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For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, August 21, 2024 USDL-24-1721 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 2024 From March 2023 to March 2024, employment increased in 300 of the 369 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In March 2024, national employment increased to 153.6 million, a 1.3-percent increase over the year, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. Monterey, CA, and St. Johns, FL, had the largest over-the-year increases in employment, with gains of 4.8 percent each. Employment data in this release are presented for March 2024, and average weekly wage data are presented for first quarter 2024. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Change to County-Equivalents in Connecticut The replacement of Connecticut's eight counties with the state's nine planning regions was announced in June 2022. Effective with this news release, the QCEW program will tabulate data using the new planning regions as county-equivalents. For more information, see www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/06/06/2022-12063/change- to-county-equivalents-in-the-state-of-connecticut. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Among the 369 largest counties, 357 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the first quarter of 2024, average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,527, a 4.2-percent increase over the year. Santa Clara, CA, had the largest first quarter over-the-year wage gain at 14.6 percent. (See table 1.) Large County Employment in March 2024 Monterey, CA, and St. Johns, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment (+4.8 percent each). Within Monterey, the largest employment increase occurred in natural resources and mining, which rose by 6,618 (+19.9 percent). Within St. Johns, the largest employment increase occurred in education and health services, which rose by 1,101 (+8.1 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-4.9 percent). Within Elkhart, the largest employment decrease occurred in manufacturing, which fell by 6,004 (-8.9 percent). Large County Average Weekly Wage in First Quarter 2024 Santa Clara, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in average weekly wages (+14.6 percent). Within Santa Clara, an average weekly wage gain of $1,792 (+37.7 percent) in manufacturing made the largest contribution to the county's increase in average weekly wages. Saginaw, MI, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-3.4 percent). Within Saginaw, an average weekly wage loss of $466 (-30.5 percent) in professional and business services made the largest contribution to the county's decrease in average weekly wages. Ten Largest Counties Nine of the 10 largest counties had over-the-year percentage increases in employment. In March 2024, Maricopa, AZ, had the largest over-the-year employment percentage gain (+2.6 percent). Within Maricopa, education and health services had the largest employment increase and rose by 17,477 (+4.7 percent). (See table 2.) All of the 10 largest counties had over-the-year percentage increases in average weekly wages. In the first quarter of 2024, King, WA, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage gain in average weekly wages (+6.1 percent). Within King, information had the largest impact, with an average weekly wage increase of $1,411 (+25.1 percent). For More Information The tables included in this release contain data for the nation and for the 369 U.S. counties with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023. March 2024 employment and first quarter 2024 average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 3 of this release. Over-the-year changes of employment and wages presented in this news release are adjusted and may differ from unadjusted data used in BLS data tools and interactive charts. More information is available in the QCEW Technical Note at www.bls.gov/cew/news-release-technical-note.htm. QCEW reporting rates tables are available at www.bls.gov/cew/reporting-rates/. 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/regional-resources.htm. QCEW data are available in the Census Business Builder suite of web tools assisting business owners and regional analysts in data-driven decision making at www.census.gov/data/data-tools/cbb.html. The QCEW news release schedule is available at www.bls.gov/cew/release-calendar.htm. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. ____________ The County Employment and Wages full data update for first quarter 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The County Employment and Wages news release for second quarter 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ County Changes for the 2024 County Employment and Wages News Releases Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2023 are included in this release and will be included in future 2024 releases. Seven counties have been added to the publication tables: Martin, FL; Sarpy, NE; Doņa Ana, NM; Kent, RI; Ector, TX; Gregg, TX; and Racine, WI. No counties were dropped from the publication tables. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Updated MSA Definitions New Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) definitions, and those for other types of Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA), were announced in July 2023. With the full data update for first quarter 2024 on September 4, 2024, QCEW data will reflect the new definitions. Data based on the new area definitions will be available in the BLS online database. Historical data will not be re-tabulated to reflect the new definitions. For more information regarding the new area definitions, see www.bls.gov/bls/omb-bulletin- 23-01-revised-delineations-of-metropolitan-statistical-areas.pdf. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________