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167 of the largest counties had over-the-year weekly wage decreases

September 14, 2016

Average weekly wages for the nation decreased to $1,043, a 0.5 percent decrease, during the year ending in the first quarter of 2016. Among the 344 largest counties, 167 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. McLean, Illinois (part of the Bloomington metro area), had the largest percentage wage decrease among the largest U.S. counties (−13.3 percent).

Of the 344 largest counties, 164 experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Clayton, Georgia, (part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area), had the largest percentage increase in average weekly wages (15.5 percent), followed by King, Washington; San Mateo, California; Ventura, California; and Merrimack, New Hampshire.

These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. To learn more, see "County Employment and Wages: First Quarter 2016" (HTML) (PDF). Data for 2016 are preliminary and subject to revision.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 167 of the largest counties had over-the-year weekly wage decreases at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/167-of-the-largest-counties-had-over-the-year-weekly-wage-decreases.htm (visited October 23, 2025).

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