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Economic News Release
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QCEW QCEW Program Links

County Employment and Wages News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Wednesday, September 6, 2017	USDL-17-1220

Technical Information:	(202) 691-6567  *  QCEWInfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cew
Media Contact:		(202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov

COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES
First Quarter 2017

From March 2016 to March 2017, employment increased in 299 of the 346 largest U.S. counties, the 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. York, S.C., had the largest percentage increase with a 
gain of 6.8 percent over the year, above the national job growth rate of 1.6 percent. Within York, the 
largest employment increase occurred in professional and business services, which gained 3,539 jobs 
over the year (40.3 percent). Kanawha, W.Va., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in 
employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a loss of 2.7 percent. Within Kanawha, trade, 
transportation, and utilities had the largest decrease in employment, with a loss of 692 jobs (-3.9 
percent).

The U.S. average weekly wage increased 6.6 percent over the year, growing to $1,111 in the first 
quarter of 2017. McLean, Ill., had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in average weekly wages 
with a gain of 27.8 percent. Within McLean, an average weekly wage gain of $1,006 (69.9 percent) in 
financial activities made the largest contribution to the county’s increase in average weekly wages. 
Peoria, Ill., experienced the only percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 1.1 percent 
over the year. Within Peoria, manufacturing had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage 
change with a decrease of $605 (-31.3 percent) over the year.

County employment and wage data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 
program, which provides the only detailed quarterly and annual universe count of establishments, 
employment, and wages at the county, metropolitan statistical area, state, and national levels by detailed 
industry. These data are published within 6 months following the end of each quarter.

Large County Employment

In March 2017, national employment was 142.3 million (as measured by the QCEW program). Over the 
year, employment increased 1.6 percent, or 2.2 million. In March 2017, the 346 U.S. counties with 
75,000 or more jobs accounted for 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment and 79.0 percent of total 
wages. These 346 counties had a net job growth of 1.7 million over the year, accounting for 76.1 percent 
of the overall U.S. employment increase. The 5 counties with the largest increases in employment levels 
had a combined over-the-year employment gain of 219,100 jobs, which was 10.0 percent of the overall 
job increase for the U.S. (See table A.)

Employment declined in 39 of the largest counties from March 2016 to March 2017. Kanawha, W.Va., 
had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-2.7 percent), followed by Lafayette, 
La.; Anchorage, Alaska; Oklahoma, Okla.; Peoria, Ill.; and Atlantic, N.J. (See table 1.)

Table A.  Large counties ranked by March 2017 employment, March 2016-17 employment increase, and 
March 2016-17 percent increase in employment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Employment in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       March 2017 employment      |      Increase in employment,     |  Percent increase in employment, 
            (thousands)           |           March 2016-17          |           March 2016-17
                                  |            (thousands)           |                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States           142,309.2| United States             2,180.3| United States                 1.6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 Los Angeles, Calif.       4,359.4| Los Angeles, Calif.          54.8| York, S.C.                    6.8
 Cook, Ill.                2,531.8| Maricopa, Ariz.              48.5| Davis, Utah                   4.9
 New York, N.Y.            2,436.8| Dallas, Texas                41.5| Williamson, Tenn.             4.6
 Harris, Texas             2,265.1| King, Wash.                  41.5| Merced, Calif.                4.5
 Maricopa, Ariz.           1,914.1| Clark, Nev.                  32.8| Deschutes, Ore.               4.5
 Dallas, Texas             1,662.0| Orange, Calif.               32.3| Utah, Utah                    4.5
 Orange, Calif.            1,580.2| New York, N.Y.               30.5| Clark, Wash.                  4.2
 San Diego, Calif.         1,421.4| San Diego, Calif.            29.1| Collier, Fla.                 3.8
 King, Wash.               1,335.4| Fulton, Ga.                  28.2| Denton, Texas                 3.8
 Miami-Dade, Fla.          1,130.2| Santa Clara, Calif.          26.2| Brevard, Fla.                 3.7
                                  |                                  | Rutherford, Tenn.             3.7
                                  |                                  | Collin, Texas                 3.7
                                  |                                  | Galveston, Texas              3.7
                                  |                                  | Thurston, Wash.               3.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,111, a 6.6 percent increase, during the year ending 
in the first quarter of 2017. Among the 346 largest counties, 345 had over-the-year increases in average 
weekly wages. McLean, Ill., had the largest percentage wage increase among the largest U.S. counties 
(27.8 percent). (See table B.)

Of the 346 largest counties, 1 experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly wages. Peoria, 
Ill., had the only percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-1.1 percent). Somerset, N.J., had the 
smallest percentage wage increase, followed by Fairfield, Conn.; Lafayette, La.; and Winnebago, Wis. 
(See table 1.)

Table B.  Large counties ranked by first quarter 2017 average weekly wages, first quarter 2016-17
increase in average weekly wages, and first quarter 2016-17 percent increase in average weekly wages 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Average weekly wage in large counties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Average weekly wage,      |    Increase in average weekly    |    Percent increase in average 
         first quarter 2017       |    wage, first quarter 2016-17   |         weekly wage, first
                                  |                                  |          quarter 2016-17
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 United States              $1,111| United States                 $69| United States                 6.6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |                                  |                                  
 New York, N.Y.             $2,954| McLean, Ill.                 $248| McLean, Ill.                 27.8
 Santa Clara, Calif.         2,450| Santa Clara, Calif.           232| Elkhart, Ind.                15.1
 San Mateo, Calif.           2,385| San Francisco, Calif.         203| Midland, Texas               14.3
 San Francisco, Calif.       2,264| San Mateo, Calif.             183| Benton, Ark.                 14.2
 Somerset, N.J.              2,026| Benton, Ark.                  179| Williamson, Texas            12.4
 Suffolk, Mass.              2,016| Midland, Texas                179| New Castle, Del.             12.0
 Fairfield, Conn.            1,939| New York, N.Y.                174| Stearns, Minn.               11.4
 Washington, D.C.            1,885| New Castle, Del.              147| Yolo, Calif.                 11.3
 Arlington, Va.              1,847| King, Wash.                   146| Washington, Ark.             11.0
 Morris, N.J.                1,766| Middlesex, Mass.              142| Ramsey, Minn.                11.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten Largest U.S. Counties

Among the 10 largest counties, 9 had over-the-year percentage increases in employment in March 2017. 
King, Wash., had the largest gain (3.2 percent). Within King, trade, transportation, and utilities had the 
largest over-the-year employment level increase, with a gain of 14,813 jobs, or 6.1 percent. Harris, 
Texas, had the only percentage decrease in employment among the 10 largest counties (-0.2 percent). 
Within Harris, manufacturing had the largest over-the-year employment level decrease, with a loss of 
8,503 jobs, or -4.8 percent. (See table 2.)

Average weekly wages increased over the year in all 10 of the largest U.S. counties. King, Wash., 
experienced the largest percentage gain in average weekly wages (10.0 percent). Within King, 
information had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage growth. Within information, 
average weekly wages increased by $496, or 14.4 percent, over the year. Harris, Texas, had the lowest 
percent gain in average weekly wages among the 10 largest counties (3.9 percent). Within Harris, trade, 
transportation, and utilities had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage growth with an 
increase of $77 (6.1 percent) over the year.

For More Information

The tables included in this release contain data for the nation and for the 346 U.S. counties with annual 
average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2016. March 2017 employment and 2017 first quarter 
average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 3 of this release.

The data are derived from reports submitted by employers who are subject to unemployment insurance 
(UI) laws. The 9.9 million employer reports cover 142.3 million full- and part-time workers. Data for the 
first quarter of 2017 will be available later at www.bls.gov/cew. Additional information about the 
quarterly employment and wages data is available in the Technical Note. More information about 
QCEW data may be obtained by calling (202) 691-6567.

The most current news release on quarterly measures of gross job flows is available from QCEW 
Business Employment Dynamics at www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewbd.pdf.

Several BLS regional offices issue QCEW news releases targeted to local data users. Links to these 
releases are available at www.bls.gov/cew/cewregional.htm.

_____________
The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2017 is scheduled to be released 
on Tuesday, December 5, 2017.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                                                          |
|                                              County Changes                                              |
|                                                                                                          |
|  Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2016 are included in this release and      |
|  will be included in future 2017 releases. Three counties have been added to these publication tables:   |
|  Sussex, Del.; Maui + Kalawao, Hawaii; and Deschutes, Ore. One county, Gregg, Texas, which was           |
|  published in the 2016 releases, is excluded from this and future 2017 releases because its 2016 annual  |
|  average employment level was less than 75,000.                                                          |
|                                                                                                          |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                                                          |
|                                             Industry Changes                                             |
|                                                                                                          |
|  Beginning with this release, the QCEW program now uses the 2017 version of the North American           |
|  Industry Classification System (NAICS) as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data  |
|  by industry. For more information on the change to NAICS, please see the Federal Register notice at     |
|  www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/federal_register_notices/notices/fr08au16.pdf. For information on the      |
|  use of the 2017 version of NAICS in QCEW, see www.bls.gov/cew/naics2017.htm.                            |
|                                                                                                          |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------






Technical Note

These data are the product of a federal-state cooperative program, 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
summaries are a result of the administration of state unemployment insurance programs that
require most employers to pay quarterly taxes based on the employment and wages of workers
covered by UI. QCEW data in this release are based on the 2017 North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS). Data for 2017 are preliminary and subject to revision.

For purposes of this release, large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or
greater. In addition, data for San Juan, Puerto Rico, are provided, but not used in calculating U.S.
averages, rankings, or in the analysis in the text. Each year, these large counties are selected on the
basis of the preliminary annual average of employment for the previous year. The 347 counties
presented in this release were derived using 2016 preliminary annual averages of employment. For
2017 data, three counties have been added to the publication tables: Sussex, Del.; Maui + Kalawao,
Hawaii; and Deschutes, Ore. These counties will be included in all 2017 quarterly releases. One
county, Gregg, Texas, which was published in the 2016 releases, will be excluded from this and
future 2017 releases because its 2016 annual average employment level was less than 75,000. The
counties in table 2 are selected and sorted each year based on the annual average employment from
the preceding year.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the 
individual states. These potential differences result from the states' continuing receipt of UI data 
over time and ongoing review and editing. The individual states determine their data release 
timetables.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment measures for any given 
quarter. Each of these measures--QCEW, Business Employment Dynamics (BED), and Current 
Employment Statistics (CES)--makes use of the quarterly UI employment reports in producing 
data; however, each measure has a somewhat different universe coverage, estimation procedure, 
and publication product.

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat different measures of 
employment change over time. It is important to understand program differences and the intended 
uses of the program products. (See table.) Additional information on each program can be obtained 
from the program Web sites shown in the table.

Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            |         QCEW        |         BED          |         CES
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Source     |--Count of UI admini-|--Count of longitudi- |--Sample survey:
            |  strative records   |  nally-linked UI ad- |  634,000 establish-
            |  submitted by 9.9   |  ministrative records|  ments
            |  million establish- |  submitted by 7.7    |
            |  ments in first     |  million private-sec-|
            |  quarter of 2017    |  tor employers       |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Coverage   |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and sal-
            |  age, including all |  ing government, pri-|  ary jobs:
            |  employers subject  |  vate households, and|--UI coverage, exclud-
            |  to state and fed-  |  establishments with |  ing agriculture, pri-
            |  eral UI laws       |  zero employment     |  vate households, and
            |                     |                      |  self-employed workers
            |                     |                      |--Other employment, in-
            |                     |                      |  cluding railroads, 
            |                     |                      |  religious organiza-
            |                     |                      |  tions, and other non-
            |                     |                      |  UI-covered jobs
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Publication|--Quarterly          |--Quarterly           |--Monthly 
 frequency  |  -Within 6 months   |  -7 months after the |  -Usually first Friday
            |   after the end of  |   end of each quarter|   of following month
            |   each quarter      |                      |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Use of UI  |--Directly summarizes|--Links each new UI   |--Uses UI file as a sam-
 file       |  and publishes each |  quarter to longitu- |  pling frame and to an-
            |  new quarter of UI  |  dinal database and  |  nually realign sample-
            |  data               |  directly summarizes |  based estimates to pop-
            |                     |  gross job gains and |  ulation counts (bench- 
            |                     |  losses              |  marking)
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Principal  |--Provides a quarter-|--Provides quarterly  |--Provides current month-
 products   |  ly and annual uni- |  employer dynamics   |  ly estimates of employ-
            |  verse count of es- |  data on establish-  |  ment, hours, and earn-
            |  tablishments, em-  |  ment openings, clos-|  ings at the MSA, state,
            |  ployment, and wages|  ings, expansions,   |  and national level by
            |  at the county, MSA,|  and contractions at |  industry
            |  state, and national|  the national level  |
            |  levels by detailed |  by NAICS supersec-  |
            |  industry           |  tors and by size of |
            |                     |  firm, and at the    |
            |                     |  state private-sector|
            |                     |  total level         |
            |                     |--Future expansions   |
            |                     |  will include data   |
            |                     |  with greater indus- |
            |                     |  try detail and data |
            |                     |  at the county and   |
            |                     |  MSA level           |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Principal  |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
 uses       |  -Detailed locality |  -Business cycle     |  -Principal national
            |   data              |   analysis           |   economic indicator
            |  -Periodic universe |  -Analysis of employ-|  -Official time series 
            |   counts for bench- |   er dynamics under- |   for employment change
            |   marking sample    |   lying economic ex- |   measures
            |   survey estimates  |   pansions and con-  |  -Input into other ma-
            |  -Sample frame for  |   tractions          |   jor economic indi-
            |   BLS establishment |  -Analysis of employ-|   cators
            |   surveys           |   ment expansion and |
            |                     |   contraction by size|
            |                     |   of firm            |
            |                     |                      |
 -----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
 Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew/   |--www.bls.gov/bdm/    |--www.bls.gov/ces/
 Web sites  |                     |                      |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI laws are compiled from quarterly 
contribution reports submitted to the SWAs by employers. For federal civilian workers covered by 
the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program, employment and 
wage data are compiled from quarterly reports submitted by four major federal payroll processing 
centers on behalf of all federal agencies, with the exception of a few agencies which still report 
directly to the individual SWA. In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers who 
operate multiple establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called the "Multiple 
Worksite Report," which provides detailed information on the location and industry of each of their 
establishments. QCEW employment and wage data are derived from microdata summaries of 9.7 
million employer reports of employment and wages submitted by states to the BLS in 2016. These 
reports are based on place of employment rather than place of residence.

UI and UCFE coverage is broad and has been basically comparable from state to state since 1978, 
when the 1976 amendments to the Federal Unemployment Tax Act became effective, expanding 
coverage to include most state and local government employees. In 2016, UI and UCFE programs 
covered workers in 141.9 million jobs. The estimated 136.6 million workers in these jobs (after 
adjustment for multiple jobholders) represented 96.4 percent of civilian wage and salary 
employment. Covered workers received $7.607 trillion in pay, representing 94.1 percent of the 
wage and salary component of personal income and 40.9 percent of the gross domestic product.

Major exclusions from UI coverage include self-employed workers, most agricultural workers on 
small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials in most states, most employees of 
railroads, some domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and employees of certain small 
nonprofit organizations.

State and federal UI laws change periodically. These changes may have an impact on the 
employment and wages reported by employers covered under the UI program. Coverage changes 
may affect the over-the-year comparisons presented in this news release.

Concepts and methodology

Monthly employment is based on the number of workers who worked during or received pay for 
the pay period including the 12th of the month. With few exceptions, all employees of covered 
firms are reported, including production and sales workers, corporation officials, executives, 
supervisory personnel, and clerical workers. Workers on paid vacations and part-time workers also 
are included.

Average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the 
three monthly employment levels (all employees, as described above) and dividing the result by 
13, for the 13 weeks in the quarter. These calculations are made using unrounded employment and 
wage values. The average wage values that can be calculated using rounded data from the BLS 
database may differ from the averages reported. Included in the quarterly wage data are non-wage 
cash payments such as bonuses, the cash value of meals and lodging when supplied, tips and other 
gratuities, and, in some states, employer contributions to certain deferred compensation plans such 
as 401(k) plans and stock options. Over-the-year comparisons of average weekly wages may 
reflect fluctuations in average monthly employment and/or total quarterly wages between the 
current quarter and prior year levels.

Average weekly wages are affected by the ratio of full-time to part-time workers as well as the 
number of individuals in high-paying and low-paying occupations and the incidence of pay periods 
within a quarter. For instance, the average weekly wage of the workforce could increase 
significantly when there is a large decline in the number of employees that had been receiving 
below-average wages. Wages may include payments to workers not present in the employment 
counts because they did not work during the pay period including the 12th of the month. When 
comparing average weekly wage levels between industries, states, or quarters, these factors should 
be taken into consideration.

Wages measured by QCEW may be subject to periodic and sometimes large fluctuations. This 
variability may be due to calendar effects resulting from some quarters having more pay dates than 
others. The effect is most visible in counties with a dominant employer. In particular, this effect 
has been observed in counties where government employers represent a large fraction of overall 
employment. Similar calendar effects can result from private sector pay practices. However, these 
effects are typically less pronounced for two reasons: employment is less concentrated in a single 
private employer, and private employers use a variety of pay period types (weekly, biweekly, 
semimonthly, monthly).

For example, the effect on over-the-year pay comparisons can be pronounced in federal 
government due to the uniform nature of federal payroll processing. Most federal employees are 
paid on a biweekly pay schedule. As a result, in some quarters federal wages include six pay dates, 
while in other quarters there are seven pay dates. Over-the-year comparisons of average weekly 
wages may also reflect this calendar effect. Growth in average weekly wages may be attributed, in 
part, to a comparison of quarterly wages for the current year, which include seven pay dates, with 
year-ago wages that reflect only six pay dates. An opposite effect will occur when wages in the 
current quarter reflecting six pay dates are compared with year-ago wages for a quarter including 
seven pay dates.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, states verify with employers and update, if 
necessary, the industry, location, and ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year 
cycle. Changes in establishment classification codes resulting from this process are introduced with 
the data reported for the first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from improved employer 
reporting also are introduced in the first quarter.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual 
establishment records and reflect 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. For example, 
economic change would come from a firm relocating into the county; administrative change would 
come from a company correcting its county designation.

The over-the-year changes of employment and wages presented in this release have been adjusted 
to account for most of the administrative corrections made to the underlying establishment reports. 
This is done by modifying the prior-year levels used to calculate the over-the-year changes. 
Percent changes are calculated using an adjusted version of the final 2016 quarterly data as the 
base data. The adjusted prior-year levels used to calculate the over-the-year percent change in 
employment and wages are not published. These adjusted prior-year levels do not match the 
unadjusted data maintained on the BLS Web site. Over-the-year change calculations based on data 
from the Web site, or from data published in prior BLS news releases, may differ substantially 
from the over-the-year changes presented in this news release.

The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change measures presented in this release 
account for most of the administrative changes--those occurring when employers update the 
industry, location, and ownership information of their establishments. The most common 
adjustments for administrative change are the result of updated information about the county 
location of individual establishments. Included in these adjustments are administrative changes 
involving the classification of establishments that were previously reported in the unknown or 
statewide county or unknown industry categories. Adjusted data account for improvements in 
reporting employment and wages for individual and multi-unit establishments. To accomplish this, 
adjustments were implemented to account for: administrative changes caused by multi-unit 
employers who start reporting for each individual establishment rather than as a single entity (first 
quarter of 2008); selected large administrative changes in employment and wages (second quarter 
of 2011); and state verified improvements in reporting of employment and wages (third quarter of 
2014). These adjustments allow QCEW to include county employment and wage growth rates in 
this news release that would otherwise not meet publication standards.

The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change measures presented in any County 
Employment and Wages news release are valid for comparisons between the starting and ending 
points (a 12-month period) used in that particular release. Comparisons may not be valid for any 
time period other than the one featured in a release even if the changes were calculated using 
adjusted data.

County definitions are assigned according to Federal Information Processing Standards 
Publications (FIPS PUBS) as issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, after 
approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 5131 of the Information Technology 
Management Reform Act of 1996 and the Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law 104-106. 
Areas shown as counties include those designated as independent cities in some jurisdictions and, 
in Alaska, those designated as census areas where counties have not been created. County data also 
are presented for the New England states for comparative purposes even though townships are the 
more common designation used in New England (and New Jersey). The regions referred to in this 
release are defined as census regions.

Additional statistics and other information

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed 
industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2015 edition 
of this publication, which was published in September 2016, contains selected data produced by 
Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the 
first quarter 2016 version of this news release. Tables and additional content from the 2015 edition 
of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at 
www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn15.htm. The 2016 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages 
Online will be available in September 2017.

News releases on quarterly measures of gross job flows also are available from BED at 
www.bls.gov/bdm, (202) 691-6467, or data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/forms/bdm.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 
Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: (800) 877-8339. 






Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 347 largest counties,
first quarter 2017

                                                   Employment               Average weekly wage(2)

                          Establishments,
        County(1)          first quarter                Percent    Ranking            Percent   Ranking
                                2017          March     change,      by      First    change,     by
                            (thousands)       2017       March     percent  quarter    first    percent
                                          (thousands)  2016-17(3)  change     2017    quarter   change
                                                                                     2016-17(3)

United States(4).........       9,864.2     142,309.2       1.6        -    $1,111       6.6       -

Jefferson, AL............          18.4         341.7       1.3       190    1,099       7.1      118
Madison, AL..............           9.5         193.9       2.3        98    1,126       5.6      233
Mobile, AL...............          10.1         170.0       0.7       248      871       6.3      183
Montgomery, AL...........           6.4         132.0       1.6       168      862       6.6      158
Shelby, AL...............           5.8          83.8       0.2       287    1,058       7.0      126
Tuscaloosa, AL...........           4.5          92.2       1.8       143      833       5.0      267
Anchorage, AK............           8.3         146.7      -1.7       344    1,103       3.5      330
Maricopa, AZ.............          95.8       1,914.1       2.6        79    1,050       8.1       60
Pima, AZ.................          18.7         366.2       1.5       176      885       7.1      118
Benton, AR...............           6.3         116.7       2.6        79    1,444      14.2        4

Pulaski, AR..............          14.5         248.5       0.7       248      948       6.2      189
Washington, AR...........           6.0         104.5       2.0       127      881      11.0        9
Alameda, CA..............          61.7         763.6       2.8        65    1,462       8.3       50
Butte, CA................           8.3          81.6       2.9        55      775       7.3       98
Contra Costa, CA.........          31.7         364.4       2.0       127    1,352       5.8      215
Fresno, CA...............          34.0         372.3       1.8       143      804       4.1      310
Kern, CA.................          18.2         301.0       2.4        95      890       5.5      239
Los Angeles, CA..........         474.6       4,359.4       1.3       190    1,216       7.2      109
Marin, CA................          12.4         114.6       2.1       114    1,339       5.0      267
Merced, CA...............           6.4          76.1       4.5         4      806       7.6       81

Monterey, CA.............          13.4         172.8       2.2       107      900       6.0      205
Napa, CA.................           5.8          75.8       3.1        43    1,005       5.8      215
Orange, CA...............         117.1       1,580.2       2.1       114    1,228       7.4       92
Placer, CA...............          12.7         160.0       3.6        15    1,063       7.3       98
Riverside, CA............          60.9         705.7       2.9        55      870       6.4      170
Sacramento, CA...........          56.0         640.7       2.2       107    1,152       5.3      249
San Bernardino, CA.......          56.7         718.9       3.2        34      880       7.7       73
San Diego, CA............         108.2       1,421.4       2.1       114    1,171       6.1      199
San Francisco, CA........          59.7         714.1       3.0        50    2,264       9.8       21
San Joaquin, CA..........          17.5         241.3       3.1        43      851       3.7      321

San Luis Obispo, CA......          10.3         117.0       3.3        31      862       4.6      289
San Mateo, CA............          27.7         398.5       3.1        43    2,385       8.3       50
Santa Barbara, CA........          15.3         192.6       0.2       287    1,018       9.5       25
Santa Clara, CA..........          71.0       1,056.8       2.5        85    2,450      10.5       13
Santa Cruz, CA...........           9.5         100.0       1.9       138      961       9.1       30
Solano, CA...............          11.1         136.0       1.1       209    1,131       5.9      210
Sonoma, CA...............          19.7         203.2       1.8       143      979       6.4      170
Stanislaus, CA...........          15.0         183.6       3.1        43      882       5.0      267
Tulare, CA...............          10.1         154.5       1.7       157      760       7.5       90
Ventura, CA..............          26.4         322.7       0.7       248    1,111       3.0      334

Yolo, CA.................           6.6          99.3       2.1       114    1,148      11.3        8
Adams, CO................          10.8         200.0       3.4        26    1,024       8.8       38
Arapahoe, CO.............          21.8         323.2       1.9       138    1,328       6.6      158
Boulder, CO..............          15.1         177.7       2.7        73    1,281       8.5       44
Denver, CO...............          31.7         499.4       2.7        73    1,401       7.1      118
Douglas, CO..............          11.9         117.3       2.5        85    1,273       6.2      189
El Paso, CO..............          19.3         266.6       3.4        26      949       8.3       50
Jefferson, CO............          20.0         228.7      -0.3       320    1,126      10.1       15
Larimer, CO..............          11.9         153.3       3.0        50      988       9.9       19
Weld, CO.................           7.2         103.6       3.5        23      982      10.0       17

Fairfield, CT............          35.2         414.8      -1.0       338    1,939       1.8      344
Hartford, CT.............          27.7         503.3       0.4       274    1,416       3.9      316
New Haven, CT............          23.9         360.2       0.3       280    1,087       4.6      289
New London, CT...........           7.4         122.0       1.3       190    1,135       9.8       21
New Castle, DE...........          19.5         284.0       0.3       280    1,370      12.0        6
Sussex, DE...............           6.6          74.5       3.2        34      760       8.1       60
Washington, DC...........          39.5         760.7       1.2       201    1,885       7.0      126
Alachua, FL..............           7.1         129.5       2.5        85      877       9.5       25
Bay, FL..................           5.6          77.3      -0.6       331      744       4.5      296
Brevard, FL..............          15.6         205.6       3.7        10      922       9.0       34

Broward, FL..............          69.3         799.1       2.2       107    1,001       7.6       81
Collier, FL..............          13.9         149.3       3.8         8      875       4.4      298
Duval, FL................          29.4         496.9       2.9        55    1,046       5.4      244
Escambia, FL.............           8.3         133.1       2.7        73      846       8.9       37
Hillsborough, FL.........          42.0         677.1       1.6       168    1,061       8.4       45
Lake, FL.................           8.1          96.6       3.6        15      681       4.6      289
Lee, FL..................          22.0         263.1       3.6        15      832       8.2       54
Leon, FL.................           8.7         147.4       0.5       269      843       7.9       63
Manatee, FL..............          10.8         123.9       2.9        55      795       6.0      205
Marion, FL...............           8.3         101.1       2.3        98      697       4.3      302

Miami-Dade, FL...........          98.0       1,130.2       1.9       138    1,053       8.2       54
Okaloosa, FL.............           6.3          82.5       1.4       181      846       7.1      118
Orange, FL...............          41.7         817.5       3.2        34      942       5.5      239
Osceola, FL..............           6.8          91.2       2.9        55      699       5.3      249
Palm Beach, FL...........          56.0         606.8       2.8        65    1,050       5.7      228
Pasco, FL................          10.9         116.8       3.1        43      715       6.7      148
Pinellas, FL.............          32.9         425.1       2.1       114      913       5.3      249
Polk, FL.................          13.1         216.7       3.2        34      812       8.8       38
Sarasota, FL.............          15.9         169.7       3.0        50      856       7.3       98
Seminole, FL.............          14.9         186.2       3.2        34      902       7.9       63

Volusia, FL..............          14.2         172.2       2.8        65      743       7.4       92
Bibb, GA.................           4.2          82.2      -0.2       314      838       7.2      109
Chatham, GA..............           8.2         150.9       1.8       143      900       9.1       30
Clayton, GA..............           4.0         121.8       1.0       218    1,181       3.0      334
Cobb, GA.................          22.0         353.9       2.5        85    1,192       6.1      199
DeKalb, GA...............          17.9         296.2       1.8       143    1,148       5.3      249
Fulton, GA...............          43.2         839.3       3.5        23    1,653       5.5      239
Gwinnett, GA.............          24.7         349.8       3.0        50    1,055       7.8       68
Hall, GA.................           4.4          84.4       2.9        55      874       8.2       54
Muscogee, GA.............           4.6          93.4       1.5       176      885       4.4      298

Richmond, GA.............           4.5         104.2       0.9       229      870       6.1      199
Honolulu, HI.............          26.3         474.5       0.7       248      999       7.2      109
Maui + Kalawao, HI.......           6.2          76.8       1.1       209      846       6.7      148
Ada, ID..................          15.3         229.2       3.2        34      895       6.7      148
Champaign, IL............           4.4          88.9       0.0       300      889       3.7      321
Cook, IL.................         154.2       2,531.8       0.4       274    1,365       6.9      135
DuPage, IL...............          38.3         614.4       0.7       248    1,275       6.3      183
Kane, IL.................          13.8         206.5       1.0       218      915       5.8      215
Lake, IL.................          22.4         325.1      -0.5       328    1,650       6.5      163
McHenry, IL..............           8.7          95.2       0.8       237      847       5.6      233

McLean, IL...............           3.7          82.8      -0.6       331    1,141      27.8        1
Madison, IL..............           6.0          98.4       2.4        95      821       4.1      310
Peoria, IL...............           4.5          98.7      -1.3       341    1,025      -1.1      346
St. Clair, IL............           5.5          92.8       0.0       300      795       4.3      302
Sangamon, IL.............           5.2         127.0      -0.2       314    1,022       3.0      334
Will, IL.................          16.2         233.5       3.4        26      893       4.8      278
Winnebago, IL............           6.6         124.4      -0.8       335      921      10.3       14
Allen, IN................           8.8         182.7       1.2       201      895       7.3       98
Elkhart, IN..............           4.7         130.9       3.3        31      977      15.1        2
Hamilton, IN.............           9.3         137.5       2.7        73    1,093       6.4      170

Lake, IN.................          10.4         185.1       0.7       248      898       5.8      215
Marion, IN...............          23.9         588.3       0.6       259    1,157       8.2       54
St. Joseph, IN...........           5.8         122.4       0.4       274      824       5.0      267
Tippecanoe, IN...........           3.4          83.2       1.3       190      914       5.2      255
Vanderburgh, IN..........           4.8         107.1       1.4       181      863       8.4       45
Johnson, IA..............           4.2          83.4       2.1       114      952       5.7      228
Linn, IA.................           6.8         128.5       0.1       294    1,020       6.5      163
Polk, IA.................          17.2         293.4       1.3       190    1,145       8.2       54
Scott, IA................           5.6          89.9       1.0       218      855       7.8       68
Johnson, KS..............          23.9         337.6       1.8       143    1,110       6.7      148

Sedgwick, KS.............          12.8         247.3      -0.4       325      944       8.6       42
Shawnee, KS..............           5.2          96.8       1.4       181      879       4.4      298
Wyandotte, KS............           3.6          89.8       2.2       107    1,011       5.2      255
Boone, KY................           4.4          85.0       2.5        85      914       6.9      135
Fayette, KY..............          11.0         192.0       2.0       127      901       5.3      249
Jefferson, KY............          25.4         460.1       1.5       176    1,096       8.2       54
Caddo, LA................           7.3         112.8      -1.0       338      814       5.9      210
Calcasieu, LA............           5.2          96.6       1.8       143      917       4.1      310
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          15.5         268.7       0.0       300    1,009       7.7       73
Jefferson, LA............          13.9         190.7      -0.5       328      925       6.4      170

Lafayette, LA............           9.5         129.2      -2.3       345      872       2.0      343
Orleans, LA..............          12.5         191.7       0.0       300    1,023       4.7      284
St. Tammany, LA..........           8.3          87.6       0.3       280      876       2.6      340
Cumberland, ME...........          14.0         176.2       1.7       157    1,015       8.8       38
Anne Arundel, MD.........          15.2         267.3       2.0       127    1,120       4.8      278
Baltimore, MD............          21.4         372.6      -0.1       308    1,075       7.7       73
Frederick, MD............           6.4          99.8       1.0       218      985       4.6      289
Harford, MD..............           5.8          91.4       1.3       190    1,008       4.8      278
Howard, MD...............          10.1         167.9       0.6       259    1,309       6.2      189
Montgomery, MD...........          32.9         466.4       1.2       201    1,499       5.2      255

Prince George's, MD......          15.9         317.7       2.9        55    1,086       6.1      199
Baltimore City, MD.......          13.6         334.6       0.7       248    1,253       3.8      318
Barnstable, MA...........           9.5          86.0       0.3       280      909       7.3       98
Bristol, MA..............          17.5         221.6       1.0       218      967       9.6       24
Essex, MA................          25.2         317.9      -0.4       325    1,147       7.5       90
Hampden, MA..............          18.0         205.3       0.3       280      965       4.8      278
Middlesex, MA............          54.7         885.5       1.4       181    1,716       9.0       34
Norfolk, MA..............          25.4         345.7       0.4       274    1,264       8.1       60
Plymouth, MA.............          15.8         186.5       1.1       209      965       5.8      215
Suffolk, MA..............          29.3         665.0       2.2       107    2,016       6.0      205

Worcester, MA............          25.0         340.4       1.1       209    1,082       9.0       34
Genesee, MI..............           6.8         131.6      -0.3       320      840       3.6      325
Ingham, MI...............           6.0         150.8       1.9       138      987       3.8      318
Kalamazoo, MI............           5.0         117.5       1.5       176    1,031       7.4       92
Kent, MI.................          14.3         394.8       1.7       157      929       6.8      140
Macomb, MI...............          17.5         323.1       1.4       181    1,110       9.3       28
Oakland, MI..............          39.2         715.6       1.8       143    1,233       6.5      163
Ottawa, MI...............           5.6         122.1       2.0       127      894      10.1       15
Saginaw, MI..............           3.9          83.0      -0.1       308      857       7.7       73
Washtenaw, MI............           8.1         210.4       2.1       114    1,109       6.4      170

Wayne, MI................          30.5         710.6       1.6       168    1,226       6.8      140
Anoka, MN................           7.0         121.0       2.1       114      948       4.9      274
Dakota, MN...............           9.7         183.5       0.6       259    1,063       6.4      170
Hennepin, MN.............          37.7         905.0       2.5        85    1,471       7.6       81
Olmsted, MN..............           3.3          95.4       0.8       237    1,231       5.7      228
Ramsey, MN...............          13.0         331.3       2.1       114    1,347      11.0        9
St. Louis, MN............           5.2          96.2       0.7       248      831       6.4      170
Stearns, MN..............           4.2          85.8       2.1       114      910      11.4        7
Washington, MN...........           5.4          81.5       2.8        65      923       7.6       81
Harrison, MS.............           4.6          84.9       1.2       201      733       4.7      284

Hinds, MS................           5.8         120.6      -0.5       328      887       5.2      255
Boone, MO................           4.9          93.6       1.4       181      826       7.3       98
Clay, MO.................           5.7         103.3       3.2        34      940       5.0      267
Greene, MO...............           8.8         164.6       2.0       127      804       8.4       45
Jackson, MO..............          21.6         365.2       2.0       127    1,066       3.6      325
St. Charles, MO..........           9.3         145.6       2.3        98      914       6.8      140
St. Louis, MO............          38.0         599.3       0.9       229    1,149       7.0      126
St. Louis City, MO.......          14.1         222.2       0.3       280    1,185       3.3      331
Yellowstone, MT..........           6.6          80.2       0.3       280      899       8.8       38
Douglas, NE..............          18.9         335.6       1.2       201    1,005       6.7      148

Lancaster, NE............          10.2         166.9       0.2       287      846       5.4      244
Clark, NV................          56.0         957.8       3.5        23      922       6.7      148
Washoe, NV...............          14.5         212.4       3.6        15      910       6.8      140
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.1         199.9       1.0       218    1,140       5.4      244
Merrimack, NH............           5.1          76.1       0.6       259      964       6.4      170
Rockingham, NH...........          10.8         145.3       1.7       157    1,042       6.0      205
Atlantic, NJ.............           6.6         120.2      -1.3       341      886       5.6      233
Bergen, NJ...............          33.3         439.5       1.1       209    1,288       6.2      189
Burlington, NJ...........          11.0         201.7       2.3        98    1,102       6.2      189
Camden, NJ...............          12.1         202.3       1.8       143    1,010       5.4      244

Essex, NJ................          20.6         340.4       1.6       168    1,466       7.0      126
Gloucester, NJ...........           6.4         107.2       3.6        15      875       4.8      278
Hudson, NJ...............          15.2         259.8       3.6        15    1,632       7.2      109
Mercer, NJ...............          11.2         243.9       0.2       287    1,483       4.1      310
Middlesex, NJ............          22.3         419.2       2.7        73    1,326       3.1      332
Monmouth, NJ.............          20.2         251.8       0.6       259    1,070       5.7      228
Morris, NJ...............          17.1         284.5       0.4       274    1,766       4.1      310
Ocean, NJ................          13.2         159.3       1.6       168      847       4.7      284
Passaic, NJ..............          12.7         166.9       0.9       229    1,015       3.6      325
Somerset, NJ.............          10.2         184.1       0.8       237    2,026       0.9      345

Union, NJ................          14.4         216.9       0.6       259    1,423       7.6       81
Bernalillo, NM...........          18.3         321.9       0.5       269      896       6.7      148
Albany, NY...............          10.4         233.4       0.7       248    1,075       5.8      215
Bronx, NY................          18.8         298.7       0.2       287      971       5.0      267
Broome, NY...............           4.6          86.3       0.2       287      813       7.4       92
Dutchess, NY.............           8.5         110.6       0.5       269    1,010       6.8      140
Erie, NY.................          24.9         465.3       0.8       237      957       7.0      126
Kings, NY................          62.4         700.2       3.2        34      864       5.1      260
Monroe, NY...............          19.1         380.6      -0.1       308      971       5.3      249
Nassau, NY...............          54.2         619.4       1.3       190    1,175       4.4      298

New York, NY.............         129.2       2,436.8       1.3       190    2,954       6.3      183
Oneida, NY...............           5.4         104.3       1.7       157      815       5.8      215
Onondaga, NY.............          13.0         240.1       0.0       300      961       5.1      260
Orange, NY...............          10.5         140.1       0.8       237      888       7.6       81
Queens, NY...............          52.9         654.6       2.7        73    1,010       4.7      284
Richmond, NY.............           9.8         114.7       1.4       181      903       4.3      302
Rockland, NY.............          10.8         121.2       1.8       143    1,042       3.7      321
Saratoga, NY.............           6.0          83.3       1.4       181      952       8.4       45
Suffolk, NY..............          53.1         642.9       0.6       259    1,116       5.1      260
Westchester, NY..........          36.6         421.8       1.0       218    1,465       3.8      318

Buncombe, NC.............           9.1         128.6       2.3        98      796       8.4       45
Catawba, NC..............           4.4          86.9       2.6        79      826      10.9       11
Cumberland, NC...........           6.2         118.9      -0.4       325      790       4.9      274
Durham, NC...............           8.3         198.4       2.1       114    1,388       5.8      215
Forsyth, NC..............           9.2         182.2       0.5       269    1,093       7.8       68
Guilford, NC.............          14.2         277.7       0.6       259      930       6.5      163
Mecklenburg, NC..........          36.9         672.1       2.5        85    1,469       7.8       68
New Hanover, NC..........           8.0         110.2       3.1        43      852       6.1      199
Wake, NC.................          33.7         532.5       2.8        65    1,104       4.6      289
Cass, ND.................           7.1         115.2       0.9       229      941       5.5      239

Butler, OH...............           7.8         152.1       2.4        95      991       9.9       19
Cuyahoga, OH.............          35.8         709.4       0.1       294    1,114       6.7      148
Delaware, OH.............           5.3          85.3       2.1       114    1,171       7.3       98
Franklin, OH.............          31.7         737.5       2.3        98    1,106       6.2      189
Hamilton, OH.............          23.8         506.2       0.8       237    1,207       6.5      163
Lake, OH.................           6.3          93.4      -0.3       320      878       5.9      210
Lorain, OH...............           6.2          96.2       0.9       229      835       7.3       98
Lucas, OH................          10.1         206.6      -0.3       320      946       7.0      126
Mahoning, OH.............           5.9          95.2      -0.1       308      733       7.0      126
Montgomery, OH...........          11.8         250.4       0.0       300      904       7.9       63

Stark, OH................           8.5         156.2      -0.2       314      773       6.6      158
Summit, OH...............          14.3         262.0       0.1       294      979       3.7      321
Warren, OH...............           4.9          89.7       1.1       209      996       5.8      215
Cleveland, OK............           5.7          79.4      -0.3       320      744       6.4      170
Oklahoma, OK.............          27.8         440.0      -1.5       343    1,028       7.1      118
Tulsa, OK................          22.2         346.5      -0.8       335      981       7.2      109
Clackamas, OR............          14.6         160.5       3.3        31      964       5.1      260
Deschutes, OR............           8.2          77.6       4.5         4      822       7.3       98
Jackson, OR..............           7.3          85.4       2.9        55      773       3.1      332
Lane, OR.................          11.9         153.1       2.8        65      802       6.2      189

Marion, OR...............          10.5         149.6       2.5        85      843       7.7       73
Multnomah, OR............          34.4         498.3       1.8       143    1,109       2.6      340
Washington, OR...........          19.0         286.1       2.8        65    1,357       9.1       30
Allegheny, PA............          35.8         685.0       0.8       237    1,203       7.2      109
Berks, PA................           9.0         169.4       0.1       294      938       7.2      109
Bucks, PA................          20.0         259.5       1.8       143      981       6.7      148
Butler, PA...............           5.1          83.7      -0.9       337      961       7.0      126
Chester, PA..............          15.5         246.4       1.1       209    1,408       6.2      189
Cumberland, PA...........           6.5         131.3       0.9       229      960       5.6      233
Dauphin, PA..............           7.6         177.9       0.1       294    1,060       5.8      215

Delaware, PA.............          14.2         220.0       1.2       201    1,220       7.9       63
Erie, PA.................           7.0         119.6      -1.0       338      799       4.3      302
Lackawanna, PA...........           5.8          96.4      -0.1       308      778       4.0      315
Lancaster, PA............          13.5         233.3       1.2       201      881       6.5      163
Lehigh, PA...............           8.9         184.7       0.7       248    1,063       6.5      163
Luzerne, PA..............           7.5         141.8      -0.2       314      825       7.4       92
Montgomery, PA...........          27.7         484.8       1.0       218    1,449       5.7      228
Northampton, PA..........           6.8         113.0       3.1        43      917       2.7      338
Philadelphia, PA.........          35.4         667.1       2.2       107    1,274       5.8      215
Washington, PA...........           5.5          84.3       0.0       300    1,183       9.1       30

Westmoreland, PA.........           9.3         131.1      -0.6       331      841       5.9      210
York, PA.................           9.2         176.0       0.8       237      911       6.2      189
Providence, RI...........          18.1         281.5      -0.1       308    1,115       7.6       81
Charleston, SC...........          15.0         243.7       2.3        98      949       6.6      158
Greenville, SC...........          13.4         264.3       2.0       127      907       5.8      215
Horry, SC................           8.4         122.9       2.6        79      628       6.8      140
Lexington, SC............           6.4         115.7       1.8       143      820       8.6       42
Richland, SC.............           9.9         218.9       1.3       190      931       7.1      118
Spartanburg, SC..........           6.1         136.1       3.6        15      891       4.5      296
York, SC.................           5.5          92.6       6.8         1      895      10.9       11

Minnehaha, SD............           7.1         124.0       1.6       168      924       4.9      274
Davidson, TN.............          22.2         474.5       3.0        50    1,150       4.9      274
Hamilton, TN.............           9.5         198.6       1.7       157      944       7.4       92
Knox, TN.................          12.1         235.0       0.8       237      941       7.9       63
Rutherford, TN...........           5.5         123.1       3.7        10      907       7.7       73
Shelby, TN...............          20.4         488.2       0.7       248    1,059       7.1      118
Williamson, TN...........           8.5         127.0       4.6         3    1,287       7.1      118
Bell, TX.................           5.4         117.8       1.0       218      882       5.9      210
Bexar, TX................          40.6         850.9       1.8       143      983       5.6      233
Brazoria, TX.............           5.7         104.8       0.6       259    1,115       3.6      325

Brazos, TX...............           4.5         102.3       2.1       114      765       6.4      170
Cameron, TX..............           6.5         138.6       1.1       209      614       4.2      307
Collin, TX...............          24.2         391.6       3.7        10    1,330       4.8      278
Dallas, TX...............          75.6       1,662.0       2.6        79    1,376       6.9      135
Denton, TX...............          14.6         235.4       3.8         8      988       7.2      109
El Paso, TX..............          15.0         300.2       2.0       127      730       6.0      205
Fort Bend, TX............          12.9         176.6       1.7       157    1,023       2.9      337
Galveston, TX............           6.2         109.9       3.7        10      951       2.7      338
Harris, TX...............         114.3       2,265.1      -0.2       314    1,443       3.9      316
Hidalgo, TX..............          12.2         255.0       2.0       127      642       5.4      244

Jefferson, TX............           5.9         122.7       0.5       269    1,139       6.1      199
Lubbock, TX..............           7.5         138.0       1.5       176      796       5.2      255
McLennan, TX.............           5.2         112.3       2.3        98      854       6.9      135
Midland, TX..............           5.4          85.6       1.7       157    1,428      14.3        3
Montgomery, TX...........          11.1         172.5       1.6       168    1,072       4.7      284
Nueces, TX...............           8.3         163.5       1.9       138      913       7.7       73
Potter, TX...............           3.9          78.4      -0.6       331      818       5.1      260
Smith, TX................           6.1         101.8       1.4       181      832       6.3      183
Tarrant, TX..............          42.5         863.4       2.8        65    1,063       6.3      183
Travis, TX...............          39.9         717.4       2.9        55    1,252       6.9      135

Webb, TX.................           5.3          99.6       2.5        85      675       4.2      307
Williamson, TX...........          10.4         162.5       3.6        15    1,135      12.4        5
Davis, UT................           8.2         123.7       4.9         2      826       4.2      307
Salt Lake, UT............          43.3         676.2       2.5        85    1,038       6.7      148
Utah, UT.................          15.5         225.1       4.5         4      849       7.3       98
Weber, UT................           5.9         102.8       2.2       107      784       7.8       68
Chittenden, VT...........           6.8          99.8      -0.2       314    1,014       6.4      170
Arlington, VA............           9.2         174.3       1.7       157    1,847       6.6      158
Chesterfield, VA.........           8.9         132.8       0.4       274      915       9.2       29
Fairfax, VA..............          37.1         594.7       1.1       209    1,748       7.7       73

Henrico, VA..............          11.4         190.5       0.8       237    1,119       9.7       23
Loudoun, VA..............          12.1         160.8       3.4        26    1,239       3.6      325
Prince William, VA.......           9.2         125.3       1.7       157      900       7.3       98
Alexandria City, VA......           6.4          93.2       0.0       300    1,467       5.0      267
Chesapeake City, VA......           6.0          98.4       0.9       229      831       8.3       50
Newport News City, VA....           3.9          96.5       0.1       294    1,064       4.6      289
Norfolk City, VA.........           5.8         141.6       1.2       201    1,025       4.3      302
Richmond City, VA........           7.6         155.1       1.7       157    1,247       6.8      140
Virginia Beach City, VA..          12.1         174.9       0.9       229      801       5.1      260
Benton, WA...............           5.8          85.0       3.4        26    1,039       5.6      233

Clark, WA................          14.6         152.7       4.2         7      968       7.6       81
King, WA.................          86.8       1,335.4       3.2        34    1,601      10.0       17
Kitsap, WA...............           6.7          86.1       0.8       237      930       6.4      170
Pierce, WA...............          22.0         298.0       2.9        55      949       6.3      183
Snohomish, WA............          20.8         282.3       0.6       259    1,186       5.8      215
Spokane, WA..............          15.7         215.0       1.6       168      906       7.2      109
Thurston, WA.............           8.2         112.1       3.7        10      932       5.1      260
Whatcom, WA..............           7.3          88.1       2.6        79      883       7.0      126
Yakima, WA...............           7.8         107.2       2.3        98      725       6.8      140
Kanawha, WV..............           5.8          98.7      -2.7       346      915       7.6       81

Brown, WI................           6.7         153.1       1.3       190      962       6.4      170
Dane, WI.................          15.1         328.8       2.0       127    1,098       9.5       25
Milwaukee, WI............          25.8         481.7       0.2       287    1,058       6.2      189
Outagamie, WI............           5.1         106.4       1.3       190      900       5.5      239
Waukesha, WI.............          12.7         238.2       1.0       218    1,068       4.6      289
Winnebago, WI............           3.7          92.4       1.0       218    1,016       2.5      342
San Juan, PR.............          10.8         242.7      -1.2       (5)      633       1.0      (5)

(1) Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note.
(2) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(3) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications. See Technical Note.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) This county was not included in the U.S. rankings.

Note: Data are preliminary. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. These 346 U.S. counties comprise 72.8 percent of
the total covered workers in the U.S.






Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 10 largest counties,
first quarter 2017

                                                                    Employment         Average weekly
                                                                                           wage(1)
                                              Establishments,
                                               first quarter
         County by NAICS supersector               2017                     Percent            Percent
                                               (thousands)        March     change,     First  change,
                                                                  2017       March     quarter  first
                                                              (thousands)  2016-17(2)   2017   quarter
                                                                                              2016-17(2)


United States(3) ............................       9,864.2     142,309.2       1.6   $1,111       6.6
  Private industry...........................       9,565.9     120,451.2       1.7    1,121       7.0
    Natural resources and mining.............         136.7       1,746.4      -0.1    1,218       5.3
    Construction.............................         781.7       6,595.2       3.3    1,130       7.5
    Manufacturing............................         347.0      12,303.9       0.0    1,353       7.2
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....       1,917.5      26,775.5       0.8      916       7.1
    Information..............................         160.4       2,797.2       0.5    2,210      10.0
    Financial activities.....................         866.2       7,993.6       1.6    2,279       7.9
    Professional and business services.......       1,771.5      19,981.9       1.8    1,470       6.6
    Education and health services............       1,633.4      22,041.4       2.4      919       6.5
    Leisure and hospitality..................         829.4      15,454.4       2.1      432       6.1
    Other services...........................         841.2       4,383.4       1.2      710       6.9
  Government.................................         298.3      21,858.0       0.7    1,056       5.0

Los Angeles, CA..............................         474.6       4,359.4       1.3    1,216       7.2
  Private industry...........................         468.4       3,782.7       1.3    1,192       8.0
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           7.7      -6.1    1,262       7.3
    Construction.............................          13.7         133.8       2.0    1,188       7.7
    Manufacturing............................          12.2         347.7      -3.9    1,438       6.3
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          53.1         809.6       0.6      975       8.5
    Information..............................           9.4         219.5      -3.6    2,350      10.3
    Financial activities.....................          25.3         216.6       0.5    2,388       8.6
    Professional and business services.......          47.1         596.9       1.7    1,496      10.2
    Education and health services............         221.1         763.2       2.2      874       8.4
    Leisure and hospitality..................          32.5         506.8       2.4      621       6.0
    Other services...........................          26.5         145.2      -0.5      707       6.0
  Government.................................           6.3         576.7       1.3    1,374       3.3

Cook, IL.....................................         154.2       2,531.8       0.4    1,365       6.9
  Private industry...........................         152.9       2,237.5       0.6    1,384       7.0
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.1           1.1       1.3    1,069       3.7
    Construction.............................          12.3          68.3       0.3    1,483       3.7
    Manufacturing............................           6.3         183.4      -0.6    1,350       7.4
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          30.0         463.2       0.1    1,063       8.8
    Information..............................           2.6          50.2      -0.7    2,190       3.0
    Financial activities.....................          15.3         191.3       1.1    3,688       7.5
    Professional and business services.......          32.6         464.3      -0.4    1,673       7.2
    Education and health services............          16.4         441.9       0.7      968       7.0
    Leisure and hospitality..................          14.3         270.9       2.4      504       6.1
    Other services...........................          17.6          96.5       0.3      947       5.5
  Government.................................           1.3         294.3      -0.6    1,218       5.7

New York, NY.................................         129.2       2,436.8       1.3    2,954       6.3
  Private industry...........................         128.4       2,170.4       1.4    3,155       6.4
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.0           0.2      -6.3    2,715      -0.6
    Construction.............................           2.3          40.0      -0.8    1,918       5.8
    Manufacturing............................           2.1          25.2      -5.9    1,699       6.1
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          19.3         249.6      -0.9    1,502       7.3
    Information..............................           4.9         158.8       2.9    3,390       6.0
    Financial activities.....................          19.5         368.0      -0.8    9,424      10.7
    Professional and business services.......          26.9         564.2       1.9    2,625       1.3
    Education and health services............          10.0         351.3       1.6    1,282       5.2
    Leisure and hospitality..................          13.8         294.3       1.8      877       5.9
    Other services...........................          20.5         102.5       0.9    1,276       5.8
  Government.................................           0.8         266.4       0.5    1,306       2.9

Harris, TX...................................         114.3       2,265.1      -0.2    1,443       3.9
  Private industry...........................         113.7       1,985.8      -0.5    1,490       4.1
    Natural resources and mining.............           1.6          65.9      -7.4    4,687       9.0
    Construction.............................           7.3         158.2      -2.6    1,431       6.4
    Manufacturing............................           4.8         167.9      -4.8    1,821       6.7
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          25.1         464.4      -0.3    1,349       6.1
    Information..............................           1.2          27.0      -1.7    1,632       9.2
    Financial activities.....................          12.0         125.0       1.6    2,311       7.3
    Professional and business services.......          23.2         388.5      -0.8    1,813       1.1
    Education and health services............          16.0         290.7       2.3    1,007       5.0
    Leisure and hospitality..................           9.9         230.3       1.1      446       3.2
    Other services...........................          11.7          65.9       1.1      821       6.3
  Government.................................           0.6         279.3       2.1    1,111       3.0

Maricopa, AZ.................................          95.8       1,914.1       2.6    1,050       8.1
  Private industry...........................          95.1       1,701.2       2.8    1,054       8.0
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           8.5       1.9    1,191      15.2
    Construction.............................           6.8         105.7       4.8    1,070      10.2
    Manufacturing............................           3.1         114.9      -1.3    1,535       5.9
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          18.2         368.9       1.7      966       7.3
    Information..............................           1.4          34.4       0.5    1,542      14.4
    Financial activities.....................          10.6         173.0       5.4    1,555       8.4
    Professional and business services.......          20.4         322.7       1.3    1,142       8.2
    Education and health services............          10.5         290.0       3.1      995       7.3
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.5         217.3       3.1      479       7.2
    Other services...........................           5.8          50.1      -2.7      817      23.6
  Government.................................           0.7         213.0       0.8    1,013       8.1

Dallas, TX...................................          75.6       1,662.0       2.6    1,376       6.9
  Private industry...........................          75.0       1,488.9       2.9    1,403       7.1
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           8.0      -2.5    6,316      28.9
    Construction.............................           4.5          86.6       4.8    1,267      11.5
    Manufacturing............................           2.7         111.0       0.4    1,919      13.1
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          15.9         335.9       2.9    1,128       7.0
    Information..............................           1.4          49.2       1.9    2,549       3.8
    Financial activities.....................           9.3         162.0       3.9    2,299       7.1
    Professional and business services.......          17.0         337.3       3.1    1,516       4.8
    Education and health services............           9.4         196.3       2.8    1,065       4.9
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.7         158.7       3.0      509       4.7
    Other services...........................           7.0          42.4       0.6      829       8.5
  Government.................................           0.6         173.1      -0.4    1,147       4.7

Orange, CA...................................         117.1       1,580.2       2.1    1,228       7.4
  Private industry...........................         115.6       1,424.7       2.2    1,208       7.9
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.2           3.0       0.6      868     -11.6
    Construction.............................           6.6          97.8       3.0    1,361       9.5
    Manufacturing............................           4.9         156.6      -0.9    1,590      11.1
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          16.7         255.9       0.7    1,092       9.2
    Information..............................           1.3          26.6       1.0    2,311      14.3
    Financial activities.....................          11.0         117.1       1.4    2,058       8.6
    Professional and business services.......          20.1         291.2       1.8    1,403       4.9
    Education and health services............          31.3         208.0       3.7      940       6.8
    Leisure and hospitality..................           8.5         211.2       1.9      499       9.0
    Other services...........................           6.8          45.4       1.4      712       7.4
  Government.................................           1.5         155.5       1.2    1,413       4.1

San Diego, CA................................         108.2       1,421.4       2.1    1,171       6.1
  Private industry...........................         106.3       1,187.2       2.1    1,149       6.3
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.6           8.9      -6.3      697      12.1
    Construction.............................           6.6          77.4       4.2    1,198       8.3
    Manufacturing............................           3.2         107.1       0.6    1,767      11.2
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.1         222.8       0.9      968       3.9
    Information..............................           1.1          24.0      -0.1    1,912       4.0
    Financial activities.....................           9.8          72.1       1.3    1,750      10.5
    Professional and business services.......          17.7         228.5       0.6    1,592       3.0
    Education and health services............          30.2         196.2       2.1      965      10.5
    Leisure and hospitality..................           8.2         190.0       2.4      495       6.2
    Other services...........................           7.2          50.0       1.3      622       7.6
  Government.................................           1.9         234.2       2.3    1,280       5.0

King, WA.....................................          86.8       1,335.4       3.2    1,601      10.0
  Private industry...........................          86.3       1,165.1       3.4    1,638      10.5
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           2.7      -3.1    1,184     -41.9
    Construction.............................           6.6          68.2       5.6    1,367      10.0
    Manufacturing............................           2.5         101.7      -3.5    1,890      10.3
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.4         256.7       6.1    1,533      13.0
    Information..............................           2.2         100.2       6.5    3,949      14.4
    Financial activities.....................           6.6          66.6       3.0    2,118       5.8
    Professional and business services.......          17.6         220.2       2.1    1,797       6.0
    Education and health services............          19.4         170.6       3.2    1,055      12.8
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.2         133.8       3.5      545       9.0
    Other services...........................           9.2          44.3       2.5      885       4.4
  Government.................................           0.5         170.3       2.0    1,346       6.4

Miami-Dade, FL...............................          98.0       1,130.2       1.9    1,053       8.2
  Private industry...........................          97.6         990.4       1.9    1,031       7.7
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5          10.1       0.6      587      13.8
    Construction.............................           6.5          45.7       7.7      989       6.2
    Manufacturing............................           2.9          41.0       1.7      934       5.8
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          25.9         280.7       1.0      964       8.7
    Information..............................           1.6          18.2       1.3    1,977      13.4
    Financial activities.....................          10.7          77.8       4.3    2,010       8.1
    Professional and business services.......          21.8         156.8       2.8    1,215       7.9
    Education and health services............          10.5         178.1       2.2      952       5.7
    Leisure and hospitality..................           7.3         140.9      -1.1      587       3.5
    Other services...........................           8.4          39.8       1.0      630       9.0
  Government.................................           0.3         139.8       1.9    1,209      11.5

(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications. See Technical Note.
(3) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Counties selected are based on 2016 annual average employment.
Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE) programs.






Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state,
first quarter 2017

                                                  Employment        Average weekly
                                                                        wage(1)
                            Establishments,
                             first quarter
            State                2017                     Percent           Percent
                             (thousands)        March     change,   First   change,
                                                2017       March   quarter   first
                                             (thousands)  2016-17    2017   quarter
                                                                            2016-17


United States(2)...........       9,864.2     142,309.2       1.6   $1,111      6.6

Alabama....................         123.7       1,928.9       1.4      893      6.2
Alaska.....................          22.1         312.8      -1.8    1,061      3.9
Arizona....................         156.8       2,743.0       2.4      991      8.1
Arkansas...................          89.6       1,199.9       0.7      859      8.5
California.................       1,512.5      16,831.4       2.3    1,295      7.6
Colorado...................         196.1       2,573.2       2.3    1,136      7.5
Connecticut................         118.0       1,651.5       0.1    1,417      4.0
Delaware...................          31.6         433.2       0.8    1,185     10.7
District of Columbia.......          39.5         760.7       1.2    1,885      7.0
Florida....................         679.4       8,532.6       2.8      949      7.2

Georgia....................         276.1       4,317.1       2.7    1,068      6.1
Hawaii.....................          41.5         653.6       0.9      954      6.8
Idaho......................          60.2         690.4       3.0      775      7.0
Illinois...................         408.2       5,842.0       0.5    1,195      6.3
Indiana....................         164.1       2,985.8       1.2      918      7.6
Iowa.......................         101.4       1,518.3       0.0      899      6.5
Kansas.....................          90.9       1,368.0       0.4      888      6.7
Kentucky...................         124.1       1,864.1       1.1      879      6.9
Louisiana..................         130.4       1,901.3      -0.5      906      5.5
Maine......................          54.4         586.7       1.0      860      7.2

Maryland...................         171.0       2,626.0       1.2    1,171      5.8
Massachusetts..............         251.3       3,464.0       1.1    1,428      7.7
Michigan...................         241.9       4,230.6       1.7    1,041      6.8
Minnesota..................         164.7       2,806.4       2.1    1,149      7.9
Mississippi................          73.2       1,122.9       0.1      750      5.3
Missouri...................         201.7       2,767.0       1.4      930      5.9
Montana....................          47.6         451.5       1.4      800      6.5
Nebraska...................          72.0         960.7       0.4      868      6.4
Nevada.....................          81.3       1,311.6       3.8      932      6.9
New Hampshire..............          51.4         643.2       1.2    1,070      7.3

New Jersey.................         272.0       3,955.1       1.5    1,333      5.0
New Mexico.................          58.2         803.3       0.2      838      5.9
New York...................         646.6       9,159.3       1.3    1,541      5.9
North Carolina.............         270.0       4,287.0       1.8      991      6.9
North Dakota...............          31.8         405.7      -1.0      953      5.0
Ohio.......................         294.8       5,278.3       0.8      976      6.7
Oklahoma...................         109.8       1,563.9      -1.0      883      5.9
Oregon.....................         149.4       1,855.0       2.5      984      5.4
Pennsylvania...............         358.6       5,712.3       0.8    1,078      6.5
Rhode Island...............          37.1         465.4       0.3    1,055      7.2

South Carolina.............         125.9       2,017.9       2.2      864      7.3
South Dakota...............          33.0         413.4       0.7      819      6.2
Tennessee..................         156.8       2,906.2       1.8      945      6.7
Texas......................         668.0      11,924.5       1.7    1,124      5.5
Utah.......................          96.7       1,411.3       3.1      905      6.6
Vermont....................          25.3         305.6       0.2      889      6.7
Virginia...................         265.5       3,796.3       1.4    1,129      6.9
Washington.................         241.1       3,225.9       2.6    1,215      8.6
West Virginia..............          49.8         678.2      -0.8      837      7.6
Wisconsin..................         171.0       2,803.7       1.1      933      6.8

Wyoming....................          26.0         262.4      -2.3      880      3.3

Puerto Rico................          46.2         887.7      -0.9      526      1.2
Virgin Islands.............           3.4          38.7       0.0      797      3.1

(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. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.






Last Modified Date: September 06, 2017