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Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
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Aggregating MSA, MicroSA, and CSA Data from County Data
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) consists of a monthly count of employment, quarterly counts of wage levels and business establishments at multiple levels of geographic and industrial detail.
The detailed county-level data of QCEW makes it unique, but it may present a problem for users who want to analyze industry data at a higher aggregation level such as a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
This fact sheet will help you to understand how to aggregate QCEW detailed industry data at different geographical levels to get desired MSA, Micropolitan Statistical Area (MicroSA) and Combined Statistical Areas (CSA) data.
Area Definitions
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) are groupings of counties or county equivalents with at least one urban area with a population of 50,000 or more. The adjacent territory has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.
Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MicroSAs) are groupings of counties or county equivalents with at least one urban area equal to or greater than 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, along with surrounding territory that has a high degree of integration both socially and economically with the core(s) as measured by commuting ties.
Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs) are defined by a combination of MSAs and/or MicroSAs that have social and economic ties measured by commuting ties, but lesser degrees of integration than among counties within MSAs and MicroSAs.
QCEW MSA, MicroSA, and CSA codes
QCEW codes for MSAs, MicroSAs and CSAs differ from those published by Census. Please visit the QCEW Area Code Guide for more information.
Locating the counties in an MSA, MicroSA, or CSA
QCEW maintains a QCEW County-MSA-CSA Crosswalk webpage and downloadable spreadsheet. The crosswalk is a comprehensive mapping table of all counties to the respective MSAs, MicroSAs, or CSAs. The crosswalk spreadsheet can be queried on the desired MSA, MicroSA, or CSA to find all counties included within the delineation.
Aggregating MSA Data Example
Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (NAICS 611110, OWN 3) in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV MSA (C3762) for fourth quarter 2024
Download and open the QCEW County-MSA-CSA Crosswalk spreadsheet and select the desired crosswalk sheet. In this example, the July 2023 Crosswalk sheet is used.
Filter the spreadsheet on either the MSA Code (Column C) or MSA Title (Column D) to retrieve the list of counties that are part of the MSA. In this case, the Parkersburg-Vienna, WV MSA consists of two counties: Wirt County, WV (54105) and Wood County, WV (54107)
Using one of several methods to retrieve QCEW data, obtain the data for all counties within the MSA.
| FIPS | County Name | Quarterly Establishments | October Employment | November Employment | December Employment | Total Quarterly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
54105 |
Wirt, WV | 5 | 186 | 194 | 195 | $2,171,601 |
|
54107 |
Wood, WV | 28 | 1,869 | 1,877 | 1,875 | 21,992,952 |
Add the county values for each category to obtain the values for the MSA.
| FIPS | MSA Name | Quarterly Establishments | October Employment | November Employment | December Employment | Total Quarterly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
C3762 |
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 33 | 2,055 | 2,071 | 2,070 | $24,164,553 |
Possible Difficulties in Calculating MSA, MicroSA, or CSA Data
Data Non-Disclosure
In accordance with the BLS Confidentiality policy, data reported under a promise of confidentiality are published in a way to protect the identifiable information of respondents. BLS withholds the publication of UI-covered employment and wage data for any industry level when necessary to protect the identity of employers. If the data for a county in an MSA, MicroSA, or CSA is non-disclosed, the aggregated total for that MSA, MicroSA, or CSA cannot be calculated. Potential solutions may include choosing a higher NAICS level or a different year or quarter depending on the application. If you are unsure of the disclosure status, please see #13 on the QCEW Questions and Answers page for a more detailed description of the disclosure code.
If the data are still unavailable, you can try using a different BLS data set. Current Employment Statistics (CES) State and Metro Area produces detailed industry estimates of employment, hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and about 430 metropolitan areas and divisions.
Data are not Listed for a County for an Industry
If a search for a county by industry results in no data, there are zero establishments within the industry. Count the county as zero towards the aggregate total.
Changes in MSA, MicroSA, and CSA Definitions
Every ten years, following the decennial census, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issues a bulletin with revised delineations for MSAs, MicroSAs, and CSAs. The boundaries for the areas incorporate updated population estimates and commuting-to-work data.
Data
Access QCEW data through the QCEW Data Search, the QCEW Data Viewer, QCEW Open Data Access and Downloadable Data Files, and the BLS Industry Finder.
Additional information regarding the delineations of statistical areas is available on the Census website.
Additional Information
For more information on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, please visit the QCEW homepage. The QCEW information office can be contacted via email or by calling 202-691-6567. Information on methodology used in the QCEW program can be found in the BLS Handbook of Methods.
Last Modified Date: April 27, 2026