Employment advanced in four of Alabama’s five large counties from June 2011 to June 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2011 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Tuscaloosa County experienced the largest increase, up 2.4 percent. During this same period, employment declined 1.0 percent in Mobile County. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment rose 1.8 percent during the 12-month period, as employment increased in 287 of the 328 largest U.S. counties. Yakima, Wash., posted the largest over-the-year percentage increase with a gain of 8.2 percent. Madison, Ill., St. Clair, Ill., and Clay, Mo., had the largest over-the-year decreases in employment with losses of 2.0 percent each.

Among the five large counties in Alabama, employment was highest in Jefferson (338,200) in June 2012, while Tuscaloosa had the smallest employment base (84,700). Together, Alabama’s large counties accounted for 48.5 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 328 largest counties made up 70.9 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 132.9 million in June 2012.

Four of Alabama’s large counties posted over-the-year wage increases with Jefferson (3.4 percent) experiencing the largest increase. In Montgomery County, average weekly wages were unchanged. Madison had the highest average weekly wage among the five largest counties at $1,010, followed by Jefferson ($913). Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 1.3 percent over the year to $903 in the second quarter of 2012. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 62 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000. Among these, Dale ($969) and Washington ($960) were the only small counties to have an average weekly wage above the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Jefferson County’s 3.4-percent wage growth from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012 ranked 32nd among the 328 largest counties in the United States. Wage growth in Tuscaloosa County (1.8 percent, 111th) and Mobile County (1.7 percent, 120th) also placed in the top half of the national ranking. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 233 large counties experienced growth in average weekly wages. Washington, Ore., ranked first with an increase of 8.5 percent from the second quarter of 2011. Washington, Pa., ranked second with a gain of 7.8 percent, followed by the counties of McLean, Ill. (7.2 percent), San Mateo, Calif. (7.1 percent), and Weld, Colo. (6.4 percent).

Among the 328 largest counties, 86 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Williamson, Texas, had the largest decrease in the nation (-17.0 percent), followed by the counties of Kitsap, Wash. (-4.2 percent), Arlington, Va. (-3.8 percent), Durham, N.C. (-3.6 percent), and Benton, Wash. (-3.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 2 of Alabama’s 5 large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 328 largest counties in the second quarter of 2012. Madison County ($1,010, 52nd) and Jefferson County ($913, 102nd) recorded weekly wages higher than the national average of $903. Average weekly wages in Alabama’s three other large counties placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than average in 109 of the 328 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,754. New York, N.Y., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,646, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,554), San Mateo, Calif. ($1,515), and Arlington, Va. ($1,493).

There were 219 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2012. Horry, S.C. ($532), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($571), Hidalgo, Texas ($583), Lake, Fla. ($614), and Yakima, Wash. ($617).

Average weekly wages in Alabama’s smaller counties

Among the 62 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000, Dale ($969) and Washington ($960) were the only two counties to report a weekly wage above the national average of $903. Geneva County reported the lowest weekly wages among all counties in the state, averaging $528 in the second quarter of 2012. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Alabama were considered, 20 reported average weekly wages under $600, 29 reported wages from $600-$699, 11 had wages from $700-$799, and 7 had wages above $800. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

Quarterly 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 the QCEW Web site at 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 2011 edition of this publication, which was published in October 2012, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2012 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2011 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn11.htm. The 2012 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available later in 2013.

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.

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 9.2 million employer reports cover 132.9 million full- and part-time workers. 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.

Last Modified Date: January 31, 2013