Employment fell in the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania from March 2020 to March 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that Philadelphia County and Washington County had the largest over-the-year decreases in employment at 9.6 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment decreased 4.5 percent over the year, with 324 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Calcasieu, LA, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 14.9 percent. Utah, UT, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment with a gain of 6.1 percent.

Among the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania, employment was highest in Allegheny County (636,100) in March 2021. Within Allegheny County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the 19 largest Pennsylvania counties accounted for 76.6 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.3 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 48 counties in Pennsylvania with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 47 of the 48 smaller counties were below the national average in the first quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All 19 large Pennsylvania counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021. (See chart 2.) Three of these counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 5.6 percent. Washington County had the largest gain (+10.3 percent), followed by Chester County (+8.1 percent) and Delaware County (+6.0 percent).

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 312 had over-the-year wage increases. Nationally, across most industries, increases in average weekly wages reflect substantial employment declines combined with wage increases. The lowest paying industry, leisure and hospitality, had the largest employment loss, which resulted in higher average weekly wages for the industry and the nation. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+33.9 percent). Clayton, GA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-14.2 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the 6 of the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania were above the national average of $1,289 in the first quarter of 2021. Average weekly wages in three of these counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Montgomery ($1,683, 23^rd), Chester ($1,651, 25^th), and Washington ($1,461, 48^th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 84 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2021. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,967. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 259 counties. At $685, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Pennsylvania’s smaller counties

Among the 48 smaller counties in Pennsylvania—those with employment below 75,000—Montour ($1,386) reported an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,289. Perry County ($657) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 67 counties in Pennsylvania were considered, 27 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 18 registered wages from $850 to $949, 7 had wages from $950 to $1,049, and 15 had average weekly wages of $1,050 or higher. (See chart 3.)

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 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. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

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 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 19 largest counties in Pennsylvania, first quarter 2021

Area	Establishments, first quarter 2021 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2021	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	10,755.4	140,455.8	-4.5	--	$1,289	--	5.6	--
Pennsylvania	369.7	5,531.3	-5.4	--	1,226	16	4.3	23
Allegheny	36.4	636.1	-6.7	269	1,368	64	4.7	141
Berks	8.9	161.7	-6.1	243	1,049	205	2.5	250
Bucks	20.6	247.2	-5.3	198	1,091	173	4.1	170
Butler	5.2	81.0	-6.5	260	1,056	199	0.9	300
Chester	16.0	234.8	-4.8	168	1,651	25	8.1	36
Cumberland	6.7	131.2	-3.8	117	1,066	192	1.8	279
Dauphin	7.5	173.9	-4.9	180	1,190	124	3.6	198
Delaware	14.3	208.7	-6.2	245	1,317	77	6.0	86
Erie	6.9	111.9	-7.1	283	870	324	2.2	263
Lackawanna	5.6	90.2	-5.6	216	887	320	4.5	152
Lancaster	14.0	234.4	-4.4	151	974	260	3.5	208
Lehigh	8.9	186.4	-3.7	111	1,128	160	0.4	309
Luzerne	7.5	134.4	-7.4	293	933	300	5.5	104
Montgomery	28.5	481.7	-4.8	168	1,683	23	5.1	120
Northampton	6.9	113.3	-5.2	193	1,000	246	2.7	244
Philadelphia	35.3	635.9	-9.6	325	1,411	58	1.4	294
Washington	5.6	80.0	-7.9	307	1,461	48	10.3	13
Westmoreland	9.2	123.5	-6.0	236	927	303	1.8	279
York	9.2	170.7	-4.3	145	1,006	240	4.1	170
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from 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 Pennsylvania, first quarter 2021

Area	Employment March 2021	Average Weekly Wage(1)
United States(2)	140,455,819	$1,289
Pennsylvania	5,531,286	1,226
Adams	33,053	858
Allegheny	636,104	1,368
Armstrong	15,339	828
Beaver	52,272	1,112
Bedford	15,005	725
Berks	161,714	1,049
Blair	55,333	845
Bradford	21,165	985
Bucks	247,180	1,091
Butler	81,041	1,056
Cambria	46,320	782
Cameron	1,711	759
Carbon	14,933	723
Centre	62,514	1,081
Chester	234,778	1,651
Clarion	12,152	729
Clearfield	28,504	814
Clinton	12,138	845
Columbia	23,284	801
Crawford	27,663	800
Cumberland	131,175	1,066
Dauphin	173,876	1,190
Delaware	208,693	1,317
Elk	13,128	850
Erie	111,928	870
Fayette	36,075	813
Forest	1,825	976
Franklin	57,077	859
Fulton	4,700	838
Greene	11,593	1,121
Huntingdon	11,613	823
Indiana	27,140	938
Jefferson	14,378	781
Juniata	6,547	696
Lackawanna	90,206	887
Lancaster	234,438	974
Lawrence	25,812	826
Lebanon	49,382	874
Lehigh	186,435	1,128
Luzerne	134,415	933
Lycoming	47,707	893
Mckean	13,479	819
Mercer	41,618	875
Mifflin	15,192	800
Monroe	52,643	926
Montgomery	481,704	1,683
Montour	15,868	1,386
Northampton	113,347	1,000
Northumberland	25,223	853
Perry	7,650	657
Philadelphia	635,869	1,411
Pike	10,388	704
Potter	4,924	858
Schuylkill	46,603	854
Snyder	14,953	751
Somerset	22,833	809
Sullivan	1,261	716
Susquehanna	8,599	871
Tioga	11,891	840
Union	16,559	919
Venango	16,476	789
Warren	13,171	819
Washington	80,048	1,461
Wayne	13,655	851
Westmoreland	123,475	927
Wyoming	8,680	1,038
York	170,684	1,006
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 2021

State	Establishments, first quarter 2021 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2020–21	First quarter 2021	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2020–21	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	10,755.4	140,455.8	-4.5	$1,289	--	5.6	--
Alabama	135.9	1,924.3	-3.0	996	37	2.5	40
Alaska	23.3	295.0	-5.5	1,125	23	-0.6	48
Arizona	176.5	2,894.2	-2.3	1,150	21	4.8	17
Arkansas	95.3	1,194.2	-2.0	957	43	3.7	30
California	1,651.4	16,507.7	-5.9	1,623	4	11.3	1
Colorado	224.7	2,634.7	-3.5	1,335	10	4.1	25
Connecticut	128.3	1,550.5	-5.4	1,575	5	4.7	19
Delaware	35.2	425.6	-4.1	1,264	13	1.6	44
District of Columbia	44.0	708.1	-9.0	2,166	1	8.7	4
Florida	780.8	8,701.9	-3.1	1,104	24	5.1	13
Georgia	329.2	4,393.8	-2.6	1,198	17	3.6	33
Hawaii	48.0	564.4	-14.1	1,091	26	5.7	9
Idaho	74.2	768.6	1.9	906	50	4.9	15
Illinois	390.0	5,559.6	-5.5	1,387	8	6.7	7
Indiana	176.2	2,956.4	-2.5	1,026	34	3.3	37
Iowa	105.1	1,473.6	-3.3	1,004	35	2.6	39
Kansas	90.4	1,335.4	-3.3	986	39	1.9	43
Kentucky	130.7	1,835.2	-2.5	965	41	2.3	42
Louisiana	141.5	1,787.6	-5.9	977	40	1.0	46
Maine	56.2	585.0	-2.8	1,000	36	4.7	19
Maryland	174.3	2,522.1	-5.0	1,386	9	8.5	5
Massachusetts	271.2	3,334.9	-6.6	1,732	3	7.8	6
Michigan	267.5	4,026.6	-5.9	1,155	20	4.8	17
Minnesota	189.7	2,695.4	-5.1	1,290	11	4.6	22
Mississippi	75.3	1,098.4	-2.5	811	51	1.1	45
Missouri	221.8	2,705.5	-3.0	1,055	30	3.7	30
Montana	53.2	465.2	0.1	915	48	5.4	10
Nebraska	73.4	944.7	-2.8	990	38	3.6	33
Nevada	92.8	1,291.5	-8.4	1,080	27	4.7	19
New Hampshire	56.8	631.8	-3.9	1,258	15	5.4	10
New Jersey	297.0	3,818.6	-5.5	1,533	7	5.3	12
New Mexico	65.2	774.5	-7.4	958	42	3.8	28
New York	664.6	8,587.8	-8.7	1,869	2	10.4	2
North Carolina	302.7	4,423.2	-1.7	1,137	22	4.1	25
North Dakota	32.3	388.7	-6.1	1,037	32	-0.9	51
Ohio	310.1	5,136.8	-3.9	1,098	25	3.3	37
Oklahoma	114.4	1,549.7	-3.7	939	46	-0.8	50
Oregon	169.4	1,841.9	-5.2	1,172	18	6.4	8
Pennsylvania	369.7	5,531.3	-5.4	1,226	16	4.3	23
Rhode Island	41.2	447.8	-5.6	1,171	19	3.4	35
South Carolina	150.1	2,056.2	-2.6	957	43	3.8	28
South Dakota	35.6	417.1	-0.9	932	47	3.4	35
Tennessee	180.2	2,968.7	-2.1	1,077	28	5.0	14
Texas	750.1	12,216.7	-3.4	1,261	14	2.4	41
Utah	117.3	1,548.8	1.5	1,065	29	3.7	30
Vermont	27.0	283.7	-6.9	1,028	33	4.9	15
Virginia	291.3	3,765.8	-3.9	1,285	12	4.2	24
Washington	261.2	3,252.0	-5.1	1,540	6	9.1	3
West Virginia	52.3	648.6	-3.8	911	49	0.8	47
Wisconsin	183.1	2,730.0	-3.7	1,047	31	3.9	27
Wyoming	27.8	255.9	-4.6	953	45	-0.6	48
Puerto Rico	47.1	856.5	-3.1	562	(3)	2.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.6	34.7	-14.0	961	(3)	-8.0	(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.