The average weekly wage in Washington, D.C., rose 2.1 percent from the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Nationally, the average weekly wage also rose 2.1 percent over the year, as 304 of the largest 334 counties had 12-month increases. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2011 annual average employment.) Over-the-year weekly wage growth in Washington, D.C., placed 123rd among the nation’s 334 large counties. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the weekly wage in Washington, D.C., ranked fourth-highest in the nation in the second quarter of 2013, at $1,575. Nationally, weekly wages averaged $921.

Washington, D.C., reported a 0.9-percent increase in employment from June 2012 to June 2013. Nationally, employment rose 1.6 percent during this 12-month period as 288 of the largest 334 U.S. counties gained jobs. Washington, D.C.,’s percent growth in employment ranked 216th, placing it in the bottom half among the nation’s 334 largest counties. Employment in Washington, D.C., totaled 725,000 in June 2013.

Large county wage changes

Among the 334 largest U.S. counties, Union, N.J., had the largest over-the-year increase in average weekly wages (8.1 percent), followed by the counties of San Mateo, Calif. (8.0 percent); Williamson, Tenn. (7.8 percent); and Rockingham, N.H. (6.9 percent).

Eighteen large counties nationwide experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages, led by Davidson, Tenn., with a loss of 2.2 percent. Whatcom, Wash. (-1.5 percent) had the second-largest decline, followed by Washington, Ore., and Shelby, Tenn. (-1.3 percent each), which tied for the third-largest percentage decrease. Two counties, El Paso, Colo., and Wyandotte, Kan., each down 1.1 percent, tied for the fifth-largest percent decrease in average weekly wages.

Large county average weekly wages

Across the United States, average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 107 of the largest 334 counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $1,810. New York, N.Y., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,675, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,632); Washington, D.C. ($1,575); Arlington, Va. ($1,525); and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,512).

Three of the 10 counties with the highest wages in the United States were located in the Washington metropolitan area (Arlington, Va.; Fairfax, Va.; and Washington, D.C.), and two were in the New York metropolitan area (Fairfield, Conn., and New York, N.Y.). Three other top-paying counties were located in or around the San Francisco metropolitan area (San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara, Calif.). Rounding out the top 10 were Suffolk and Middlesex, Mass., which were located in or the Boston metropolitan area. (See table 1.)

There were 227 counties with an average weekly wage below the national average in the second quarter of 2013. The lowest average weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($537), followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($572) and Hidalgo, Texas ($592).

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 2. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit the QCEW Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2011 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2012 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2011 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2012/home.htm. The 2013 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2014.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under 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 9.2 million employer reports cover 135.1 million full- and part-time workers. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting 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.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.