Western Information Office

CONTACT: Media Interviews (415) 625-2270 Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/ro9/news.htm

BLS 09-84 FOR RELEASE: Thursday, September 10, 2009

All of California’s 27 largest counties reported decreases in their employment levels from December 2007 to December 2008 according to preliminary data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. (Large counties are defined was those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2007 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that three counties posted employment declines of greater than five percent. Riverside County had the largest decrease with a loss of 7.0 percent, followed by Placer and San Bernardino Counties, down 5.9 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively.

Nationally, employment fell 2.3 percent during this 12-month period, as only 37 of the 334 large counties nationwide added jobs. Elkhart County, Ind., located about 100 miles east of Chicago, posted the largest percentage decline, at 17.8 percent. Montgomery County, Texas, experienced the fastest growth at 2.7 percent.

Among the 27 largest counties in California, employment was highest in Los Angeles County (4,152,900) in December 2008. Two other counties, Orange and San Diego had employment levels exceeding 1,000,000. Together, California’s large counties accounted for 93.5 percent of total employment within the State. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.3 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Butte County rose 4.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008; this increase was among the largest in the State which included Kern County, up 4.5 percent. Santa Clara County had the highest average weekly wage among the largest counties in California at $1,566, but also posted the largest wage decline at 7.8 percent. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.2 percent over the year to $918 in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 31 counties in California with employment below 75,000. Thirty of these 31 smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large County Wage Changes

Twelve of California’s 27 large counties recorded wage growth at or above the national increase of 2.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008. (See table 1.) Five of the 27 largest counties had wage gains above 3.5 percent. Butte County ranked 45th out of the 334 largest counties in the U.S. in wage growth, followed by Kern (48th), and Solano (71st). Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties placed near the bottom, at 322nd and 320th, respectively.

Among the largest counties, St. Louis City, Mo., led the nation in growth in average weekly wages with an increase of 56.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007. Clayton, Ga. was second with growth of 9.9 percent, followed by the counties of Calcasieu, La. (9.0 percent), and East Baton Rouge, La. and Jefferson, Texas (8.0 percent each).

Forty-two large counties in the United States experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. Pulaski County, Arkansas, had the largest decrease in the nation and was the only county to experience a double-digit decline (-14.3 percent). The next largest declines were recorded in Lake, Ill. (-9.9 percent), Santa Clara, Calif. (-7.8 percent), and Douglass, Colo. (-5.9 percent).

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Average weekly wages in 15 of California’s 27 large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 334 largest counties in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2008. The 3 highest-paid counties in the State—Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo—were all above the U.S. average of $918 and ranked in the top 10 nationwide. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and Los Angeles Counties ranked in the top 50 of all large counties.

Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than average in 106 of the largest 334 counties. New York, N.Y., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $1,856. Fairfield, Conn., was second with a wage of $1,596, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,570), Suffolk, Mass. ($1,568), and Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,566).

Of the 10 counties with the highest wages in the United States, 3 were located in the greater New York metropolitan area (New York, N.Y., Fairfield, Conn., and Somerset, N.J.), 3 others were located in or around the San Francisco area (Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo), and 2 were located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va.). Rounding out the top 10 was Suffolk County, Mass., part of the Boston metropolitan area, and St. Louis City County, Mo.

Among the 228 counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2008, Hidalgo, Texas ($574), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Horry, S.C., ($581), Cameron County, Texas ($584), Webb, Texas ($600), and Yakima, Wash. ($624). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than 35 percent of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, New York.

Average Weekly Wages in California’s Smaller Counties

Thirty of 31 counties in California with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $918. These smaller counties are widely distributed across the State. (See table 2.)

When all 58 counties were considered, all but 12 had wages below the national average of $918. One reported average weekly wages under $600, 19 reported wages from $600 to $699, and 25 had wages from $700 to $900. Seven of the 12 counties with above-average wages are located in the metropolitan area of San Francisco. The lowest paid county, with wages under $600, is located in the Mother Lode Region of California.

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/

An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages, features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2007 edition of this bulletin contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the third quarter 2008 version of the news release. Tables and additional content from the 2007 Employment and Wages Annual Bulletin are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn07.htm

These tables present final 2007 annual averages. The tables are included on the CD which accompanies the hardcopy version of the Annual Bulletin. Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2007 is available for sale as a chartbook from the United States Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250, telephone (866) 512-1800, outside Washington, D.C. Within Washington, D.C., the telephone number is (202) 512-1800. The fax number is (202) 512-2104.

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 Western Information Office in San Francisco at (415) 625-2270 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PT.

Table 1. Covered(1) employment and wages in the United States and the 27 largest counties in California, fourth quarter 2008(2)

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (3)
	December 2008 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2007-08 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (5)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2007-08 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)
United States (6)	133,870.4	-2.3	--	$918	--	2.2	--
California	15,288.5	-3.2	--	1,042	6	0.7	48
Alameda, Calif.	669.9	-4.0	267	1,161	25	0.1	277
Butte, Calif.	74.4	-3.1	222	698	312	4.6	45
Contra Costa, Calif.	335.8	-3.6	252	1,135	32	1.7	209
Fresno, Calif.	345.9	-1.6	118	737	283	1.7	209
Kern, Calif.	285.6	-1.2	92	794	232	4.5	48
Los Angeles, Calif.	4,152.9	-3.4	241	1,075	44	1.8	204
Marin, Calif.	108.6	-2.0	145	1,152	26	-2.0	310
Monterey, Calif.	152.3	-3.4	241	801	222	3.4	95
Orange, Calif.	1,451.2	-4.8	286	1,043	52	1.4	235
Placer, Calif.	130.5	-5.9	311	892	128	1.8	204
Riverside, Calif.	593.2	-7.0	317	745	278	2.2	181
Sacramento, Calif.	610.8	-3.6	252	1,006	61	3.2	107
San Bernardino, Calif.	640.3	-5.8	305	788	238	3.0	122
San Diego, Calif.	1,309.1	-3.0	208	981	68	2.0	192
San Francisco, Calif.	574.0	-0.9	76	1,491	9	-2.4	314
San Joaquin, Calif.	214.5	-4.4	282	796	229	3.2	107
San Luis Obispo, Calif.[	101.8	-2.8	196	765	260	1.7	209
San Mateo, Calif.	342.4	-1.6	118	1,439	10	-5.4	320
Santa Barbara, Calif.	180.5	-2.0	145	868	147	1.6	218
Santa Clar, Calif.	901.1	-1.7	126	1,566	5	-7.8	322
Santa Cruz, Calif.	90.0	-4.2	273	821	195	-2.3	312
Solano, Calif.	124.8	-3.1	222	903	119	3.9	71
Sonoma, Calif.	185.8	-4.9	291	896	122	3.0	122
Stanislaus, Calif.	166.7	-4.3	278	759	267	3.8	77
Tulare, Calif.	147.6	-3.0	208	651	328	3.7	81
Ventura, Calif.	310.4	-3.4	241	926	97	-5.1	318
Yolo, Calif.	99.1	-2.2	160	883	133	3.2	107
Footnotes: (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) 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. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in California, 4th quarter 2008 (2)

Area	Employment December 2008	Average Weekly Wage (3)
United States (4)	133,870,395	$918
California	15,288,461	$1,042
Alameda	669,856	$1,161
Alpine	526	$642
Amador	12,397	$773
Butte	74,427	$698
Calaveras	8,511	$669
Colusa	7,626	$700
Contra Costa	335,801	$1,135
Del Norte	8,553	$642
El Dorado	51,844	$814
Fresno	345,851	$737
Glenn	8,042	$656
Humboldt	49,072	$663
Imperial	59,242	$659
Inyo	7,615	$725
Kern	285,567	$794
Kings	42,790	$703
Lake	14,641	$665
Lassen	10,559	$758
Los Angeles	4,152,870	$1,075
Madera	45,546	$696
Marin	108,636	$1,152
Mariposa	5,026	$594
Mendocino	30,969	$663
Merced	67,634	$686
Modoc	2,669	$606
Mono	7,495	$645
Monterey	152,280	$801
Napa	64,528	$928
Nevada	28,915	$779
Orange	1,451,249	$1,043
Placer	130,518	$892
Plumas	6,168	$708
Riverside	593,223	$745
Sacramento	610,832	$1,006
San Benito	13,989	$763
San Bernardino	640,293	$788
San Diego	1,309,081	$981
San Francisco	574,001	$1,491
San Joaquin	214,521	$796
San Luis Obispo	101,849	$765
San Mateo	342,401	$1,439
Santa Barbara	180,477	$868
Santa Clara	901,098	$1,566
Santa Cruz	89,964	$821
Shasta	63,940	$709
Sierra	598	$670
Siskiyou	13,387	$619
Solano	124,762	$903
Sonoma	185,832	$896
Stanislaus	166,729	$759
Sutter	26,625	$686
Tehama	16,836	$654
Trinity	2,664	$612
Tulare	147,581	$651
Tuolumne	17,206	$738
Ventura	310,412	$926
Yolo	99,088	$883
Yuba	16,620	$830
Footnotes: (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) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.

Table 3. Covered (1) employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2008(2)

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (3)
	December 2008 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2007-08	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2007-08	National ranking by percent change
United States (4)	133,870.4	-2.3	$918	-	2.2	-
Alabama	1,909.8	-3.1	790	33	3.5	16
Alaska	303.9	1.6	927	14	5.7	4
Arizona	2,557.9	-5.1	848	23	2.7	25
Arkansas	1,168.2	-1.5	706	47	-1.0	50
California	15,288.5	-3.2	1,042	6	0.7	48
Colorado	2,295.8	-1.5	932	13	0.5	49
Connecticut	1,688.0	-1.7	1,164	3	1.2	44
Delaware	416.8	-3.0	943	10	1.9	36
District of Columbia	687.5	0.3	1,570	1	5.1	6
Florida	7,586.6	-5.3	824	26	1.6	39
Georgia	3,970.3	-3.5	853	21	2.3	33
Hawaii	614.7	-3.5	821	28	3.5	16
Idaho	634.1	-3.9	693	48	1.0	45
Illinois	5,795.8	-2.3	985	8	1.0	45
Indiana	2,831.3	-3.4	764	38	2.7	25
Iowa	1,483.7	-1.0	756	39	3.1	19
Kansas	1,370.2	-0.2	769	36	3.1	19
Kentucky	1,783.2	-2.6	754	41	3.0	21
Louisiana	1,907.5	0.1	829	25	5.9	3
Maine	595.3	-2.1	735	42	4.0	11
Maryland	2,531.8	-1.9	1,010	7	2.4	31
Massachusetts	3,239.6	-1.1	1,154	4	1.8	38
Michigan	3,993.3	-4.9	903	17	3.6	15
Minnesota	2,658.8	-1.9	907	16	2.6	27
Mississippi	1,117.2	-2.8	679	49	3.8	13
Missouri	2,700.9	-1.7	842	24	7.9	1
Montana	433.8	-1.5	678	50	2.9	23
Nebraska	923.1	-0.3	730	45	1.0	45
Nevada	1,206.5	-6.5	862	20	-1.1	51
New Hampshire	626.2	-2.0	936	11	2.2	34
New Jersey	3,927.7	-2.4	1,123	5	2.8	24
New Mexico	821.2	-1.2	768	37	3.9	12
New York	8,677.4	-1.0	1,169	2	1.4	40
North Carolina	4,003.8	-3.0	793	31	1.9	36
North Dakota	354.4	1.9	725	46	5.1	6
Ohio	5,167.5	-3.2	816	29	2.6	27
Oklahoma	1,559.8	0.0	755	40	4.9	8
Oregon	1,676.6	-3.7	808	30	1.3	43
Pennsylvania	5,645.8	-1.3	897	18	2.6	27
Rhode Island	464.3	-3.4	887	19	5.7	4
South Carolina	1,837.1	-3.5	731	44	2.1	35
South Dakota	395.2	0.4	663	51	2.5	30
Tennessee	2,695.7	-3.3	824	26	1.4	40
Texas	10,510.8	0.4	933	12	2.4	31
Utah	1,215.0	-2.1	770	35	1.4	40
Vermont	304.4	-1.7	774	34	4.3	9
Virginia	3,656.8	-1.3	953	9	3.3	18
Washington	2,885.0	-1.8	918	15	3.7	14
West Virginia	713.8	-0.1	735	42	7.1	2
Wisconsin	2,753.2	-1.9	793	31	3.0	21
Wyoming	284.5	1.5	850	22	4.3	9
Puerto Rico	1,028.5	-2.9	528	(5)	2.3	(5)
Virgin Islands	45.5	-1.4	731	(5)	-0.8	(5)
Footnotes: (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) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.

 

Last Modified Date: September 10, 2009