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News Release Information

23-78-SAN
Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

County Employment and Wages in Alaska – Second Quarter 2022

Employment increased 2.4 percent in Alaska’s only large county, Anchorage Municipality, from June 2021 to June 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are counties or designated county-equivalent entities with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that in June 2022, Anchorage Municipality’s employment totaled 144,300 and accounted for 43.8 percent of total employment within the state. (See table 1.)

National employment increased 4.0 percent over the year, with 338 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orange, FL, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 9.7 percent. Kanawha, WV, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 1.0 percent.

Alaska additionally consists of 17 smaller boroughs, 11 census areas, and 1 municipality, each of which is considered a county-level equivalent. Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are available for these 29 county equivalents in Alaska with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 24 of the 29 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,294 in the second quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022, the average weekly wage in Anchorage Municipality rose 5.0 percent, compared to a 4.3-percent increase nationwide.

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 340 had over-the-year wage increases. Saratoga, NY, had the largest percentage wage increase (+16.3 percent). Benton, AR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-16.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Anchorage Municipality’s $1,306 average weekly wage ranked 84th nationwide in the second quarter of 2022. Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2022. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,262. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $767 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Alaska’s smaller counties

Five of the 29 counties in Alaska with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages higher than the national average of $1,294: North Slope Borough ($2,124), Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ($1,579), Northwest Arctic Borough ($1,550), Aleutians West Census Area ($1,541), and Nome Census Area ($1,315). The Kusilvak Census Area reported the lowest weekly wage among the smaller counties, averaging $815, followed by the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area ($824) and the Lake and Peninsula Borough ($830). (See table 2.)

When all 30 counties in Alaska were considered, 6 had average weekly wages below $900, 5 had wages ranging from $900 to $999, 6 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, 5 had wages from $1,100 to $1,199, and 8 had wages of $1,200 or higher.

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 third quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Improved Usability of QCEW State and Local Government Employment and Wages

With the Second Quarter 2022 QCEW data released December 6th, 2022, state and local government employment and wage measures include data for some states that were previously suppressed for confidentiality reasons. Publication of these data is possible because state and local government employment and wages are fully disclosable by law in many states. The improved data account for an employment of about 4.2 million in June 2022. Suppressed data were always included in totals and do not represent an increase in employment.

More information is available on the website about the improved usability of state and local government data.


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.

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.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the largest borough in Alaska, second quarter 2022
AreaEstablishments,
second quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
June
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Second quarter
2022
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
second quarter
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,460.8149,902.04.0--$1,294--4.3--

Alaska

24.4329.54.4--1,237174.736

Anchorage

8.5144.32.42201,306845.0151

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 county-equivalent entities in Alaska, second quarter 2022
AreaEstablishmentsEmployment June 2022Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,460,819149,901,995$1,294

Alaska

24,410329,5401,237

Aleutians East Borough

1022,8001,049

Aleutians West Census Area

1673,3271,541

Anchorage Municipality

8,522144,2861,306

Bethel Census Area

3397,053940

Bristol Bay Borough

1351,8091,053

Chugach Census Area

4224,4411,225

Copper River Census Area

1581,296943

Denali Borough

1503,237945

Dillingham Census Area

1612,2381,116

Fairbanks North Star Borough

2,36435,6821,184

Haines Borough

1561,102864

Hoonah-Angoon Census Area

1411,245824

Juneau City and Borough

1,14217,7301,212

Kenai Peninsula Borough

2,30422,9581,106

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

6097,6581,067

Kodiak Island Borough

4655,7701,064

Kusilvak Census Area

1351,901815

Lake and Peninsula Borough

1191,010830

Mantanuska-Susitna Borough

2,60728,8461,004

Nome Census Area

2994,0131,315

North Slope Borough

2339,9152,124

Northwest Arctic Borough

1612,7131,550

Petersburg Borough

1651,299978

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

2552,263918

Sitka City and Borough

3814,4401,119

Skagway Municipality

1261,229885

Southeast Fairbanks Census Area

2512,9001,579

Wrangell City and Borough

986981,038

Yakutat City and Borough

484011,134

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

2562,319873

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, second quarter 2022
StateEstablishments,
second quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
June
2021–22
Second quarter
2022
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
second quarter
2021–22
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,460.8149,902.04.0$1,294--4.3--

Alabama

147.82,007.02.11,069376.216

Alaska

24.4329.54.41,237174.736

Arizona

199.82,962.13.31,220215.822

Arkansas

98.51,240.42.8997492.447

California

1,706.117,915.35.61,5724-0.651

Colorado

242.32,838.54.11,36196.216

Connecticut

137.61,654.73.11,45863.542

Delaware

39.1456.42.51,227185.822

District of Columbia

48.2747.63.22,13912.048

Florida

858.79,126.75.01,186226.510

Georgia

369.24,669.64.91,221207.25

Hawaii

51.6612.63.41,152263.244

Idaho

83.2824.22.71,009488.51

Illinois

408.05,959.33.71,325115.229

Indiana

184.63,087.82.51,083356.98

Iowa

110.21,555.31.71,057405.822

Kansas

93.81,381.21.51,039444.638

Kentucky

140.91,886.91.81,070367.17

Louisiana

149.91,837.01.21,067386.510

Maine

61.6637.61.91,086348.03

Maryland

184.92,640.31.51,37884.638

Massachusetts

288.53,654.34.31,63722.846

Michigan

289.64,326.63.71,183233.542

Minnesota

197.82,876.62.01,289134.040

Mississippi

79.51,136.62.4887515.328

Missouri

231.62,852.03.31,106325.132

Montana

59.4504.82.71,028457.44

Nebraska

79.9988.51.21,060396.313

Nevada

106.91,462.47.81,163245.229

New Hampshire

62.4671.92.01,349100.450

New Jersey

321.74,221.95.81,44073.841

New Mexico

69.6822.43.61,040435.525

New York

672.29,341.55.11,58733.145

North Carolina

344.04,695.04.01,160256.313

North Dakota

33.9416.92.31,131306.019

Ohio

322.75,404.12.61,127315.426

Oklahoma

121.91,610.42.51,016465.426

Oregon

176.71,956.62.71,253154.835

Pennsylvania

387.95,901.33.91,252164.934

Rhode Island

45.7488.63.31,227185.033

South Carolina

162.72,170.73.51,043426.89

South Dakota

38.4454.02.6997496.510

Tennessee

201.03,151.94.71,152265.229

Texas

796.913,135.75.21,284146.118

Utah

130.31,644.03.71,137287.25

Vermont

29.9297.71.21,135298.12

Virginia

320.63,949.12.41,316124.736

Washington

264.93,547.24.71,56951.649

West Virginia

56.5672.11.21,013476.019

Wisconsin

197.92,897.01.61,097335.921

Wyoming

29.5280.61.61,048416.313

Puerto Rico

49.2910.14.8597(3)5.3(3)

Virgin Islands

3.633.7-5.21,014(3)9.1(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: Tuesday, January 17, 2023