Counties with fastest growing employment, June 2003

Among the Nation’s largest counties—those with employment levels of at least 75,000—Loudon County, Virginia, led the nation in employment growth between June 2002 and June 2003, with an increase of 5.2 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

Yakima County, Washington, was second with 4.8-percent growth, followed by the counties of Lee, Florida (4.6 percent), St. Charles, Missouri (4.3 percent), and Placer, California (4.2 percent). In the U.S. overall, employment declined 0.5 percent from June 2002 to June 2003.

The biggest absolute gains in over-the-year employment were recorded in the counties of Clark, Nevada (26,500), Riverside, California (22,500), Orange, California (21,300), San Bernardino, California (11,500), and Orange, Florida (10,900).

The BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program produced these data. Employment data presented here are for all workers covered by State and Federal unemployment insurance programs. There are 315 U.S. counties with employment levels of 75,000 or more. Find more about pay and employment in large counties in "County Employment and Wages: Second Quarter 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04–6.