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News Release Information

24-565-PHI
Monday, March 18, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

County Employment and Wages in Virginia — Third Quarter 2023

Employment rose in 11 of the 12 largest counties in Virginia from September 2022 to September 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2022.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that Prince William County (+2.6 percent), Loudoun County (+2.5 percent), and Chesterfield County (+2.4 percent) had the largest over-the-year increases in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 1.5 percent over the year, with 309 of the 360 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Hall, GA, had the largest increase in employment (+5.4 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-7.3 percent).

Among the 12 largest counties in Virginia, employment was highest in Fairfax County (627,700) in September 2023. Within Fairfax County’s private industry, professional, scientific, and technical services accounted for the largest employment. Together, the 12 largest Virginia counties accounted for 55.0 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 360 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 121 counties in Virginia with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 115 of the 121 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2023. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Among the 12 large counties in Virginia, 7 reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023. (See chart 2.) Norfolk City had the largest gain (+2.3 percent), followed by Richmond City (+1.8 percent) and Virginia Beach City (+1.5 percent). Over-the-year wage changes among Virginia’s other 9 large counties ranged from 1.0 percent to -2.0 percent.

Nationwide, wages increased by 0.1 percent over the year. Among the 360 largest counties in the United States, 169 had over-the-year wage increases. Clayton, GA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+7.7 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-6.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in 6 of the 12 largest counties in Virginia were above the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2023. Average weekly wages in three of these counties ranked among the top 25 nationwide: Arlington ($2,119, 8th), Fairfax ($1,928, 10th), and Alexandria City ($1,641, 24th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 92 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2023. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage ($3,288). Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 268 counties. Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage ($793).

Smaller county average weekly wages

Among the 121 smaller counties in Virginia—those with employment below 75,000—6 counties reported an average weekly wage above the national average. Goochland County ($1,959) reported the highest average weekly wage. Grayson County ($732) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 133 counties in Virginia were considered, 48 reported average weekly wages of less than $900, 47 registered wages from $900 to $1,099, 24 had wages from $1,100 to $1,299, and 14 had average weekly wages of $1,300 or higher. (See map 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release or visit the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for the fourth quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. The County Employment and Wages full data update for the fourth quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Virginia, third quarter 2023

U.S. average = $1,334

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 12 largest counties in Virginia, third quarter 2023
Area Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2023
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2022–23 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Third quarter
2023 ($)
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
third quarter
2022–23 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,026.4 153,772.8 1.5 -- 1,334 -- 0.1 --

Virginia

315.8 4,053.6 1.8 -- 1,383 10 0.5 19

Arlington

9.7 178.8 1.4 155 2,119 8 0.2 153

Chesterfield

10.3 141.9 2.4 59 1,125 242 0.0 170

Fairfax

38.8 627.7 0.4 274 1,928 10 -2.0 307

Henrico

12.6 185.2 0.5 256 1,251 147 -0.1 179

Loudoun

14.4 188.0 2.5 54 1,476 48 -1.2 267

Prince William

10.5 140.0 2.6 49 1,179 197 0.8 85

Alexandria City

6.4 80.3 -0.4 329 1,641 24 -1.7 292

Chesapeake City

6.7 103.8 1.1 199 1,064 301 0.4 129

Newport News City

4.5 101.1 0.5 256 1,266 133 1.0 75

Norfolk City

6.4 142.3 1.5 140 1,351 86 2.3 19

Richmond City

8.9 160.8 1.8 108 1,493 44 1.8 34

Virginia Beach City

13.5 177.8 1.1 199 1,049 312 1.5 46

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Virginia, third quarter 2023
Area Establishments Employment September 2023 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,026,378 153,772,811 1,334

Virginia

315,789 4,053,589 1,383

Accomack

1,420 12,788 970

Albemarle

4,232 63,662 1,333

Alleghany

520 3,335 831

Amelia

420 2,539 891

Amherst

812 7,848 865

Appomattox

557 3,580 770

Arlington

9,654 178,813 2,119

Augusta

2,044 29,573 1,114

Bath

313 2,102 949

Bedford

2,334 18,702 910

Bland

200 1,917 1,140

Botetourt

1,011 11,528 1,027

Brunswick

608 3,247 937

Buchanan

610 5,883 1,161

Buckingham

551 3,029 929

Campbell

1,911 18,297 1,042

Caroline

822 6,254 959

Carroll

692 5,724 759

Charles City

242 1,761 1,049

Charlotte

710 2,771 872

Chesterfield

10,290 141,880 1,125

Clarke

524 3,874 1,001

Craig

148 807 886

Culpeper

1,590 16,251 1,058

Cumberland

272 1,324 823

Dickenson

343 3,391 1,002

Dinwiddie

586 9,582 1,305

Essex

425 3,634 815

Fairfax

38,843 627,733 1,928

Fauquier

2,727 22,873 1,196

Floyd

534 3,596 746

Fluvanna

645 5,098 1,104

Franklin

1,619 15,526 855

Frederick

2,095 38,807 1,079

Giles

445 7,276 1,287

Gloucester

1,186 9,914 901

Goochland

1,137 18,676 1,959

Grayson

365 3,460 732

Greene

552 4,012 806

Greensville

321 3,850 1,103

Halifax

1,016 12,104 919

Hanover

4,330 58,863 1,023

Henrico

12,586 185,204 1,251

Henry

1,683 15,705 850

Highland

172 606 803

Isle of Wight

930 10,216 978

James City

2,191 29,677 973

King and Queen

239 1,063 941

King George

699 13,341 1,856

King William

495 4,093 1,064

Lancaster

559 4,855 984

Lee

515 4,051 826

Loudoun

14,434 187,984 1,476

Louisa

1,090 10,262 1,090

Lunenburg

369 2,346 890

Madison

520 3,094 895

Mathews

259 1,576 777

Mecklenburg

1,092 11,655 893

Middlesex

438 3,334 856

Montgomery

2,613 43,880 1,189

Nelson

582 3,941 874

New Kent

580 5,892 917

Northampton

592 4,744 769

Northumberland

398 2,435 918

Nottoway

479 5,504 1,040

Orange

1,008 9,718 934

Page

621 5,903 793

Patrick

494 4,175 748

Pittsylvania

1,421 13,300 896

Powhatan

875 8,018 979

Prince Edward

728 8,751 930

Prince George

671 14,872 1,253

Prince William

10,529 140,021 1,179

Pulaski

863 14,705 997

Rappahannock

305 1,547 894

Richmond

276 2,768 894

Roanoke

2,703 37,665 1,006

Rockbridge

586 5,928 803

Rockingham

2,010 35,122 1,048

Russell

569 6,334 875

Scott

401 4,940 825

Shenandoah

1,137 13,580 898

Smyth

825 11,891 889

Southampton

358 3,820 974

Spotsylvania

3,488 36,958 975

Stafford

3,203 45,446 1,273

Surry

144 2,268 1,620

Sussex

335 3,371 1,019

Tazewell

1,016 13,704 864

Warren

1,169 13,797 971

Washington

1,549 20,012 890

Westmoreland

453 3,207 821

Wise

809 10,977 901

Wythe

932 11,884 864

York

1,705 21,828 967

Alexandria City

6,395 80,336 1,641

Bristol City

628 10,174 858

Buena Vista City

149 2,612 885

Charlottesville City

2,536 36,592 1,299

Chesapeake City

6,709 103,787 1,064

Colonial Heights City

751 9,507 816

Covington City

297 3,815 1,062

Danville City

1,806 24,259 944

Emporia City

278 3,269 762

Fairfax City

1,786 23,371 1,297

Falls Church City

1,037 12,108 1,527

Franklin City

316 3,849 804

Fredericksburg City

1,738 24,180 1,160

Galax City

412 5,837 778

Hampton City

3,157 49,643 1,164

Harrisonburg City

1,760 31,405 965

Hopewell City

548 7,420 1,190

Lexington City

307 5,438 1,047

Lynchburg City

2,682 48,352 1,075

Manassas City

1,605 24,558 1,474

Manassas Park City

344 4,299 1,052

Martinsville City

955 9,054 811

Newport News City

4,468 101,073 1,266

Norfolk City

6,443 142,346 1,351

Norton City

223 3,090 869

Petersburg City

987 11,879 977

Poquoson City

259 1,831 827

Portsmouth City

1,880 43,544 1,370

Radford City

362 6,555 1,095

Richmond City

8,919 160,837 1,493

Roanoke City

3,531 64,560 1,137

Salem City

1,100 20,366 1,159

Staunton City

939 11,487 898

Suffolk City

2,184 34,969 1,160

Virginia Beach City

13,512 177,821 1,049

Waynesboro City

768 9,397 888

Williamsburg City

579 12,142 1,104

Winchester City

1,496 24,747 1,138

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages 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 2023
State Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2023
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2022–23
Third quarter
2023 ($)
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
third quarter
2022–23
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,026.4 153,772.8 1.5 1,334 -- 0.1 --

Alabama

157.7 2,079.6 1.8 1,121 35 0.4 24

Alaska

25.4 335.4 3.1 1,328 15 1.8 2

Arizona

223.1 3,163.8 2.1 1,248 20 -0.2 33

Arkansas

103.1 1,284.3 1.4 1,036 50 0.0 30

California

1,785.3 18,102.2 0.2 1,613 4 0.8 12

Colorado

261.9 2,888.7 2.3 1,431 8 -0.5 40

Connecticut

150.0 1,679.0 1.4 1,480 6 -0.6 42

Delaware

42.3 472.5 2.1 1,269 18 -1.6 51

District of Columbia

52.1 758.7 0.8 2,159 1 1.4 4

Florida

894.2 9,668.6 2.5 1,218 25 -0.1 31

Georgia

392.5 4,807.3 1.5 1,249 19 -0.2 33

Hawaii

57.4 627.9 0.7 1,226 23 1.1 8

Idaho

95.3 852.7 2.1 1,068 46 0.5 19

Illinois

411.3 6,044.1 0.8 1,346 12 -1.0 48

Indiana

192.3 3,175.6 1.0 1,115 36 -0.7 45

Iowa

110.5 1,559.7 1.0 1,112 37 -0.6 42

Kansas

99.7 1,419.7 1.3 1,087 43 0.3 25

Kentucky

152.2 1,985.4 2.0 1,092 42 1.0 11

Louisiana

155.4 1,886.6 0.5 1,107 40 0.6 15

Maine

64.9 649.1 1.5 1,129 34 1.1 8

Maryland

190.1 2,689.7 0.8 1,424 9 0.5 19

Massachusetts

295.8 3,653.5 0.5 1,643 3 -0.7 45

Michigan

325.5 4,422.2 1.9 1,228 22 -0.5 40

Minnesota

206.4 2,923.5 1.4 1,329 14 -1.3 50

Mississippi

88.3 1,163.1 0.9 927 51 -0.6 42

Missouri

250.4 2,894.1 1.5 1,152 31 0.3 25

Montana

66.9 513.2 1.5 1,072 45 1.2 6

Nebraska

78.3 1,014.0 2.3 1,111 38 -0.4 37

Nevada

107.5 1,537.8 2.8 1,201 27 -0.3 36

New Hampshire

66.3 687.6 1.4 1,350 11 -1.2 49

New Jersey

326.8 4,256.9 1.9 1,456 7 -0.4 37

New Mexico

67.9 857.2 1.6 1,096 41 1.1 8

New York

701.8 9,525.5 1.7 1,610 5 0.2 28

North Carolina

375.6 4,835.1 2.0 1,222 24 1.2 6

North Dakota

35.8 428.3 1.9 1,205 26 1.3 5

Ohio

344.4 5,488.1 1.3 1,185 30 -0.1 31

Oklahoma

131.1 1,684.9 2.1 1,052 48 0.5 19

Oregon

203.4 2,001.8 1.0 1,301 16 0.5 19

Pennsylvania

392.5 5,996.0 1.3 1,283 17 -0.9 47

Rhode Island

48.2 495.1 1.6 1,234 21 0.7 14

South Carolina

179.7 2,256.4 2.6 1,086 44 0.6 15

South Dakota

39.8 457.6 2.0 1,058 47 0.6 15

Tennessee

221.2 3,216.1 0.4 1,199 28 0.1 29

Texas

831.9 13,731.1 2.6 1,336 13 0.3 25

Utah

137.2 1,706.1 2.3 1,195 29 0.8 12

Vermont

32.4 306.5 1.4 1,141 32 -0.2 33

Virginia

315.8 4,053.6 1.8 1,383 10 0.5 19

Washington

242.6 3,618.1 1.3 1,682 2 1.5 3

West Virginia

59.1 695.3 1.8 1,044 49 0.6 15

Wisconsin

206.2 2,938.6 1.0 1,133 33 -0.4 37

Wyoming

30.6 285.2 2.1 1,111 38 2.4 1

Puerto Rico

53.6 940.2 1.6 633 (3) 2.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.8 35.1 1.9 953 (3) -4.0 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, March 18, 2024