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News Release Information

23-2058-KAN
Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

County Employment and Wages in Utah — First Quarter 2023

Employment rose in all five of the largest counties in Utah from March 2022 to March 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2022.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Washington County and Davis County had the largest over-the-year increases in employment at 3.0 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

 

National employment increased 2.5 percent over the year, with 325 of the 360 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 8.5 percent. Elkhart, IN, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 4.6 percent.

Among the five largest counties in Utah, employment was highest in Salt Lake County (775,700) in March 2023. Within Salt Lake County’s private industry, professional, scientific, and technical services accounted for the largest employment. Together, the five largest Utah counties accounted for 84.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 360 largest counties made up 73.0 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 24 counties in Utah with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of the 24 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All five large Utah counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. (See chart 2.) Davis County had the largest gain (+9.8 percent) followed by Weber County (+8.8 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other three large counties in Utah ranged from 7.4 percent to 6.7 percent.

 

Nationwide, wages increased by 6.6 percent over the year. Among the 360 largest counties in the United States, 353 had over-the-year wage increases. Clayton, GA, had the largest percentage wage increase (24.3 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-6.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in all five of the largest counties in Utah were below the national average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023. Average weekly wages in Salt Lake County ($1,457) ranked 92nd among the 360 largest counties nationwide. In the four remaining large counties, average weekly wages ranged from $1,177 to $857, placing them in the bottom half of the rankings.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 87 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2023. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,922. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 273 counties. At $782 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Utah’s smaller counties

Among the 24 smaller counties in Utah—those with employment below 75,000—all reported weekly wages below the national average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023. Summit ($1,196) reported the highest average weekly wage among the small counties. Piute County reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state at $639.

When all 29 counties in Utah were considered, 8 reported average weekly wages of less than $800, 9 registered wages from $800 to $949, 5 had wages from $950 to $1,099, and 7 had average weekly wages of $1,100 or higher. (See chart 3.)

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. 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. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
The County Employment and Wages full data update for the second quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 7, 2023.

County Changes for the 2023 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2022 are included in this release and will be included in future 2023 releases. Five counties have been added to the publication tables: Napa, CA; York, ME; Gaston, NC; Orange, NC; and Merrimack, NH. No counties were dropped from the publication tables.


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. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. 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.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

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.

Chart 3. Average weekly wages by county in Utah, first quarter 2023

U.S. average = $1,465

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the five largest counties in Utah, first quarter 2023
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2023
(thousands)
Percent change,
March
2022–23 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
First quarter
2023
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
first quarter
2022–23 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,883.2 151,418.1 2.5 -- $1,465 -- 6.6 --

Utah

134.7 1,666.9 2.4 -- 1,245 28 7.9 19

Davis

10.3 140.4 2.9 79 1,091 298 9.8 62

Salt Lake

64.2 775.7 2.5 118 1,457 92 7.4 194

Utah

21.8 287.7 1.4 226 1,177 237 6.9 219

Washington

8.1 82.5 3.0 73 857 357 6.7 230

Weber

7.3 117.8 2.5 118 1,062 316 8.8 108

(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 Utah, first quarter 2023
Area Establishments Employment March 2023 Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,883,196 151,418,052 $1,465

Utah

134,658 1,666,860 1,245

Beaver

255 2,760 754

Box Elder

1,628 23,352 1,171

Cache

4,411 63,098 928

Carbon

641 8,436 909

Daggett

52 310 714

Davis

10,294 140,389 1,091

Duchesne

838 8,578 1,113

Emery

267 3,660 1,007

Garfield

276 2,073 767

Grand

700 6,758 836

Iron

2,136 23,856 806

Juab

363 4,379 882

Kane

421 3,847 759

Millard

431 5,108 959

Morgan

437 2,991 1,141

Piute

58 293 639

Rich

145 792 775

Salt Lake

64,204 775,738 1,457

San Juan

364 4,312 932

Sanpete

717 9,306 788

Sevier

774 9,621 817

Summit

3,573 33,423 1,196

Tooele

1,487 19,199 935

Uintah

1,332 13,738 1,031

Utah

21,788 287,711 1,177

Wasatch

1,554 11,696 1,107

Washington

8,054 82,483 857

Wayne

151 1,141 753

Weber

7,307 117,812 1,062

(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, first quarter 2023
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2023
(thousands)
Percent change,
March
2022–23
First quarter
2023
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
first quarter
2022–23
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,883.2 151,418.1 2.5 $1,465 -- 6.6 --

Alabama

153.8 2,055.3 2.6 1,164 38 8.9 12

Alaska

25.1 311.3 2.4 1,301 24 10.3 1

Arizona

214.7 3,143.1 2.7 1,330 21 7.5 27

Arkansas

102.2 1,272.5 3.1 1,127 44 6.4 41

California

1,790.3 17,842.7 0.9 1,735 5 5.5 46

Colorado

261.7 2,838.6 2.5 1,559 9 7.1 33

Connecticut

145.6 1,641.7 1.4 1,817 4 5.9 44

Delaware

41.0 462.3 3.0 1,431 15 4.8 50

District of Columbia

49.5 754.0 1.1 2,341 1 5.1 48

Florida

883.1 9,640.2 4.1 1,330 21 9.3 6

Georgia

376.4 4,775.6 3.0 1,376 17 6.1 43

Hawaii

55.1 634.3 3.3 1,218 30 7.2 31

Idaho

91.8 818.1 1.6 1,084 47 10.1 2

Illinois

409.8 5,936.4 2.1 1,567 8 5.5 46

Indiana

191.0 3,124.3 1.8 1,203 33 6.2 42

Iowa

110.7 1,526.1 0.9 1,176 36 8.3 15

Kansas

97.7 1,405.6 2.6 1,155 39 7.6 24

Kentucky

148.0 1,956.2 2.9 1,138 43 9.3 6

Louisiana

152.7 1,882.2 1.9 1,150 40 9.1 9

Maine

63.9 616.7 1.7 1,188 34 7.7 22

Maryland

189.1 2,647.5 2.0 1,541 10 9.0 10

Massachusetts

294.5 3,583.5 1.8 1,917 3 5.0 49

Michigan

311.0 4,305.8 2.0 1,308 23 6.8 35

Minnesota

207.8 2,836.9 1.9 1,461 14 6.5 40

Mississippi

84.7 1,153.8 1.6 944 51 7.2 31

Missouri

243.5 2,854.3 2.4 1,224 29 8.5 14

Montana

64.3 498.1 2.6 1,079 49 9.3 6

Nebraska

75.9 990.7 2.5 1,165 37 8.0 18

Nevada

106.3 1,497.2 3.8 1,246 27 7.4 28

New Hampshire

64.2 671.9 1.8 1,462 13 7.4 28

New Jersey

329.7 4,169.3 2.3 1,699 7 5.7 45

New Mexico

69.4 844.1 2.8 1,105 46 8.9 12

New York

693.2 9,368.7 2.9 2,015 2 2.1 51

North Carolina

366.3 4,782.7 3.1 1,348 18 6.8 35

North Dakota

34.9 413.0 2.9 1,216 31 9.8 3

Ohio

338.0 5,392.9 1.7 1,265 25 7.3 30

Oklahoma

128.2 1,660.1 3.6 1,109 45 9.0 10

Oregon

193.8 1,959.8 1.4 1,339 19 6.7 37

Pennsylvania

391.2 5,898.8 2.0 1,408 16 7.6 24

Rhode Island

47.7 478.4 2.1 1,334 20 6.6 39

South Carolina

173.4 2,221.1 3.4 1,139 42 9.5 5

South Dakota

39.3 440.8 2.0 1,084 47 7.0 34

Tennessee

210.7 3,201.7 2.9 1,264 26 7.8 20

Texas

820.5 13,568.7 4.3 1,480 11 8.1 17

Utah

134.7 1,666.9 2.4 1,245 28 7.9 19

Vermont

31.5 304.6 2.3 1,188 34 7.6 24

Virginia

347.7 4,002.1 2.6 1,477 12 8.2 16

Washington

238.7 3,540.1 2.5 1,721 6 7.7 22

West Virginia

56.8 682.4 1.8 1,062 50 9.6 4

Wisconsin

202.0 2,874.3 1.9 1,211 32 6.7 37

Wyoming

30.2 270.6 2.4 1,145 41 7.8 20

Puerto Rico

51.7 936.1 1.8 640 (3) 10.2 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.8 36.1 2.2 971 (3) 3.6 (3)

(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: Wednesday, September 20, 2023