The average weekly wage in Washington, D.C., increased 1.8 percent from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 3.0 percent over the year, as 323 of the largest 342 counties had 12-month increases. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2014 annual average employment.) Over-the-year weekly wage growth in Washington, D.C., placed 240^th among the nation’s 342 large counties. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the average weekly wage in Washington, D.C., ranked fifth-highest in the nation in the second quarter of 2015, at $1,599. Nationally, weekly wages averaged $968.

Washington, D.C., reported a 1.8-percent increase in employment from June 2014 to June 2015. Nationally, employment rose 2.0 percent during this 12-month period as 319 of the largest 342 U.S. counties gained jobs. Washington, D.C.,’s percent growth in employment ranked 172^nd among the nation’s largest counties. Employment in Washington, D.C., totaled 745,100 in June 2015.

Large county wage changes

Among the 342 largest U.S. counties, Ventura, Calif., had the largest over-the-year increase in average weekly wages (15.2 percent), followed by the counties of Santa Clara, Calif. (11.3 percent) and Forsyth, N.C. (10.9 percent).

Only 16 large counties nationwide experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages, led by Olmstead, Minn., with a loss of 5.2 percent. Ector, Texas had the second-largest decline at 5.1 percent, followed by Midland, Texas (-3.2 percent); Hillsborough, N.H. (-2.6 percent); and Lorain, Ohio (-2.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Across the United States, average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 102 of the largest 342 counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,109. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,863, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,842); San Francisco, Calif. ($1,730); Washington, D.C. ($1,599); and Arlington, Va. ($1,546).

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 the Boston metropolitan area. (See table 1.)

There were 240 large counties with an average weekly wage below the national average in the second quarter of 2015. The lowest average weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($568), followed by Cameron, Texas ($586); Hidalgo, Texas ($614); Webb, Texas ($651); Yakima, Wash. ($660); and Lake, Fla. ($665).

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 2014 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 second quarter 2014 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2014 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2014/home.htm. The 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2016.

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.

 

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the top 10 counties ranked by average weekly wage, second quarter 2015

Area(1)	Employment		Average weekly wage(2)
	June 2015 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2014-15(3)	Average weekly wage	National Ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2014-15(3)	National Ranking by percent change
United States(4)	140,594.9	2.0	$968	--	3.0	--
Santa Clara, Calif.	1,018.7	4.0	2,109	1	11.3	2
San Mateo, Calif.	383.4	4.8	1,863	2	6.5	10
New York, N.Y.	2,378.9	2.3	1,842	3	3.3	87
San Francisco, Calif.	668.9	4.5	1,730	4	8.6	5
Washington, D.C.	745.1	1.8	1,599	5	1.8	240
Arlington, Va.	170.7	2.3	1,546	6	1.6	264
Fairfax, Va.	593.9	1.4	1,517	7	3.9	45
Suffolk, Mass.	640.8	3.0	1,512	8	3.1	105
Fairfield, Conn.	431.1	1.6	1,497	9	3.0	114
Middlesex, Mass.	883.0	2.4	1,491	10	7.5	8
Footnotes: (1) Includes areas not officially designated as counties. (2) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data (3) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for any noneconomic county reclassifications. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
NOTE: Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

 

Table 2. Covered employment and wages by state, second quarter 2015

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2015 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2014-15	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2014-15	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	140,594.9	2.0	$968	--	3.0	--
Alabama	1,899.3	1.3	819	37	1.6	41
Alaska	346.6	0.4	1,028	8	2.4	30
Arizona	2,549.9	2.5	904	21	1.8	39
Arkansas	1,184.6	1.7	762	47	2.1	35
California	16,338.9	2.8	1,131	5	5.5	1
Colorado	2,517.1	3.2	989	13	3.0	13
Connecticut	1,693.1	0.9	1,177	4	2.0	38
Delaware	439.1	2.2	991	12	1.5	42
District of Columbia	745.1	1.8	1,599	1	1.8	39
Florida	7,907.7	3.6	861	28	2.6	23
Georgia	4,167.8	3.4	903	22	2.4	30
Hawaii	635.9	1.6	876	24	3.8	6
Idaho	678.5	2.9	713	50	2.3	33
Illinois	5,925.5	1.5	1,015	10	2.6	23
Indiana	2,966.0	1.7	811	40	3.4	7
Iowa	1,561.2	0.9	802	43	2.8	18
Kansas	1,382.1	0.7	819	37	2.8	18
Kentucky	1,850.5	1.7	822	35	3.0	13
Louisiana	1,930.6	0.5	850	30	0.8	47
Maine	615.8	0.8	768	46	2.9	16
Maryland	2,631.3	1.4	1,046	7	2.6	23
Massachusetts	3,488.3	2.1	1,211	2	4.7	2
Michigan	4,225.0	1.5	916	20	2.1	35
Minnesota	2,826.3	1.5	977	15	3.2	8
Mississippi	1,114.7	1.1	709	51	0.6	48
Missouri	2,746.6	1.7	842	32	2.8	18
Montana	461.5	1.8	754	48	2.7	21
Nebraska	968.7	1.2	787	44	4.1	3
Nevada	1,248.1	3.2	855	29	2.6	23
New Hampshire	647.7	1.5	967	16	1.3	46
New Jersey	4,000.2	1.5	1,126	6	2.6	23
New Mexico	808.4	0.8	805	41	1.4	44
New York	9,136.9	1.9	1,180	3	3.1	9
North Carolina	4,185.6	2.6	850	30	3.9	4
North Dakota	445.0	-1.8	939	18	0.3	50
Ohio	5,308.1	1.4	865	26	2.4	30
Oklahoma	1,591.5	0.6	818	39	0.5	49
Oregon	1,810.4	3.4	899	23	3.0	13
Pennsylvania	5,763.9	0.8	958	17	2.7	21
Rhode Island	480.0	1.5	925	19	2.9	16
South Carolina	1,963.5	2.5	782	45	2.1	35
South Dakota	428.6	1.3	740	49	3.9	4
Tennessee	2,832.1	2.8	863	27	3.1	9
Texas	11,689.4	2.4	988	14	1.5	42
Utah	1,345.9	3.9	821	36	3.1	9
Vermont	309.3	0.6	831	34	2.2	34
Virginia	3,767.2	1.7	1,000	11	2.5	29
Washington	3,197.6	3.3	1,026	9	3.1	9
West Virginia	706.5	-0.8	803	42	1.4	44
Wisconsin	2,839.8	1.0	836	33	2.6	23
Wyoming	291.5	-1.5	869	25	-0.1	51
Puerto Rico	884.6	-1.4	513	(3)	2.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.9	0.1	748	(3)	2.2	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.