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Employment up in 287 of 328 largest counties, December 2011 to December 2012
June 28, 2013
From December 2011 to December 2012, employment increased in 287 of the 328 largest U.S. counties. (Large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or greater.) Elkhart, Indiana, posted the largest increase, with a gain of 7.4 percent over the year, compared with national job growth of 1.9 percent.
In December 2012, national employment was 133.7 million, up by 1.9 percent or 2.4 million from December 2011. The 328 largest U.S. counties accounted for 71.3 percent of total U.S. employment and 77.0 percent of total wages. These 328 counties had a net job growth of 1.8 million over the year, accounting for 73.3 percent of the overall U.S. employment increase.
Percent change in employment in counties with 75,000 or more employees, December 2011–December 2012
County
Percent change
Jefferson, AL
0.9
Madison, AL
1.4
Mobile, AL
0.1
Montgomery, AL
1.0
Tuscaloosa, AL
2.3
Anchorage Borough, AK
0.6
Maricopa, AZ
2.7
Pima, AZ
1.5
Benton, AR
1.9
Pulaski, AR
1.0
Washington, AR
3.7
Alameda, CA
4.0
Contra Costa, CA
2.9
Fresno, CA
1.8
Kern, CA
3.0
Los Angeles, CA
1.9
Marin, CA
3.8
Monterey, CA
3.2
Orange, CA
2.7
Placer, CA
2.8
Riverside, CA
3.4
Sacramento, CA
2.7
San Bernardino, CA
2.2
San Diego, CA
2.3
San Francisco, CA
4.2
San Joaquin, CA
1.5
San Luis Obispo, CA
4.1
San Mateo, CA
3.6
Santa Barbara, CA
3.6
Santa Clara, CA
3.7
Santa Cruz, CA
3.5
Solano, CA
3.3
Sonoma, CA
3.2
Stanislaus, CA
2.5
Tulare, CA
0.4
Ventura, CA
3.1
Yolo, CA
1.2
Adams, CO
3.3
Arapahoe, CO
3.5
Boulder, CO
2.5
Denver, CO
4.2
Douglas, CO
5.1
El Paso, CO
1.9
Jefferson, CO
2.6
Larimer, CO
2.7
Weld, CO
4.2
Fairfield, CT
1.0
Hartford, CT
1.2
New Haven, CT
1.2
New London, CT
−0.6
New Castle, DE
1.0
Washington, DC
1.7
Alachua, FL
1.0
Brevard, FL
−1.1
Broward, FL
2.3
Collier, FL
2.0
Duval, FL
2.0
Escambia, FL
0.6
Hillsborough, FL
2.5
Lake, FL
3.5
Lee, FL
2.7
Leon, FL
0.8
Manatee, FL
2.8
Marion, FL
2.6
Miami−Dade, FL
2.3
Okaloosa, FL
−0.1
Orange, FL
3.2
Palm Beach, FL
2.1
Pasco, FL
2.1
Pinellas, FL
1.6
Polk, FL
1.4
Sarasota, FL
3.2
Seminole, FL
1.8
Volusia, FL
0.8
Bibb, GA
1.2
Chatham, GA
2.0
Clayton, GA
−0.1
Cobb, GA
1.1
De Kalb, GA
−0.1
Fulton, GA
3.1
Gwinnett, GA
1.6
Muscogee, GA
0.1
Richmond, GA
0.2
Honolulu, HI
1.8
Ada, ID
2.7
Champaign, IL
0.6
Cook, IL
1.2
Du Page, IL
2.1
Kane, IL
1.2
Lake, IL
2.1
McHenry, IL
0.8
McLean, IL
1.5
Madison, IL
−0.4
Peoria, IL
0.6
St Clair, IL
−1.2
Sangamon, IL
−2.5
Will, IL
0.7
Winnebago, IL
−0.9
Allen, IN
1.8
Elkhart, IN
7.4
Hamilton, IN
1.7
Lake, IN
1.3
Marion, IN
2.3
St Joseph, IN
−0.6
Tippecanoe, IN
1.9
Vanderburgh, IN
−1.5
Johnson, IA
2.3
Linn, IA
0.1
Polk, IA
1.6
Scott, IA
1.2
Johnson, KS
2.7
Sedgwick, KS
1.4
Shawnee, KS
0.4
Wyandotte, KS
1.6
Fayette, KY
2.2
Jefferson, KY
3.8
Caddo, LA
−2.4
Calcasieu, LA
2.9
East Baton Rouge, LA
2.1
Jefferson, LA
−0.3
Lafayette, LA
1.9
Orleans, LA
2.2
St Tammany, LA
2.0
Cumberland, ME
0.9
Anne Arundel, MD
2.6
Baltimore, MD
1.2
Frederick, MD
1.9
Harford, MD
2.2
Howard, MD
2.3
Montgomery, MD
0.6
Prince Georges, MD
−0.2
Baltimore City, MD
0.2
Barnstable, MA
2.5
Bristol, MA
0.4
Essex, MA
1.5
Hampden, MA
0.2
Middlesex, MA
1.9
Norfolk, MA
1.5
Plymouth, MA
2.5
Suffolk, MA
1.6
Worcester, MA
−0.3
Genesee, MI
0.9
Ingham, MI
0.1
Kalamazoo, MI
0.9
Kent, MI
3.0
Macomb, MI
1.7
Oakland, MI
3.4
Ottawa, MI
3.8
Saginaw, MI
0.5
Washtenaw, MI
2.3
Wayne, MI
1.1
Anoka, MN
2.1
Dakota, MN
1.8
Hennepin, MN
1.9
Olmsted, MN
3.2
Ramsey, MN
0.6
St Louis, MN
1.7
Stearns, MN
1.2
Harrison, MS
−0.2
Hinds, MS
−1.3
Boone, MO
2.4
Clay, MO
−1.4
Greene, MO
2.9
Jackson, MO
1.2
St Charles, MO
3.4
St Louis, MO
0.6
St Louis City, MO
−0.5
Yellowstone, MT
1.7
Douglas, NE
2.0
Lancaster, NE
2.5
Clark, NV
2.3
Washoe, NV
0.9
Hillsborough, NH
0.5
Rockingham, NH
1.0
Atlantic, NJ
−0.2
Bergen, NJ
0.3
Burlington, NJ
2.8
Camden, NJ
−0.2
Essex, NJ
−0.3
Gloucester, NJ
0.5
Hudson, NJ
2.0
Mercer, NJ
1.5
Middlesex, NJ
1.9
Monmouth, NJ
0.2
Morris, NJ
0.9
Ocean, NJ
1.2
Passaic, NJ
0.3
Somerset, NJ
0.9
Union, NJ
0.5
Bernalillo, NM
1.3
Albany, NY
0.9
Bronx, NY
1.8
Broome, NY
−0.8
Dutchess, NY
−0.8
Erie, NY
0.5
Kings, NY
2.0
Monroe, NY
0.1
Nassau, NY
1.8
New York, NY
2.1
Oneida, NY
−1.4
Onondaga, NY
0.5
Orange, NY
0.4
Queens, NY
2.9
Richmond, NY
1.6
Rockland, NY
−0.2
Saratoga, NY
2.0
Suffolk, NY
1.1
Westchester, NY
0.6
Buncombe, NC
2.5
Catawba, NC
0.1
Cumberland, NC
−1.4
Durham, NC
2.6
Forsyth, NC
1.7
Guilford, NC
1.1
Mecklenburg, NC
3.0
New Hanover, NC
1.6
Wake, NC
3.4
Cass, ND
3.6
Butler, OH
−0.2
Cuyahoga, OH
2.0
Delaware, OH
4.1
Franklin, OH
2.5
Hamilton, OH
0.4
Lake, OH
0.0
Lorain, OH
−0.7
Lucas, OH
0.8
Mahoning, OH
1.3
Montgomery, OH
0.6
Stark, OH
0.8
Summit, OH
1.1
Oklahoma, OK
1.6
Tulsa, OK
1.8
Clackamas, OR
2.2
Lane, OR
1.0
Marion, OR
0.5
Multnomah, OR
2.0
Washington, OR
1.2
Allegheny, PA
0.7
Berks, PA
1.3
Bucks, PA
0.4
Butler, PA
−0.3
Chester, PA
0.1
Cumberland, PA
0.6
Dauphin, PA
0.5
Delaware, PA
1.3
Erie, PA
−0.7
Lackawanna, PA
−0.4
Lancaster, PA
0.9
Lehigh, PA
−0.1
Luzerne, PA
−1.4
Montgomery, PA
1.0
Northampton, PA
2.0
Philadelphia, PA
1.1
Washington, PA
0.8
Westmoreland, PA
0.9
York, PA
0.4
Providence, RI
1.4
Charleston, SC
2.5
Greenville, SC
2.3
Horry, SC
2.5
Lexington, SC
6.9
Richland, SC
1.4
Spartanburg, SC
2.4
Minnehaha, SD
2.5
Davidson, TN
3.0
Hamilton, TN
2.2
Knox, TN
0.6
Rutherford, TN
6.4
Shelby, TN
1.7
Williamson, TN
4.0
Bell, TX
1.7
Bexar, TX
2.9
Brazoria, TX
3.6
Brazos, TX
4.4
Cameron, TX
2.1
Collin, TX
4.8
Dallas, TX
3.4
Denton, TX
3.1
El Paso, TX
2.2
Fort Bend, TX
5.3
Galveston, TX
1.3
Gregg, TX
0.6
Harris, TX
4.0
Hidalgo, TX
2.3
Jefferson, TX
−2.3
Lubbock, TX
1.8
McLennan, TX
2.1
Montgomery, TX
5.7
Nueces, TX
3.2
Smith, TX
0.1
Tarrant, TX
3.0
Travis, TX
4.3
Webb, TX
1.3
Williamson, TX
3.5
Davis, UT
2.4
Salt Lake, UT
4.3
Utah, UT
6.0
Weber, UT
2.2
Chittenden, VT
0.2
Arlington, VA
−1.1
Chesterfield, VA
3.1
Fairfax, VA
0.9
Henrico, VA
2.9
Loudoun, VA
3.2
Prince William, VA
3.4
Alexandria City, VA
1.6
Chesapeake City, VA
0.0
Newport News City, VA
1.8
Norfolk City, VA
0.0
Richmond City, VA
0.6
Virginia Beach City, VA
1.8
Benton, WA
−1.5
Clark, WA
3.0
King, WA
3.0
Kitsap, WA
0.2
Pierce, WA
1.2
Snohomish, WA
2.8
Spokane, WA
1.0
Thurston, WA
1.5
Whatcom, WA
2.3
Yakima, WA
1.5
Kanawha, WV
−0.7
Brown, WI
1.0
Dane, WI
1.5
Milwaukee, WI
0.9
Outagamie, WI
1.6
Waukesha, WI
0.9
Winnebago, WI
1.3
The five counties with the largest increases in employment level were Harris, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Dallas, Texas; and Maricopa, Arizona. These counties had a combined over-the-year employment gain of 302,200, which was 12.4 percent of the overall job increase for the U.S.
Employment declined in 38 of the large counties from December 2011 to December 2012. Sangamon, Illinois, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (−2.5 percent). Within Sangamon, public administration within state government had the largest decrease in employment with a loss of 1,067 jobs (−2.9 percent). Caddo, Louisiana, had the second largest percentage decrease in employment, followed by Jefferson, Texas. Two counties, Vanderburgh, Indiana, and Benton, Washington, tied for the fourth largest percentage decrease.
These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. To learn more, see "County Employment and Wages: Fourth Quarter 2012" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL‑13‑1244. Data for the most recent quarter are preliminary and subject to revision.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment up in 287 of 328 largest counties, December 2011 to December 2012 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2013/ted_20130628.htm (visited December 04, 2024).
United States Department of Labor
