          36.0         721.1       0.3       244    1,028       0.1       64
Delaware, OH.............           5.3          88.1       0.5       223      974      -0.5      111
Franklin, OH.............          32.3         753.6       1.6        80    1,032      -1.1      168
Hamilton, OH.............          24.0         516.8       0.7       192    1,094      -1.9      245
Lake, OH.................           6.3          95.4       0.7       192      820      -1.4      195
Lorain, OH...............           6.2          98.3       0.5       223      787      -2.2      266
Lucas, OH................          10.1         208.0      -0.6       311      878      -1.5      208
Mahoning, OH.............           5.9          97.8       0.3       244      730      -1.5      208
Montgomery, OH...........          11.9         255.9       1.1       145      866      -1.8      237

Stark, OH................           8.6         159.3       0.3       244      769       0.1       64
Summit, OH...............          14.4         267.9       0.0       284      886      -2.1      263
Warren, OH...............           4.9          92.4       1.3       114      977      -1.0      156
Cleveland, OK............           5.8          81.1       0.5       223      748      -1.7      231
Oklahoma, OK.............          28.2         451.9       0.9       167      949      -2.2      266
Tulsa, OK................          22.6         353.3       0.8       182      908      -2.5      285
Clackamas, OR............          14.9         163.3       2.1        54      963      -0.4      103
Deschutes, OR............           8.5          81.4       3.5        13      858       4.1        7
Jackson, OR..............           7.4          89.5       2.6        32      788      -1.0      156
Lane, OR.................          12.1         155.2       1.2       132      804      -0.9      150

Marion, OR...............          10.8         155.8       1.3       114      845       1.0       35
Multnomah, OR............          35.0         504.4       1.6        80    1,070      -0.4      103
Washington, OR...........          19.3         290.9       2.4        42    1,318      -0.6      121
Allegheny, PA............          35.6         699.0       1.1       145    1,076      -1.6      217
Berks, PA................           9.0         172.3       0.6       209      923      -2.5      285
Bucks, PA................          20.0         264.7       1.2       132      934      -2.4      281
Butler, PA...............           5.1          85.7       0.1       270      943      -0.6      121
Chester, PA..............          15.5         250.8       1.2       132    1,207      -1.5      208
Cumberland, PA...........           6.5         133.6       0.6       209      917      -2.3      274
Dauphin, PA..............           7.6         182.5       0.9       167      996      -4.0      334

Delaware, PA.............          14.1         223.3       0.9       167    1,058      -1.0      156
Erie, PA.................           7.0         123.2      -0.2       296      787      -0.6      121
Lackawanna, PA...........           5.7          98.7       0.4       233      773      -2.3      274
Lancaster, PA............          13.5         238.4       1.1       145      855      -1.0      156
Lehigh, PA...............           8.8         191.0       0.9       167      992      -1.1      168
Luzerne, PA..............           7.5         146.5       1.0       157      800      -3.3      319
Montgomery, PA...........          27.7         493.6       1.2       132    1,212      -1.8      237
Northampton, PA..........           6.8         115.3       1.3       114      871      -1.5      208
Philadelphia, PA.........          35.1         676.8       1.2       132    1,212      -1.2      175
Washington, PA...........           5.5          87.8       1.5        92      985       0.0       72

Westmoreland, PA.........           9.3         134.7       0.5       223      839       1.1       32
York, PA.................           9.2         179.3       0.3       244      898      -0.1       82
Providence, RI...........          18.3         288.1       0.5       223    1,026      -2.0      256
Charleston, SC...........          15.1         244.7       0.4       233      902      -1.4      195
Greenville, SC...........          13.9         266.1       1.4       104      877      -1.6      217
Horry, SC................           8.7         127.8       1.3       114      633       0.0       72
Lexington, SC............           6.6         118.5       2.2        52      778      -1.6      217
Richland, SC.............          10.1         218.1      -0.6       311      893       0.8       38
Spartanburg, SC..........           6.2         138.4       3.5        13      856      -1.0      156
York, SC.................           5.6          93.7       3.6        11      825      -0.5      111

Minnehaha, SD............           7.3         125.8       0.8       182      902      -0.6      121
Davidson, TN.............          22.5         488.8       2.3        48    1,062       0.0       72
Hamilton, TN.............           9.7         202.0       1.5        92      903       0.7       43
Knox, TN.................          12.3         238.6       0.6       209      874      -1.6      217
Rutherford, TN...........           5.6         126.3       4.3         6      901      -1.0      156
Shelby, TN...............          20.5         493.5       0.3       244    1,028      -1.6      217
Williamson, TN...........           8.7         129.9       3.4        15    1,133      -3.2      316
Bell, TX.................           5.4         117.5       0.3       244      863      -0.3       98
Bexar, TX................          41.0         857.8       1.3       114      905      -0.7      133
Brazoria, TX.............           5.8         107.2      -1.9       342    1,074      -0.9      150

Brazos, TX...............           4.6         102.9       1.4       104      775       1.3       27
Cameron, TX..............           6.5         138.2       0.4       233      612      -3.0      311
Collin, TX...............          24.8         398.0       3.3        16    1,190      -0.7      133
Dallas, TX...............          76.7       1,691.1       1.9        67    1,213      -1.9      245
Denton, TX...............          14.9         239.6       3.0        24      929      -2.5      285
El Paso, TX..............          15.1         300.9       0.8       182      717      -1.5      208
Fort Bend, TX............          13.2         177.3       0.9       167      942      -2.0      256
Galveston, TX............           6.2         108.5      -0.1       287      886      -1.3      186
Harris, TX...............         114.7       2,261.3       0.1       270    1,247      -1.7      231
Hidalgo, TX..............          12.3         252.7       1.6        80      649      -0.6      121

Jefferson, TX............           5.9         119.7      -2.3       344    1,052      -1.4      195
Lubbock, TX..............           7.5         139.1       1.3       114      790      -2.7      300
McLennan, TX.............           5.3         112.5       0.4       233      841       0.5       52
Midland, TX..............           5.5          91.4      10.4         1    1,283       8.4        1
Montgomery, TX...........          11.3         176.4       4.0         8    1,003      -0.5      111
Nueces, TX...............           8.3         160.5      -0.7       314      883      -0.2       90
Potter, TX...............           4.0          78.0      -0.8       321      821      -1.0      156
Smith, TX................           6.2         102.4       0.9       167      843       0.6       49
Tarrant, TX..............          43.2         877.8       2.3        48    1,000      -2.9      307
Travis, TX...............          40.6         728.0       2.6        32    1,188       0.9       37

Webb, TX.................           5.4         100.1       1.2       132      672      -1.0      156
Williamson, TX...........          10.7         164.6       2.9        27    1,010      -1.3      186
Davis, UT................           8.4         128.1       3.6        11      816      -1.4      195
Salt Lake, UT............          44.7         688.0       1.8        75      993      -0.1       82
Utah, UT.................          16.1         232.7       4.2         7      822       0.0       72
Weber, UT................           6.0         104.4       1.9        67      781       0.1       64
Chittenden, VT...........           6.9         102.6       0.3       244      983      -1.2      175
Arlington, VA............           9.3         176.0       0.9       167    1,642      -0.4      103
Chesterfield, VA.........           9.1         136.1       3.0        24      865      -2.0      256
Fairfax, VA..............          37.4         603.0       0.7       192    1,540      -0.6      121

Henrico, VA..............          11.6         194.0       1.5        92      960      -2.5      285
Loudoun, VA..............          12.3         163.9       2.6        32    1,179       1.6       21
Prince William, VA.......           9.4         127.4       1.9        67      894      -2.2      266
Alexandria City, VA......           6.4          92.7      -1.6       336    1,438      -0.2       90
Chesapeake City, VA......           6.1          97.6      -0.9       325      807      -0.1       82
Newport News City, VA....           3.9          98.0       1.3       114      993      -0.3       98
Norfolk City, VA.........           5.9         142.1       0.8       182      990      -4.0      334
Richmond City, VA........           7.7         153.9       0.3       244    1,113      -1.2      175
Virginia Beach City, VA..          12.2         178.7       0.3       244      775      -1.4      195
Benton, WA...............           5.7          89.6       3.8         9    1,030      -1.6      217

Clark, WA................          14.5         158.0       4.6         4      975       0.7       43
King, WA.................          86.2       1,367.1       2.8        28    1,626       2.7       12
Kitsap, WA...............           6.7          87.5       1.4       104      947      -2.4      281
Pierce, WA...............          21.7         305.1       1.1       145      953       0.3       59
Snohomish, WA............          20.7         283.4      -0.8       321    1,102      -0.5      111
Spokane, WA..............          15.6         220.8       1.4       104      889       0.7       43
Thurston, WA.............           8.3         114.8       3.3        16      946       1.9       15
Whatcom, WA..............           7.3          89.8       1.9        67      858       1.7       17
Yakima, WA...............           7.7         125.0       1.3       114      735       3.2        8
Kanawha, WV..............           5.7         100.0      -1.4       333      880      -1.1      168

Brown, WI................           6.9         157.1       1.2       132      884      -2.0      256
Dane, WI.................          15.7         333.1       0.7       192    1,017      -1.4      195
Milwaukee, WI............          26.6         487.0       0.1       270      955      -1.3      186
Outagamie, WI............           5.3         108.1       0.8       182      871      -0.2       90
Waukesha, WI.............          13.2         242.7       0.2       259      986      -1.9      245
Winnebago, WI............           3.8          93.5       0.1       270      921      -0.9      150
San Juan, PR.............          10.8         240.6      -2.4       (5)      617      -2.2      (5)

(1) Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note.
(2) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(3) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications. See Technical Note.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) This county was not included in the U.S. rankings.

Note: Data are preliminary. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. These 346 U.S. counties comprise 72.7 percent of
the total covered workers in the U.S.






Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 10 largest counties,
third quarter 2017

                                                                    Employment         Average weekly
                                                                                           wage(1)
                                              Establishments,
                                               third quarter
         County by NAICS supersector               2017                     Percent            Percent
                                               (thousands)      September   change,    Third   change,
                                                                  2017     September   quarter  third
                                                              (thousands)  2016-17(2)   2017   quarter
                                                                                              2016-17(2)


United States(3) ............................       9,916.5     144,464.4       1.0   $1,021      -0.6
  Private industry...........................       9,617.8     122,881.9       1.2    1,013      -0.6
    Natural resources and mining.............         137.0       1,997.3       2.5    1,016       1.2
    Construction.............................         788.8       7,093.0       2.3    1,140      -0.3
    Manufacturing............................         347.3      12,443.1       0.6    1,221      -1.8
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....       1,919.2      27,119.8       0.6      861      -0.5
    Information..............................         163.5       2,788.4      -0.4    1,977       2.2
    Financial activities.....................         872.5       8,101.5       1.3    1,517      -0.8
    Professional and business services.......       1,789.9      20,414.8       0.9    1,310      -0.2
    Education and health services............       1,656.2      22,170.0       1.7      941      -1.6
    Leisure and hospitality..................         841.9      16,027.9       0.9      440      -0.2
    Other services...........................         843.4       4,410.1       0.1      714       1.1
  Government.................................         298.7      21,582.5       0.2    1,070      -0.7

Los Angeles, CA..............................         488.1       4,408.1       1.3    1,147       1.1
  Private industry...........................         481.8       3,839.8       1.4    1,113       1.4
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           7.6      -0.3    1,094      -9.6
    Construction.............................          14.4         139.7       3.3    1,202       1.6
    Manufacturing............................          12.2         344.6      -3.2    1,281      -1.0
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          54.6         819.7       0.3      937       0.8
    Information..............................          10.3         214.9       0.2    2,194       3.6
    Financial activities.....................          26.3         218.7       0.3    1,766       0.3
    Professional and business services.......          48.9         615.4       2.2    1,369       1.3
    Education and health services............         230.9         780.0       2.6      874      -1.4
    Leisure and hospitality..................          33.7         521.6       1.6      626      -0.3
    Other services...........................          26.6         148.3      -0.3    1,061      37.6
  Government.................................           6.3         568.3       0.6    1,385       0.1

Cook, IL.....................................         137.9       2,578.3       0.1    1,157      -0.3
  Private industry...........................         136.6       2,282.2       0.2    1,160      -0.5
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.1           1.3      12.1    1,131      -5.0
    Construction.............................          10.6          76.9       1.3    1,451       0.1
    Manufacturing............................           5.8         183.9       0.3    1,205      -3.2
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          27.5         467.5      -0.5      955       1.0
    Information..............................           2.3          50.4      -1.6    1,805       0.2
    Financial activities.....................          13.7         194.8       0.6    2,006      -0.4
    Professional and business services.......          28.6         474.3      -0.5    1,480      -0.1
    Education and health services............          15.3         443.9       0.7      989      -0.4
    Leisure and hospitality..................          13.6         289.7       1.4      534      -2.6
    Other services...........................          15.6          96.4      -0.4      915      -0.3
  Government.................................           1.3         296.1      -0.6    1,134       2.4

New York, NY.................................         129.2       2,451.9       1.1    1,889       0.5
  Private industry...........................         128.4       2,188.8       1.2    1,955       0.4
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.0           0.2      12.8    1,853      -0.9
    Construction.............................           2.3          41.3      -1.5    1,865       0.8
    Manufacturing............................           2.1          25.2      -5.0    1,543      12.3
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          19.7         251.9      -0.8    1,380       2.9
    Information..............................           5.0         165.0       2.7    2,608       2.6
    Financial activities.....................          19.6         373.5       0.8    3,366      -0.3
    Professional and business services.......          27.3         575.1       1.6    2,185       0.2
    Education and health services............          10.1         341.1       0.7    1,336      -0.3
    Leisure and hospitality..................          14.7         300.1       1.5      903       0.6
    Other services...........................          20.6         103.7       0.9    1,174       0.6
  Government.................................           0.8         263.1       0.1    1,332       1.4

Harris, TX...................................         114.7       2,261.3       0.1    1,247      -1.7
  Private industry...........................         114.1       1,990.5       0.1    1,257      -2.0
    Natural resources and mining.............           1.6          66.4       0.3    2,994      -1.7
    Construction.............................           7.4         155.9      -2.9    1,287      -4.5
    Manufacturing............................           4.8         170.0       1.4    1,598       1.8
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          25.0         463.7       0.0    1,137      -0.6
    Information..............................           1.2          25.5      -6.4    1,530       6.4
    Financial activities.....................          12.1         126.3       1.4    1,579      -0.8
    Professional and business services.......          23.2         397.3       0.6    1,545      -4.7
    Education and health services............          16.1         290.1       0.4    1,024      -1.5
    Leisure and hospitality..................          10.1         227.9      -0.4      460      -0.6
    Other services...........................          11.7          65.6      -0.8      781      -2.4
  Government.................................           0.5         270.7       0.4    1,177       0.4

Maricopa, AZ.................................          96.6       1,938.0       2.6      987      -1.1
  Private industry...........................          95.9       1,724.5       2.8      976      -1.2
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           7.6       0.0      962       2.8
    Construction.............................           6.8         112.4       7.5    1,056       0.8
    Manufacturing............................           3.1         119.7       3.2    1,347      -4.1
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          18.1         372.4       1.8      892      -0.8
    Information..............................           1.5          34.0       0.4    1,392      -6.9
    Financial activities.....................          10.7         176.3       4.0    1,253      -2.2
    Professional and business services.......          20.5         327.9       0.5    1,057       0.0
    Education and health services............          10.8         297.0       2.7    1,000      -2.2
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.8         213.0       2.9      490       4.0
    Other services...........................           6.1          50.1      -2.5      730       2.1
  Government.................................           0.7         213.5       0.4    1,089       0.3

Dallas, TX...................................          76.7       1,691.1       1.9    1,213      -1.9
  Private industry...........................          76.1       1,518.6       2.2    1,218      -2.0
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           8.8       7.9    3,601       0.3
    Construction.............................           4.6          88.6       2.5    1,233      -1.0
    Manufacturing............................           2.8         112.7       1.3    1,438      -6.0
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          16.0         346.1       2.9    1,052      -5.5
    Information..............................           1.4          48.2      -3.3    1,813      -0.2
    Financial activities.....................           9.5         166.7       4.1    1,673       0.4
    Professional and business services.......          17.2         343.4       1.5    1,408      -1.2
    Education and health services............           9.6         198.4       2.0    1,078      -1.1
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.9         161.5       2.0      515       2.0
    Other services...........................           6.9          42.8       0.5      812      -0.5
  Government.................................           0.6         172.5      -0.5    1,171      -1.0

Orange, CA...................................         120.4       1,598.6       1.4    1,135      -1.1
  Private industry...........................         119.0       1,454.8       1.6    1,122      -1.1
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.2           2.8      -4.4      894      -4.9
    Construction.............................           6.8         103.1       3.8    1,338       1.4
    Manufacturing............................           4.9         157.4      -1.0    1,385      -2.7
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          17.1         259.1       0.8    1,029       0.5
    Information..............................           1.4          26.5       0.4    1,945       1.8
    Financial activities.....................          11.3         117.9       0.3    1,813       1.2
    Professional and business services.......          20.8         303.8       0.7    1,285      -2.1
    Education and health services............          33.6         211.1       3.7      953      -1.4
    Leisure and hospitality..................           8.7         218.0       1.6      506      -0.8
    Other services...........................           6.8          45.3      -1.1      713      -0.6
  Government.................................           1.4         143.9      -0.7    1,267      -2.6

San Diego, CA................................         110.9       1,439.5       1.2    1,112      -1.6
  Private industry...........................         108.9       1,208.2       1.4    1,073      -1.0
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.6           9.4      -1.5      774       5.6
    Construction.............................           7.0          81.0       4.6    1,203       0.1
    Manufacturing............................           3.2         108.4       0.3    1,533      -2.9
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.3         225.3       0.9      891      -0.8
    Information..............................           1.2          24.1      -1.4    2,107       7.0
    Financial activities.....................          10.1          73.5       1.0    1,419      -1.3
    Professional and business services.......          18.3         232.1       0.6    1,471      -1.6
    Education and health services............          31.8         199.2       2.2      963      -0.7
    Leisure and hospitality..................           8.4         195.5       0.2      502      -0.6
    Other services...........................           7.3          51.5       0.3      625      -0.8
  Government.................................           1.9         231.3       0.2    1,329      -3.5

King, WA.....................................          86.2       1,367.1       2.8    1,626       2.7
  Private industry...........................          85.6       1,202.3       3.2    1,659       2.5
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           3.2      -0.9    1,355      11.9
    Construction.............................           6.8          71.9       4.3    1,363       0.0
    Manufacturing............................           2.5         101.9      -2.5    1,601      -1.0
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.4         269.1       6.6    1,513       8.1
    Information..............................           2.3         105.0       5.2    5,099       3.4
    Financial activities.....................           6.7          68.2       1.8    1,631      -0.8
    Professional and business services.......          18.0         225.9       2.2    1,669       0.4
    Education and health services............          18.0         171.1       2.7    1,033      -1.9
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.3         141.2       2.8      596       2.2
    Other services...........................           9.3          44.7       1.3      873      -4.2
  Government.................................           0.5         164.8      -0.3    1,382       2.5

Miami-Dade, FL...............................          97.5       1,092.6      -1.7      984      -0.1
  Private industry...........................          97.2         954.5      -1.9      951      -0.7
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           7.1      -6.8      628      -1.9
    Construction.............................           6.5          42.9      -3.8      955      -1.1
    Manufacturing............................           2.8          40.0      -1.4      881      -9.0
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          25.3         274.4      -1.4      892      -0.7
    Information..............................           1.5          17.4      -1.6    1,602     -10.2
    Financial activities.....................          10.6          74.7       0.4    1,476      -0.7
    Professional and business services.......          21.9         151.7      -2.1    1,105      -1.1
    Education and health services............          10.5         175.4      -0.6      965      -1.1
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.2         132.0      -4.9      639       8.1
    Other services...........................           8.3          37.3      -5.1      625      -0.2
  Government.................................           0.3         138.1       0.2    1,225       3.2

(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. See Technical Note.
(3) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Counties selected are based on 2016 annual average employment.
Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE) programs.






Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state,
third quarter 2017

                                                  Employment        Average weekly
                                                                        wage(1)
                            Establishments,
                             third quarter
            State                2017                     Percent           Percent
                             (thousands)      September   change,   Third   change,
                                                2017     September  quarter  third
                                             (thousands)  2016-17    2017   quarter
                                                                            2016-17


United States(2)...........       9,916.5     144,464.4       1.0   $1,021     -0.6

Alabama....................         125.5       1,941.1       0.8      859     -1.3
Alaska.....................          22.2         335.4      -0.7    1,025     -2.8
Arizona....................         158.6       2,760.1       2.4      948     -0.2
Arkansas...................          89.7       1,213.0       0.6      788     -0.6
California.................       1,534.7      17,153.4       1.7    1,215      0.5
Colorado...................         200.0       2,625.9       1.9    1,067      0.5
Connecticut................         119.2       1,676.3       0.1    1,179     -2.2
Delaware...................          32.3         443.0       0.4    1,026      0.4
District of Columbia.......          40.4         764.7       0.7    1,759      1.3
Florida....................         677.2       8,305.8      -0.2      896     -1.1

Georgia....................         276.0       4,343.5       1.3      961     -0.9
Hawaii.....................          41.9         652.5       0.4      953     -0.3
Idaho......................          61.7         722.3       2.7      778     -0.5
Illinois...................         367.3       5,969.6       0.5    1,057     -0.3
Indiana....................         164.6       3,044.0       0.6      861     -0.6
Iowa.......................         102.2       1,546.1      -0.2      855     -2.2
Kansas.....................          90.4       1,376.4      -0.1      839     -2.1
Kentucky...................         121.9       1,890.4       0.5      837     -2.4
Louisiana..................         131.9       1,904.3      -0.1      869     -1.7
Maine......................          54.7         621.9       0.7      821     -0.5

Maryland...................         170.1       2,661.8       0.5    1,105     -1.7
Massachusetts..............         255.0       3,568.0       0.9    1,265     -0.9
Michigan...................         245.2       4,334.3       0.9      964     -1.1
Minnesota..................         171.2       2,883.0       1.1    1,030     -2.0
Mississippi................          73.4       1,129.1      -0.1      729     -1.4
Missouri...................         209.3       2,805.8       0.9      878     -1.2
Montana....................          49.1         468.6       0.9      793      0.1
Nebraska...................          73.5         973.3      -0.2      850     -0.8
Nevada.....................          81.3       1,337.7       2.9      914     -3.8
New Hampshire..............          52.5         659.1       0.6    1,022     -0.4

New Jersey.................         270.6       4,043.6       1.1    1,156     -1.5
New Mexico.................          58.2         816.0       0.3      823     -0.8
New York...................         650.3       9,329.8       1.2    1,219     -0.2
North Carolina.............         274.0       4,348.0       1.3      904     -0.7
North Dakota...............          32.0         419.2      -1.0      953     -1.2
Ohio.......................         297.0       5,383.6       0.6      920     -0.8
Oklahoma...................         111.0       1,593.3       0.7      843     -1.2
Oregon.....................         152.1       1,905.3       1.8      969     -0.1
Pennsylvania...............         358.1       5,836.5       1.0    1,002     -1.1
Rhode Island...............          37.5         484.5       0.8      973     -1.8

South Carolina.............         129.5       2,027.2       0.8      828     -0.5
South Dakota...............          33.4         426.2       0.4      803     -0.7
Tennessee..................         158.2       2,953.3       1.1      903     -1.2
Texas......................         675.5      12,008.9       1.4    1,032     -1.0
Utah.......................          99.8       1,444.1       2.6      879     -0.2
Vermont....................          25.6         310.3       0.1      869     -1.4
Virginia...................         272.2       3,843.6       1.0    1,053     -0.8
Washington.................         238.6       3,343.4       2.0    1,208      1.7
West Virginia..............          50.6         694.0       0.2      826      1.1
Wisconsin..................         173.4       2,866.9       0.5      876     -1.0

Wyoming....................          26.3         276.2       0.3      868      0.3

Puerto Rico................          46.3         862.8      -3.1      509     -2.7
Virgin Islands.............           3.4          36.9      -1.1      763     -1.9

(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. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.






Last Modified Date: March 08, 2018