Six of the eight large counties in Indiana reported employment increases from March 2013 to March 2014, 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 2013 annual average employment.) Hamilton County had the largest increase, up 4.2 percent, followed by Elkhart County, up 4.0 percent. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that the employment increases in the other four large counties in Indiana were less than the national increase.

Nationally, employment advanced 1.7 percent from March 2013 to March 2014 as 281 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld County, Colo., recorded the largest percentage increase in the country, up 7.5 percent over the year. Peoria, Ill., registered the largest percentage employment decline, down 2.6 percent.

Among the eight largest counties in Indiana, employment was highest in Marion County (568,000) in March 2014. Two other counties, Lake (183,100) and Allen (174,300), had employment levels above 150,000. Collectively, Indiana's eight large counties accounted for 51.5 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 72.0 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Elkhart County rose 7.2 percent from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, the largest increase among Indiana's large counties. Marion County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties at $1,052, followed by Hamilton ($1,022), and Lake ($863). (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 3.8 percent over the year to $1,027 in the first quarter of 2014.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 84 counties in Indiana with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in four of these smaller counties were above the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Elkhart County’s 7.2 percent increase in wages was not only the largest increase among the state’s eight large counties, it was also the only one to exceed the national wage gain of 3.8 percent from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014. (See table 1.) .) Elkart County’s increase ranked 10th among the 339 large counties in the nation. Three other large counties in Indiana experienced wage increases of 2.0 percent or more: Hamilton (3.7 percent, 98th), Vanderburgh (3.3 percent, 117th), and Allen (2.0 percent, 215th). Lake County experienced a wage decline of 0.7-percent.

Nationally, 323 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases from the first quarter of 2013. Chester, Pa., had the largest wage gain, up 13.9 percent. New York, N.Y., was second with a wage increase of 12.0 percent, followed by the counties of Forsyth, N.C., and San Mateo, Calif. (both up 9.6 percent).

Among the nation’s 339 largest counties, 15 experienced over-the-year wage decreases. Benton, Ark., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 3.2 percent. Cumberland, N.C., had the second largest wage decline (-2.0 percent), followed by Dutchess, N.Y. (-1.6 percent), Ocean, N.J. (-1.3 percent), and McLean, Ill. (-1.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in only one of Indiana’s eight large counties, Marion ($1,052), was above the national average of $1,027 in the first quarter of 2014. As noted, this county also had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties and ranked 83rd nationwide. St. Joseph ($777) reported the lowest average weekly wage among Indiana’s large counties and ranked 290th nationwide in March 2014.

In the first quarter of 2014, nearly three-fourths of the largest U.S. counties (244) reported wages below the national weekly average of $1,027. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($571), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($581) and Hidalgo ($597).

Among the nation’s 339 largest counties, 95 registered weekly wages above the U.S. average. New York, N.Y., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,749, more than four times the wage levels in the three lowest-paid counties. Santa Clara, Calif., was second-highest at $2,074 per week, followed by the counties of San Mateo, Calif. ($2,058) and Somerset, N.J. ($2,048).

Average weekly wages in Indiana's smaller counties

Among the 84 counties in Indiana with employment below 75,000, four counties—Martin ($1,320), Posey ($1,050), Bartholomew ($1,047), and Hancock ($1,042)—had average weekly wages above the national average of $1,027. Average weekly wages in Ohio ($460) and Brown ($471) Counties were the lowest in the state. (See table 2.)

When all 92 counties in Indiana were considered, all but 5 had wages below the national average of $1,027. Thirteen reported average weekly wages under $600, 18 had wages from $600 to $649, 20 reported wages from $650 to $699, 14 had wages from $700 to $749, and 27 had wages of $750 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 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 contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the fourth quarter 2013 version of the 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.

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.

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 134.6 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 (see Technical Note below) 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 8 largest counties in Indiana, first quarter 2014

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2014 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2013-14 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2013-14 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	134,555.0	1.7	--	$1,027	--	3.8	--
Indiana	2,842.5	1.2	--	845	35	1.7	48
Allen, Ind.	174.3	1.1	184	825	244	2.0	215
Elkhart, Ind.	118.1	4.0	27	809	257	7.2	10
Hamilton, Ind.	121.9	4.2	22	1,022	98	3.7	98
Lake, Ind.	183.1	-1.9	336	863	205	-0.7	331
Marion, Ind.	568.0	1.0	195	1,052	83	0.0	324
St. Joseph, Ind.	115.8	1.0	195	777	290	1.0	288
Tippecanoe, Ind.	79.3	0.7	224	828	239	1.5	252
Vanderburgh, Ind.	104.0	-0.4	303	804	261	3.3	117
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: Covered employment and wages 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 2014

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2014 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2013-14	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2013-14	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	134,555.0	1.7	$1,027	--	3.8	--
Alabama	1,849.5	0.6	825	38	1.6	50
Alaska	319.1	0.3	1,023	15	3.5	17
Arizona	2,540.8	1.9	918	22	3.1	26
Arkansas	1,152.6	0.3	784	46	2.5	37
California	15,572.9	2.8	1,165	6	4.5	5
Colorado	2,370.1	3.1	1,046	13	4.2	9
Connecticut	1,627.2	0.5	1,362	3	3.3	24
Delaware	412.5	2.0	1,110	7	3.9	13
District of Columbia	727.3	1.2	1,701	1	5.3	3
Florida	7,752.4	2.9	868	28	3.0	28
Georgia	3,974.8	2.6	972	18	3.4	18
Hawaii	624.9	1.2	857	32	1.9	42
Idaho	631.5	3.3	722	50	3.9	13
Illinois	5,651.2	0.9	1,104	8	4.2	9
Indiana	2,842.5	1.2	845	35	1.7	48
Iowa	1,485.4	1.5	824	39	3.0	28
Kansas	1,343.0	1.7	840	36	4.1	11
Kentucky	1,784.1	1.1	811	40	2.7	33
Louisiana	1,909.8	1.2	868	28	2.6	35
Maine	565.9	0.7	786	45	1.9	42
Maryland	2,512.8	0.1	1,086	9	1.8	47
Massachusetts	3,272.2	1.3	1,300	4	5.3	3
Michigan	4,013.5	1.7	950	20	3.1	26
Minnesota	2,652.3	0.8	1,036	14	3.4	18
Mississippi	1,096.8	0.6	707	51	1.7	48
Missouri	2,634.6	1.0	866	31	2.9	30
Montana	429.9	0.7	730	49	3.3	24
Nebraska	930.7	1.7	797	42	2.6	35
Nevada	1,183.5	3.4	867	30	2.7	33
New Hampshire	614.2	1.3	970	19	3.4	18
New Jersey	3,794.3	0.6	1,263	5	2.2	38
New Mexico	787.0	0.2	793	43	1.9	42
New York	8,699.5	1.6	1,460	2	7.3	1
North Carolina	4,003.2	1.7	914	23	3.4	18
North Dakota	428.9	3.3	944	21	6.7	2
Ohio	5,071.5	1.3	909	24	2.8	32
Oklahoma	1,565.2	0.7	854	34	3.9	13
Oregon	1,688.5	2.8	893	25	3.4	18
Pennsylvania	5,560.9	0.3	1,007	16	4.1	11
Rhode Island	449.7	1.1	996	17	4.4	8
South Carolina	1,873.6	2.7	787	44	1.9	42
South Dakota	400.2	1.4	741	48	4.5	5
Tennessee	2,718.2	1.7	874	27	2.2	38
Texas	11,220.6	2.6	1,062	11	4.5	5
Utah	1,270.8	3.1	831	37	3.4	18
Vermont	301.1	0.5	807	41	1.9	42
Virginia	3,613.2	0.0	1,050	12	2.2	38
Washington	2,966.3	2.6	1,068	10	3.8	16
West Virginia	694.6	-0.9	779	47	1.4	51
Wisconsin	2,694.5	1.0	856	33	2.9	30
Wyoming	275.4	1.0	877	26	2.1	41
Puerto Rico	914.9	-1.8	521	(3)	1.4	(3)
Virgin Islands	38.3	-3.6	744	(3)	2.6	(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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.