New York Office Internet Address: http://www.bls.gov/ro2/ Fax-On-Demand: (212) 337-2412 Media Contact: (212) 337-2420 Information: (212) 337-2400 FOR RELEASE: June 29, 2006
AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES IN NEW YORK: THIRD QUARTER 2005
5.5-PERCENT WAGE GAINS IN DUTCHESS AND ORANGE LEAD COUNTIES OUTSIDE
NEW YORK CITY, WESTCHESTER HAS HIGHEST AVERAGE WAGE
In the third quarter of 2005, Dutchess and Orange Counties each
had wage gains of 5.5 percent over the year, the fastest growth among
New York's 12 counties outside of New York City with employment of
75,000 or more, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics.1 Westchester County had the highest average weekly
wage at $1,005, $228 above the national average and ranked 20th among
the 322 largest counties nationwide. (See table 1.) Regional
Commissioner Michael L. Dolfman noted that among New York's 12
largest counties half reported wages above the national average of
$777, but none recorded wage growth above the national increase of
6.1 percent.
Rockland County had the strongest rate of employment growth over
the year, up 1.6 percent in September 2005. Onondaga County had the
second highest rate of job growth, 1.0 percent, followed closely by
Orange and Monroe Counties, up 0.9 and 0.8 percent, respectively.
Nationally, employment grew by 2.0 percent from September 2004 to
September 2005. (See table 1.)
At the state level, the average weekly wage in New York increased
5.7 percent to $941 in the third quarter of 2005. While New York's
wage growth was fairly close to the 6.1-percent national increase,
the State's average weekly wage of $941 was roughly 21 percent higher
than the U.S. average of $777. The average weekly wage in New York
ranked fourth highest in the nation, behind the District of Columbia
($1,265), Connecticut ($966), and Massachusetts ($947) and ahead of
New Jersey ($928). (See table 2.)
Wage levels
Among the 12 large counties outside of New York City, 6 had wages
above the national average in the third quarter of 2005, but only 1,
Westchester, exceeded $1,000. Westchester County's average
weekly wage was 29.3 percent above the national level, ranking 20th
among the 322 largest counties nationwide. Nassau County's wage,
$862, was well below Westchester's, but still placed in the top 20
percent of the national ranking at 61st. Suffolk County had the
third highest wage level at $836 and ranked 76th. Three other
counties-Rockland, Albany, and Dutchess, all bordering the Hudson
River-also had wages above the U.S. average, with levels ranging from
$806 to $783. (See chart 1.) Counties with wages below those for
the nation were spread throughout the State, but the two counties
with wages 20 percent or more below the national average, Oneida and
Broome, were located in central New York. Oneida's average weekly
wage of $613 was the lowest in the State among the large counties and
ranked close to the bottom nationally at 298th; Broome County was not
far behind ($623, 291st).
Among the 322 largest counties in the nation, New York County,
N.Y., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,419 in the third
quarter of 2005. Santa Clara, Calif., was second, with an average
weekly wage of $1,403, followed by Arlington, Va. ($1,292), San
Mateo, Calif. ($1,268), and Washington, D.C. ($1,265). Three of the
10 counties with the highest wages were located in the greater New
York metropolitan area (New York, N.Y., Fairfield, Conn., and
Somerset, N.J.), 3 others were located in and around the San
Francisco area (Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco in
California), while 3 more were located in or around the Washington
D.C. metropolitan area (Washington, D.C., Arlington, Va., and
Fairfax, Va.). The lowest average weekly wage was reported in
Cameron County, Texas ($486), followed by the counties of Hidalgo,
Texas ($499), Horry, S.C.($505), and Webb, Texas and Yakima, Wash.
($525 each).
Over-the-year wage changes
Three large counties in the State, excluding those comprising New
York City, had wage growth of 5.0 percent or better: Dutchess and
Orange Counties, with gains of 5.5 percent each, and Suffolk County,
with an increase of 5.0 percent. Rockland County followed closely
with an over-the-year wage gain of 4.8 percent. Still, all four of
these counties placed in the bottom half of the national ranking
ranging from 174th to 223rd.
The smallest wage gains in the State were recorded in Monroe and
Albany Counties and averaged 2.0 and 1.9 percent, respectively.
Although increases in all of New York's large counties were below the
national average of 6.1 percent, none of the counties experienced an
over-the-year decline in wages. Of interest, Westchester County,
which recorded a wage level nearly 30 percent above the U.S. average,
exhibited one of the slower growth rates in the country, 4.1 percent,
and ranked in the bottom quartile at 260th among the 322 large
counties.
Passaic County, N.J., led the nation in wage growth with an
increase of 19.0 percent. Average weekly wages in Fort Bend, Texas,
grew 15.4 percent; in Boulder, Colo., wages increased 13.8 percent;
and in San Mateo, Calif., and Harrison, Miss., gains of 12.7 percent
were recorded. Wage growth in Harrison, Miss., and Orleans, La.
(10.7 percent), were boosted as a result of the disproportionate job
and pay losses in the lower-paid industries following Hurricane
Katrina. Five large counties experienced over-the-year declines in
average weekly wages. Clayton County, Ga., had the largest decrease,-
5.1 percent, followed by the counties of Benton, Ark. (-1.2 percent),
Trumbull, Ohio (-0.6 percent), Saginaw, Mich. (-0.4 percent), and St.
Joseph, Ind. (-0.1 percent).
Employment
Among the 12 large counties in New York, employment ranged from a
high of 609,800 in Suffolk to a low of 94,800 in Broome during
September 2005. None of these counties surpassed the nation's 2.0
percent-rate of employment growth from September 2004 to September
2005, and only one county, Rockland, with an increase of 1.6 percent,
added jobs at better than a 1-percent pace. In fact, not all of New
York's large counties added jobs over the year; the exceptions were
Dutchess (-0.1 percent) and Erie (-0.4 percent).
Nationally, Lee County, Fla., which includes Fort Meyers, had the
largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment, 11.4
percent. Employment declined in 35 of the 322 largest counties from
September 2004 to September 2005, with the steepest drop occurring in
Orleans County, La. (-26.3 percent). Job losses in Orleans County,
as well as the counties of Jefferson, La. (-25.6 percent), and
Harrison, Miss. (-13.9 percent), reflected the destruction caused by
Hurricane Katrina.
Average weekly 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 reports submitted by
employers subject to state and federal unemployment insurance (UI)
laws. The 8.6 million employer reports cover 132.9 million full- and
part-time jobs. The average weekly values are calculated by dividing
quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment
levels of those covered by UI programs. Then, this result is divided
by 13, the number of weeks in the 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 http://www.bls.gov/cew/; however,
data in QCEW press releases have been revised (see Technical Note
below) and may not match the data contained on the Bureau's Web site.
Additional statistics and other information
An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages, features comprehensive
information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and
wages for the nation and all states. Employment and Wages Annual
Averages, 2004 is now available for sale from the United States
Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box
371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250, telephone 866-512-1800, outside of
Washington, D.C. Within Washington, D.C., the telephone number is
202-512-1800. The fax number is 202-512-2104. The bulletin is now
available in a portable document format (PDF) on the BLS Web site at
http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn04.htm. Also, the quarterly press
release, County Employment and Wages, presents employment and wage
data for the largest counties in the U.S. and is available at
http://www.bls.gov/cew/.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD
message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
For personal assistance or further information on the Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages program, as well as other Bureau
programs, contact the New York-New Jersey Information Office at (212)
337-2400 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
_______________________________
1The five counties in New York City are featured annually in a
separate press release, last issued on November 29, 2005. Data for
the five New York City counties, however, has been included in table
1 of this news release for the reader's convenience.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Hurricanes Katrina and Rita | | | | The measures of employment and wages reported in this news | | release reflect the impact of Hurricane Katrina and ongoing labor | | market trends. Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, | | 2005, with catastrophic effects in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, | | and Alabama. This event occurred after the August QCEW reference | | period and before the September period. Its effects are first | | reflected in the September QCEW employment counts and the wage totals | | for the third quarter of 2005. QCEW nonresponse adjustment methods | | were modified for September 2005 to better reflect the impact of the | | hurricane in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. For more | | information, see the QCEW section of the Katrina coverage on the BLS | | Web site (http://www.bls.gov/katrina/qcewquestions.htm). | | | | Hurricane Rita made landfall September 24, after the September | | reference period. The impact of this event did not warrant changes | | to QCEW methodology for the third quarter of 2005. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL NOTE
QCEW data are the sums of individual establishment records
reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or
industry at a point in time. For this reason, county and industry
data are not designed to be used as a time series.
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. The potential differences result from
several causes. Differences between BLS and State published data may
be due to the 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.
NYLS - 7245 New York Labor
06/26/06
Table 1. Covered1 employment and wages in the United States, New York State, and large counties,
third quarter 20052
Employment Average weekly wage3
______________________ ______________________________________
Percent National
September change, National Percent rank by
2005 September Level rank by change percent
(thousands) 2004–054 2005 level5 2004–054 change5
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
United States6..................... 132,929.3 2.0 $777 - 6.1 -
New York State................... 8,394.8 0.9 941 4 5.7 26
Twelve large counties outside New York City
Albany.......................... 229.3 0.2 804 91 1.9 305
Broome.......................... 94.8 0.4 623 291 3.7 275
Dutchess........................ 117.5 –0.1 783 109 5.5 174
Erie............................ 457.2 –0.4 690 210 3.9 266
Monroe.......................... 382.7 0.8 766 122 2.0 302
Nassau.......................... 597.8 0.4 862 61 (7) (7)
Oneida.......................... 108.9 0.2 613 298 4.1 260
Onondaga........................ 251.7 1.0 718 179 3.9 266
Orange.......................... 129.6 0.9 670 244 5.5 174
Rockland........................ 112.4 1.6 806 90 4.8 223
Suffolk......................... 609.8 0.3 836 76 5.0 213
Westchester..................... 411.9 0.3 1,005 20 4.1 260
Five large counties inside New York City
Bronx........................... 221.2 1.9 772 118 2.8 294
Kings........................... 457.5 2.2 686 218 3.2 289
New York........................ 2,243.4 1.7 1,419 1 7.0 79
Queens.......................... 484.6 1.3 794 100 5.7 159
Richmond........................ 89.7 0.8 709 189 2.5 298
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1/ Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE) programs.
2/ Data are preliminary.
3/ Average weekly wages were calculated by using rounded data.
4/ Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications.
5/ Ranking does not include the county of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
6/ Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
7/ Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards..
Table 2. Covered1 employment and wages by state, third quarter 20052
Employment Average weekly wage3
____________ ______________________________________________
National
Area September Average National Percent rank
2005 weekly rank by change, by percent
(thousands) wage level4 2004-05 change4
___________________________________________________________________________________________
United States5................ 132,929.3 $777 - 6.1 -
Alabama...................... 1,905.9 669 32 6.4 17
Alaska...................... 320.2 797 13 5.6 30
Arizona..................... 2,511.8 748 20 8.2 1
Arkansas.................... 1,165.7 599 46 4.9 43
California.................. 15,443.3 887 6 7.0 8
Colorado.................... 2,212.1 808 11 7.3 7
Connecticut................. 1,665.2 966 2 5.3 38
Delaware.................... 420.1 823 9 7.0 8
District of Columbia........ 666.4 1,265 1 4.5 48
Florida..................... 7,801.6 708 26 8.1 2
Georgia..................... 3,960.8 748 20 5.2 40
Hawaii...................... 606.0 714 24 5.8 23
Idaho....................... 635.5 605 45 6.0 19
Illinois.................... 5,820.7 825 8 5.9 21
Indiana..................... 2,916.3 689 29 5.2 40
Iowa........................ 1,461.1 641 37 6.1 18
Kansas...................... 1,315.3 659 34 6.5 15
Kentucky.................... 1,779.5 651 35 5.2 40
Louisiana................... 1,770.8 637 39 6.9 10
Maine....................... 606.0 631 42 4.6 46
Maryland.................... 2,526.5 854 7 7.6 5
Massachusetts............... 3,193.3 947 3 4.5 48
Michigan.................... 4,353.1 787 15 4.1 50
Minnesota................... 2,671.9 790 14 4.9 43
Mississippi................. 1,098.4 573 49 5.9 21
Missouri.................... 2,696.2 691 27 5.5 33
Montana..................... 424.2 563 51 7.4 6
Nebraska.................... 896.7 633 41 5.3 38
Nevada...................... 1,242.5 750 19 6.7 12
New Hampshire............... 630.7 772 16 5.8 23
New Jersey.................. 3,960.8 928 5 5.8 23
New Mexico.................. 791.0 629 43 6.8 11
New York.................... 8,394.8 941 4 5.7 26
North Carolina.............. 3,903.7 690 28 5.7 26
North Dakota................ 335.4 581 48 6.0 19
Ohio........................ 5,360.6 723 23 5.5 33
Oklahoma.................... 1,482.5 612 44 5.7 26
Oregon...................... 1,683.4 714 24 5.6 30
Pennsylvania................ 5,597.6 764 18 5.7 26
Rhode Island................ 488.9 736 22 4.1 50
South Carolina.............. 1,831.2 637 39 5.6 30
South Dakota................ 381.6 567 50 5.4 35
Tennessee................... 2,724.0 689 29 4.6 46
Texas....................... 9,659.3 767 17 6.7 12
Utah........................ 1,135.1 647 36 6.6 14
Vermont..................... 303.4 $663 33 4.7 45
Virginia.................... 3,617.7 815 10 7.7 4
Washington.................. 2,820.6 801 12 6.5 15
West Virginia............... 702.9 589 47 5.4 35
Wisconsin................... 2,783.4 688 31 5.4 35
Wyoming..................... 263.4 638 38 8.0 3
Puerto Rico................. 1,037.4 435 (6) 3.8 (6)
Virgin Islands.............. 44.0 616 (6) 2.8 (6)
___________________________________________________________________________________________
1/ Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation
for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
2/ Data are preliminary.
3/ Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
4/ Ranking does not include Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
5/ Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
6/ Data not included in the national ranking.
Last Modified Date: June 30, 2006
