Employment decreased 0.2 percent in West Virginia’s only large county, Kanawha, from September 2013 to September 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with 2012 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Nationally, employment increased 2.0 percent, as 306 of the 339 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that Kanawha County was one of the 25 large counties in the U.S. in which employment declined over the year. (See table 1.)

Nationally, Weld, Colo., recorded the largest percentage increase in employment with a gain of 8.8 percent over the year. Atlantic, N.J., registered the largest over-the-year employment decline among the largest U.S. counties, down 4.0 percent.

Employment in Kanawha County stood at 103,905 in September 2014, accounting for 14.6 percent of West Virginia’s total employment. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 71.8 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 54 counties in West Virginia with employment levels below 75,000. With the exception of Marshall County ($953), wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average of $949 in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

The average weekly wage in Kanawha County increased 3.0 percent from the third quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2014. Kanawha County placed in the top half of the national ranking for wage growth (117^th), with a wage increase close to the national average of 2.9 percent.

Nationally, 328 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Olmsted, Minn., had the largest wage gain, up 11.1 percent from the third quarter of 2013. San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, Calif., were second and third with wage increases of 8.6 and 7.4 percent, respectively. They were followed by the counties of San Mateo, Calif., and Brazoria, Texas, both at 7.1 percent.

Among the large U.S. counties, 10 experienced over-the-year average weekly wage decreases. Collier, Fla., had the largest wage decrease with a loss of 3.9 percent. Dane, Wis., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 2.2 percent from the third quarter 2013, followed by Williamson, Texas (-0.8 percent), Hamilton, Ind. (-0.7 percent), and Shawnee, Kan. (-0.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Kanawha County reported average weekly wages of $828, below the national average of $949 for the third quarter 2014, ranking 212^th among the 339 largest counties in the United States.

Nationally, 99 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., had the highest average weekly wage at $2,012. San Mateo, Calif., was second ($1,824), followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,733).

Seventy percent of the largest U.S. counties (237) reported weekly wages below the national average. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($580), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($603) and Hidalgo ($616). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than a third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif. Three large counties reported average weekly wages equal to the national average.

Average weekly wages in West Virginia's smaller counties

With the exception of Marshall County ($953), the remaining 53 counties in West Virginia with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average of $949. Among these smaller counties, Lewis had the second highest average weekly wage at $902, while Summers had the lowest at $527. (See table 2.)

When all 55 counties in West Virginia were considered, all but 1 had wages below the national average. Ten reported average weekly wages under $600, 16 had wages from $600 to $699, 16 reported wages from $700 to $799, 11 had wages from $800 to $899, and 2 had wages of $900 or more. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. 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 2013 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2014, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2014 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2013 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2013/home.htm. The 2014 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2015.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2014 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.

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 9.4 million employer reports cover 137.7 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.

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