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Employment and wages among 10 largest counties, December 2016 to December 2017

May 31, 2018

All of the 10 largest counties had over-the-year percentage increases in employment in the year ending December 2017. Maricopa, Arizona (part of the Phoenix area), had the largest gain (3.0 percent). Within Maricopa, construction had the largest over-the-year employment level increase, with a gain of 10,168 jobs, or 9.7 percent. Cook, Illinois (part of the Chicago area), had the smallest percentage increase in employment among the 10 largest counties (0.6 percent).

Percent change in employment in the 10 largest counties, December 2016 to December 2017
County Percent change December 2017 employment

Maricopa, AZ

3.0% 1,989,400

King, WA

2.9 1,377,500

San Diego, CA

1.8 1,462,000

Dallas, TX

1.7 1,712,800

Orange, CA

1.7 1,621,400

Los Angeles, CA

1.6 4,494,500

New York, NY

1.4 2,516,000

Harris, TX

1.1 2,293,300

Miami-Dade, FL

0.8 1,148,300

Cook, IL

0.6 2,604,200

Average weekly wages increased over the year in all of the 10 largest U.S. counties. New York, New York (Manhattan), experienced the largest percentage gain in average weekly wages (10.4 percent). Within New York, financial activities had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage gain. Within financial activities, average weekly wages increased by $1,032, or 22.4 percent, over the year. Harris, Texas (part of the Houston area), had the smallest percentage gain in average weekly wages among the 10 largest counties (2.4 percent).

Percent change in average weekly wage in the 10 largest counties, fourth quarter 2016 to fourth quarter 2017
County Percent change Average weekly wage, fourth quarter 2017

New York, NY

10.4% $2,439

King, WA

7.0 1,583

Los Angeles, CA

6.4 1,343

San Diego, CA

4.3 1,221

Miami-Dade, FL

3.8 1,065

Dallas, TX

3.1 1,318

Maricopa, AZ

2.9 1,024

Orange, CA

2.8 1,234

Cook, IL

2.6 1,283

Harris, TX

2.4 1,352

These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program and are preliminary. Largest counties are ranked by December 2017 employment. To learn more, see "County Employment and Wages: Fourth Quarter 2017" (HTML) (PDF).

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment and wages among 10 largest counties, December 2016 to December 2017 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/employment-and-wages-among-10-largest-counties-december-2016-to-december-2017.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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