Employment rose in 8 of the 15 largest counties in New Jersey from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that Ocean County (+0.9 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in New Jersey, December 2025

County	Percent change, December 2025
Ocean	0.9
Camden	0.6
Essex	0.6
Burlington	0.4
Middlesex	0.4
Monmouth	0.4
Gloucester	0.3
Union	0.2
Morris	-0.2
Passaic	-0.2
Bergen	-0.4
Hudson	-0.6
Mercer	-0.6
Atlantic	-1.0
Somerset	-1.9

Bergen County (444,800) had the highest employment level in New Jersey in December 2025. Together, the 15 largest counties accounted for 88.8 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

All 15 large New Jersey counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Atlantic had the largest gain (+5.2 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other 14 large New Jersey counties ranged from 4.7 percent to 2.4 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in New Jersey, fourth quarter 2025

County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2025
Atlantic	5.2
Ocean	4.7
Essex	4.5
Hudson	4.5
Union	4.3
Burlington	4.2
Morris	4.0
Middlesex	3.9
Mercer	3.7
Gloucester	3.4
Monmouth	3.3
Camden	3.2
Bergen	2.9
Passaic	2.8
Somerset	2.4

Weekly wages in 8 of the 15 largest counties in New Jersey were above the national average of $1,569. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,025 in Somerset to $1,217 in Gloucester.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the six small counties in New Jersey, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all six smaller counties were below the national average. Hunterdon reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,486). Cape May reported the lowest average weekly wage ($1,051) in the state.

Among all 21 New Jersey counties, 6 reported average weekly wages less than $1,250, 4 had wages from $1,250 to $1,474, 6 had wages from $1,475 to $1,699, and 5 had average weekly wages of $1,700 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

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The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 28, 2026.