Employment increased in 9 of Ohio’s 14 large counties from March 2018 to March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that employment gains ranged from 3.3 percent in Warren County to 0.6 percent in Cuyahoga County. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.4 percent from March 2018 to March 2019, as 298 of the 355 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment, with a gain of 5.8 percent. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment, with a loss of 5.9 percent.

Among the 14 largest counties in Ohio, employment was highest in Franklin County (752,000) in March 2019, followed by Cuyahoga County (719,800). Four other counties—Hamilton (514,700), Summit (263,700), Montgomery (253,500), and Lucas (206,200)—had employment levels of more than 200,000. Collectively, Ohio's 14 large counties accounted for 66.5 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.5 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 146.5 million in March 2019.

Average weekly wages increased in 13 of the 14 largest counties in Ohio from the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019. Hamilton and Warren Counties had the largest percentage increase in average weekly wages, up 5.9 percent each, followed by Lake County at 4.4 percent. (See table 1.) Hamilton County recorded the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties at $1,284, followed by Delaware County at $1,256. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 2.8 percent over the year to $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 74 counties in Ohio with 2018 average annual employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,075 to $588. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

In the first quarter of 2019, 9 of Ohio’s 14 largest counties had over-the-year wage gains above the national average of 2.8 percent. Hamilton and Warren Counties (5.9 percent) had the highest wage gains and ranked 10^th among the 355 largest counties nationwide. In contrast, Lucas County had an over-the-year wage decline, down 0.3 percent, and ranked 332^nd nationally. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 325 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage gain at 10.2 percent, followed by Bay, FL (9.3 percent).

Of the 355 largest counties, 28 experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-7.6 percent), followed by Olmsted, MN (-5.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 6 of Ohio’s 14 largest counties placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 355 largest counties in the first quarter of 2019. Hamilton, Delaware, and Franklin Counties had average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,184 and ranked in the top 100 nationwide at 60^th, 66^th, and 91^st, respectively.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($1,184) in 92 of the 355 largest counties in the first quarter of 2019. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,153, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,759), and Santa Clara, CA ($2,758).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 263 had average weekly wages below the national average in the first quarter of 2019. Cameron, TX, reported the lowest wage ($648), followed by Horry County, SC ($652), and Hidalgo County, TX ($662).

Average weekly wages in Ohio’s smaller counties

All 74 smaller counties in Ohio—those with 2018 employment below 75,000—had average weekly wages below the national average of $1,184. Among these smaller counties, Union had the highest average weekly wage at $1,075, while Meigs had the lowest at $588. (See table 2.)

When all 88 counties in Ohio were considered, all but 3 had wages lower than the national average. Seven reported average weekly wages less than $700, 31 reported wages from $700 to $799, 27 had wages from $800 to $899, 12 had wages from $900 to $999, and 11 had wages of $1,000 or higher. (See chart 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 or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2018 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.

Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. 13, the number of weeks in a quarter, then divide the result. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

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

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 14 largest counties in Ohio, first quarter 2019

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	146,497.6	1.4	--	$1,184	--	2.8	--
Ohio	5,363.2	0.7	--	1,035	24	3.0	21
Butler, Ohio	155.6	1.0	184	1,016	186	1.4	269
Cuyahoga, Ohio	719.8	0.6	232	1,176	95	2.3	200
Delaware, Ohio	87.9	1.7	110	1,256	66	3.5	92
Franklin, Ohio	752.0	1.2	159	1,187	91	3.8	75
Greene, Ohio	75.5	1.8	94	1,058	157	3.1	130
Hamilton, Ohio	514.7	1.0	184	1,284	60	5.9	10
Lake, Ohio	95.4	1.6	118	926	265	4.4	52
Lorain, Ohio	97.0	0.7	224	860	313	1.8	241
Lucas, Ohio	206.2	-0.3	316	1,003	195	-0.3	332
Mahoning, Ohio	96.4	-0.9	345	772	345	3.3	110
Montgomery, Ohio	253.5	-0.2	308	950	238	2.9	144
Stark, Ohio	157.5	-0.2	308	842	323	3.2	125
Summit, Ohio	263.7	-0.1	304	1,003	195	2.5	176
Warren, Ohio	94.0	3.3	22	1,099	134	5.9	10
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, first quarter 2019

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2018-19	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2018-19	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	146,497.6	1.4	$1,184	--	2.8	--
Alabama	1,978.0	1.6	944	38	2.5	32
Alaska	312.4	0.3	1,108	18	3.3	9
Arizona	2,895.1	2.5	1,056	22	3.0	21
Arkansas	1,218.5	0.7	896	45	2.2	38
California	17,436.4	1.8	1,401	5	3.8	4
Colorado	2,690.3	1.9	1,231	9	4.8	2
Connecticut	1,650.6	0.0	1,487	4	2.3	34
Delaware	444.1	1.3	1,199	13	-0.1	51
District of Columbia	773.5	0.5	1,921	1	0.2	49
Florida	8,894.3	2.1	1,015	26	2.7	25
Georgia	4,488.6	2.1	1,121	17	2.6	28
Hawaii	658.1	-0.4	1,006	27	3.4	8
Idaho	732.3	2.7	828	50	2.3	34
Illinois	5,912.0	0.1	1,275	8	2.7	25
Indiana	3,059.1	1.2	963	33	0.9	48
Iowa	1,527.1	0.1	942	39	2.3	34
Kansas	1,379.3	0.6	940	40	3.2	12
Kentucky	1,882.6	0.6	920	41	2.2	38
Louisiana	1,916.8	-0.1	954	34	2.5	32
Maine	599.8	1.2	919	42	3.1	16
Maryland	2,670.3	0.9	1,228	10	1.7	45
Massachusetts	3,558.1	1.1	1,561	3	3.5	7
Michigan	4,307.4	0.6	1,078	20	0.1	50
Minnesota	2,840.8	0.5	1,203	12	2.3	34
Mississippi	1,129.8	0.4	779	51	1.8	43
Missouri	2,788.4	0.5	986	31	2.6	28
Montana	458.8	0.9	844	49	3.1	16
Nebraska	965.6	0.1	917	43	2.2	38
Nevada	1,392.2	3.0	992	29	1.5	47
New Hampshire	656.2	1.2	1,156	15	3.1	16
New Jersey	4,040.2	1.3	1,399	6	1.7	45
New Mexico	825.4	1.3	890	47	3.2	12
New York	9,453.5	1.5	1,639	2	2.6	28
North Carolina	4,458.5	2.0	1,054	23	3.2	12
North Dakota	414.3	1.5	1,021	25	3.3	9
Ohio	5,363.2	0.7	1,035	24	3.0	21
Oklahoma	1,617.0	1.1	953	35	4.3	3
Oregon	1,921.9	1.3	1,060	21	3.3	9
Pennsylvania	5,850.3	1.1	1,146	16	2.8	24
Rhode Island	474.7	0.8	1,104	19	1.8	43
South Carolina	2,110.0	2.0	901	44	3.0	21
South Dakota	419.0	0.4	865	48	2.7	25
Tennessee	3,004.2	2.0	996	28	1.9	42
Texas	12,455.6	2.2	1,204	11	3.1	16
Utah	1,501.4	3.0	978	32	3.1	16
Vermont	309.1	0.4	950	36	3.7	5
Virginia	3,896.9	1.2	1,186	14	2.1	41
Washington	3,371.1	1.8	1,368	7	4.9	1
West Virginia	687.1	0.3	896	45	3.2	12
Wisconsin	2,838.9	0.1	992	29	2.6	28
Wyoming	269.0	1.9	948	37	3.7	5
Puerto Rico	875.8	2.2	553	(3)	-2.1	(3)
Virgin Islands	36.6	9.6	966	(3)	-1.0	(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.