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News Release Information

16-1955-PHI
Thursday, September 29, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

County Employment and Wages in Virginia – First Quarter 2016

Employment increase in Loudoun County ranked third in the nation

Eleven of the 12 largest counties in Virginia registered employment increases from March 2015 to March 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2015 annual average employment.) Loudoun County had the fastest rate of employment growth at 6.2 percent, followed by Prince William County at 4.4 percent and Chesterfield County at 4.3 percent. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that Loudoun County’s employment growth rate ranked third among the nation’s 344 largest counties. Newport News City recorded the only employment decline among the state’s largest counties.

Nationally, employment grew 2.0 percent during this 12-month period, as 318 of the 344 large counties nationwide gained jobs. Williamson, Tenn., had the largest percentage increase in employment, up 7.9 percent over the year. Midland, Texas, had the largest employment decrease with a loss of 9.0 percent.

Among the 12 largest counties in Virginia, employment was highest in Fairfax (588,080) in March 2016. No other county in the commonwealth had employment above 200,000. Together, Virginia’s large counties accounted for 56.3 percent of total employment within the commonwealth. Nationwide, the 344 largest counties made up 72.6 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Henrico County declined 4.5 percent from the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016, the fastest decrease among Virginia’s 12 largest counties. Richmond City had the second largest average weekly wage decrease, down 3.0 percent. Arlington County had the highest average weekly wage among the largest counties in the commonwealth at $1,734, followed by Fairfax County ($1,622) and Alexandria City ($1,400). (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage declined 0.5 percent over the year to $1,043 in the first quarter of 2016.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 121 counties in Virginia with employment below 75,000. Six of these 121 counties had average weekly wages above the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016, 10 of the 12 large counties in Virginia recorded wage decreases. The two large counties in Virginia with wage gains, Prince William (1.2 percent) and Chesapeake City (0.1 percent), ranked 79th and 155th, respectively, among the nation’s 334 large U.S. counties.

Nationally, 167 counties had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. McLean, Ill., had the largest percentage wage decrease among the largest counties, declining 13.3 percent.  

Among the nation’s largest counties, 164 recorded increases in average weekly wages over the year. Clayton, Ga., had the largest over-the-year increase in average weekly wages, at 15.5 percent. King, Wash., had the second largest increase (5.1 percent), followed by San Mateo, Calif. (4.8 percent); Ventura, Calif. (4.4 percent); and Merrimack, N.H. (4.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Arlington County had the ninth highest average weekly wage among the 344 large U.S. counties. Fairfax County and Alexandria City also ranked in the top 50 nationwide, at 11th and 19th, respectively. Additionally, Loudoun County and Richmond City recorded average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,043.

In Virginia Beach City and Chesapeake City, average weekly wages placed in the bottom fifth of the national ranking at 309th and 310th, respectively.

Average weekly wages in Virginia’s smaller counties

Six of the 121 counties in Virginia with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages higher than the national average of $1,043. Among these smaller counties, Goochland County ($1,984), Surry ($1,678) and King George ($1,341) had the highest average weekly wages. Patrick County reported the lowest average weekly wage at $491. (See table 2.)

When all 133 counties in Virginia were considered, 122 had wages below the national average of $1,043. As noted, Patrick County reported an average weekly wage below $500. Twenty-eight counties reported wages from $501 to $600, 41 had wages from $601 to $700, 28 had wages from $701 to $800, and 35 had wages above $800.

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 2015 edition of this publication is now available and contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2016 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2015 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2015/home.htm.


 


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 9.7 million employer reports cover 140.1 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.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 12 largest counties in Virginia, first quarter 2016
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2016 (thousands) Percent change, March 2015-16 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, first quarter 2015-16 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

140,070.8 2.0 -- $1,043 -- -0.5 --

Virginia

3,748.1 2.6 -- 1,057 13 -1.2 34

Alexandria City, Va.

93.8 0.6 295 1,400 19 -0.1 177

Arlington, Va.

170.9 3.1 78 1,734 9 -0.2 187

Chesapeake City, Va.

97.3 1.9 176 763 310 0.1 155

Chesterfield, Va.

132.3 4.3 18 840 246 -2.3 284

Fairfax, Va.

588.1 2.2 150 1,622 11 -1.8 260

Henrico, Va.

187.6 2.6 116 1,028 101 -4.5 325

Loudoun, Va.

155.9 6.2 3 1,193 51 -1.1 224

Newport News City, Va.

95.5 -1.9 336 1,016 111 -2.4 287

Norfolk City, Va.

140.2 1.1 260 987 131 -2.0 270

Prince William, Va.

123.7 4.4 16 838 250 1.2 79

Richmond City, Va.

152.6 3.2 69 1,173 54 -3.0 301

Virginia Beach City, Va.

173.0 3.0 86 765 309 -1.3 239

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
 

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Virginia, 1st quarter 2016
Area Employment March 2016 Average weekly wage (1)   Area Employment March 2016 Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

140,070,814 $1,043  

Orange

9,729 669

Virginia

3,748,064 1057  

Page

5,138 592

Accomack

12,628 666  

Patrick

5,448 491

Albemarle

52,892 991  

Pittsylvania

12,336 594

Alleghany

3,815 640  

Powhatan

6,775 712

Amelia

2,410 642  

Prince Edward

8,861 639

Amherst

8,490 649  

Prince George

14,997 954

Appomattox

3,143 526  

Prince William

123,719 838

Arlington

170,851 1,734  

Pulaski

13,740 664

Augusta

26,875 753  

Rappahannock

1,480 1,014

Bath

2,208 724  

Richmond County

2,849 682

Bedford

18,592 682  

Roanoke County

37,429 744

Bland

1,929 823  

Rockbridge

5,666 577

Botetourt

10,718 718  

Rockingham

30,877 796

Brunswick

4,020 613  

Russell

6,817 724

Buchanan

6,508 756  

Scott

4,662 571

Buckingham

3,320 666  

Shenandoah

13,701 660

Campbell

16,703 871  

Smyth

12,797 611

Caroline

5,619 700  

Southampton

3,703 631

Carroll

6,494 560  

Spotsylvania

34,202 684

Charles City

1,501 763  

Stafford

42,307 918

Charlotte

2,970 645  

Surry

2,165 1,678

Chesterfield

132,258 840  

Sussex

3,726 700

Clarke

3,779 786  

Tazewell

14,717 586

Craig

675 640  

Warren

11,955 692

Culpeper

15,322 763  

Washington

20,642 660

Cumberland

1,389 555  

Westmoreland

3,297 555

Dickenson

3,315 698  

Wise

11,555 637

Dinwiddie

8,268 752  

Wythe

11,522 600

Essex

4,021 588  

York

21,038 679

Fairfax County

588,080 1,622  

Alexandria City

93,845 1,400

Fauquier

21,792 852  

Bedford City

0 0

Floyd

3,066 536  

Bristol City

9,795 696

Fluvanna

4,232 699  

Buena Vista City

2,532 588

Franklin

14,792 575  

Charlottesville City

38,967 932

Frederick

29,765 812  

Chesapeake City

97,328 763

Giles

4,601 713  

Colonial Heights City

10,771 587

Gloucester

9,251 598  

Covington City

4,036 888

Goochland

14,798 1,984  

Danville City

26,661 650

Grayson

2,607 559  

Emporia City

3,231 533

Greene

3,632 627  

Fairfax City

19,235 1,060

Greensville

4,521 709  

Falls Church City

11,450 1,185

Halifax

12,222 659  

Franklin City

4,434 556

Hanover

49,563 771  

Fredericksburg City

23,865 763

Henrico

187,586 1,028  

Galax City

6,334 538

Henry

15,707 597  

Hampton City

54,457 841

Highland

498 559  

Harrisonburg City

31,163 662

Isle of Wight

10,767 950  

Hopewell City

7,562 1,000

James City

28,251 712  

Lexington City

4,854 753

King and Queen

946 716  

Lynchburg City

51,215 775

King George

11,317 1,341  

Manassas City

22,107 1,116

King William

3,821 798  

Manassas Park City

3,164 795

Lancaster

4,372 652  

Martinsville City

9,069 618

Lee

4,486 601  

Newport News City

95,469 1,016

Loudoun

155,881 1,193  

Norfolk City

140,167 987

Louisa

9,505 854  

Norton City

3,668 673

Lunenburg

2,587 579  

Petersburg City

13,187 701

Madison

3,035 644  

Poquoson City

1,683 565

Mathews

1,513 506  

Portsmouth City

44,257 913

Mecklenburg

11,658 605  

Radford City

5,827 797

Middlesex

3,138 592  

Richmond City

152,609 1,173

Montgomery

42,135 760  

Roanoke City

67,321 816

Nelson

4,103 551  

Salem City

20,309 909

New Kent

4,149 647  

Staunton City

11,107 632

Northampton

4,720 571  

Suffolk City

28,715 865

Northumberland

2,320 659  

Virginia Beach City

173,047 765

Nottoway

5,734 636  

Waynesboro City

9,655 697

Orange

9,729 669  

Williamsburg City

12,778 730

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.
 

NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.
 

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, first quarter 2016
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2016 (thousands) Percent change, March 2015-16 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, first quarter 2015-16 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

140,070.8 2.0 $1,043 -- -0.5 --

Alabama

1,902.6 1.6 842 37 -0.2 22

Alaska

317.6 -1.4 1,028 15 -2.0 43

Arizona

2,679.8 2.8 918 23 -0.8 30

Arkansas

1,191.1 2.1 793 45 0.5 13

California

16,455.5 2.6 1,206 6 0.0 20

Colorado

2,514.6 2.4 1,057 13 -1.3 36

Connecticut

1,650.6 0.6 1,362 3 -1.4 38

Delaware

429.7 1.5 1,072 10 -3.0 48

District of Columbia

749.6 2.0 1,766 1 0.4 14

Florida

8,301.8 3.5 887 27 0.2 18

Georgia

4,215.1 3.0 1,008 17 1.9 2

Hawaii

645.1 1.4 896 26 1.7 3

Idaho

670.4 3.5 725 50 -1.5 39

Illinois

5,800.6 1.2 1,126 7 -0.5 28

Indiana

2,949.5 1.9 853 33 -0.5 28

Iowa

1,518.2 0.9 844 36 -0.4 27

Kansas

1,362.3 0.4 833 38 -2.0 43

Kentucky

1,843.9 1.9 823 41 0.1 19

Louisiana

1,910.5 -0.8 860 32 -2.6 47

Maine

580.5 1.8 804 44 1.1 8

Maryland

2,591.7 1.9 1,103 9 -0.8 30

Massachusetts

3,414.8 2.1 1,327 4 -1.0 33

Michigan

4,163.7 2.1 976 20 0.7 11

Minnesota

2,750.1 1.5 1,065 12 -1.2 34

Mississippi

1,121.0 1.7 713 51 0.4 14

Missouri

2,729.5 1.9 879 29 -0.3 25

Montana

447.8 1.8 751 49 0.3 16

Nebraska

956.6 1.4 817 42 0.0 20

Nevada

1,264.1 3.0 875 30 1.2 5

New Hampshire

635.1 1.9 998 18 1.6 4

New Jersey

3,909.7 2.4 1,268 5 -1.7 41

New Mexico

800.4 0.0 792 46 -1.6 40

New York

9,042.2 2.0 1,456 2 -0.3 25

North Carolina

4,220.3 3.0 928 22 -0.2 22

North Dakota

409.4 -6.2 908 25 -7.6 51

Ohio

5,236.2 1.8 913 24 -0.8 30

Oklahoma

1,578.6 -0.9 833 38 -4.1 49

Oregon

1,808.2 3.2 929 21 1.2 5

Pennsylvania

5,662.2 1.1 1,012 16 -1.9 42

Rhode Island

464.6 1.9 985 19 -2.2 46

South Carolina

1,974.6 2.7 806 43 0.8 10

South Dakota

410.5 0.9 771 48 1.2 5

Tennessee

2,859.2 3.3 887 27 0.3 16

Texas

11,638.7 0.7 1,066 11 -2.1 45

Utah

1,369.2 3.8 849 35 0.6 12

Vermont

304.6 0.1 832 40 1.0 9

Virginia

3,748.1 2.6 1,057 13 -1.2 34

Washington

3,147.7 3.1 1,121 8 3.0 1

West Virginia

683.9 -1.2 782 47 -1.3 36

Wisconsin

2,771.4 1.3 875 30 -0.2 22

Wyoming

267.9 -3.7 850 34 -4.7 50

Puerto Rico

895.2 -1.2 520 (3) -0.4 (3)

Virgin Islands

38.6 0.4 769 (3) 2.9 (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.
 

  Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Virginia, first quarter 2016

 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 29, 2016