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News Release Information

15-1225-CHI
Monday, July 20, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in Illinois — Fourth Quarter 2014

Nine of Illinois’ 13 large counties reported employment increases from December 2013 to December 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.) Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that Madison County had the largest increase in employment at 2.1 percent, followed closely by Sangamon County’s 2.0-percent growth. Three counties experienced employment declines of less than 1.0-percent-McLean, Peoria, and Lake. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.2 percent from December 2013 to December 2014 as 319 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., and Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increases, with gains of 8.0 percent each over the year. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment, with a loss of 5.0 percent.

Among the 13 largest counties in Illinois, employment was highest in Cook County (2,512,500) in December 2014. Two other large counties, Du Page (608,000) and Lake (331,400), had employment levels of more than 300,000. Collectively, Illinois' 13 large counties accounted for 80.4 percent of the state's employment with Cook County alone accounting for 43.0 percent. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 72.1 percent of total U.S. employment.

From the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014, all large counties in the state experienced wage increases. Champaign County recorded the fastest rate of increase in average weekly wages, registering a gain of 5.2 percent. (See table 1.) Lake County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,341, followed by Cook ($1,209) and Du Page ($1,178) Counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $1,035, up 3.5 percent from a year ago.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 89 counties in Illinois with employment levels below 75,000. With the exception of Rock Island County ($1,251) and Tazewell County ($1,105), wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average in the fourth quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

As noted, average weekly wages in all of the 13 large counties in Illinois increased from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014. Champaign’s 5.2-percent wage gain ranked 41st and Kane County’s 4.5-percent wage gain ranked 73rd among the 339 largest U.S. counties. Over-the-year wage increases in two other large counties in the state also ranked in the top-half nationwide-Will (3.7 percent, 143rd) and Madison (3.5 percent, 168th). (See table 1.)

Nationally, 332 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Benton, Ark., had the largest wage gain, up 9.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013. Washington, Pa., was second with a wage increase of 9.2 percent, followed by the counties of Midland, Texas (9.0 percent), Brazoria, Texas (8.9 percent), and Douglas, Colo. (8.8 percent).

Of the 339 largest U.S. counties, 7 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 20.4 percent from the fourth quarter 2013. Olmsted, Minn., had the second largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 5.5 percent, followed by Morris, N.J. (-2.9 percent); Rockland, N.Y. (-1.3 percent); and Camden, N.J., and Butler, Pa. (-0.8 percent each).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 3 of Illinois' 13 large counties were above the national average of $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014 and ranked in the top 20 percent nationwide-Lake ($1,341, 19th), Cook ($1,209, 47th), and Du Page ($1,178, 51st). St. Clair ($799) reported the lowest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties and ranked 306th nationwide.

Nationally, 95 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014. San Mateo, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,166. New York, N.Y., was second at $2,138, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. ($2,114), Suffolk Mass. ($1,856), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,850).

Seventy-two percent of the largest U.S. counties (244) reported weekly wages below the national average. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($610), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($621) and Hidalgo ($641), and the Florida counties of Osceola ($687) and Lake ($691).

Average weekly wages in Illinois’ smaller counties

Among the counties with employment below 75,000, Rock Island ($1,251), and Tazewell ($1,105) had average weekly wages above the national average of $1,035. Calhoun County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state, averaging $485 in the fourth quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

When the 102 counties in Illinois were considered, all but 5 had wages below the national average of $1,035. Five counties reported average weekly wages less than $600, 30 reported wages from $600 to $699, 31 had wages from $700 to $799, 23 had wages from $800 to $899, and 13 had wages of $900 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 first quarter 2014 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2013 are now available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2013/home.htm. The 2014 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2015.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 17, 2015.


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 9.5 million employer reports cover 139.2 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. 

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals 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 13 largest counties in Illinois, fourth quarter 2014
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2014 (thousands) Percent change, December 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, fourth quarter 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

139,204.8 2.2 -- $1,035 -- 3.5 --

Illinois

5,844.1 1.4 -- 1,089 8 2.8 42

Champaign, Ill.

89.7 0.5 291 868 247 5.2 41

Cook, Ill.

2,512.5 1.6 197 1,209 47 3.2 199

Du Page, Ill.

608.0 1.7 183 1,178 51 0.3 329

Kane, Ill.

205.6 0.3 303 912 200 4.5 73

Lake, Ill.

331.4 -0.6 335 1,341 19 2.8 231

Madison, Ill.

97.9 2.1 151 848 263 3.5 168

McHenry, Ill.

95.8 0.0 320 847 264 2.5 248

McLean, Ill.

84.4 -0.9 336 968 150 1.3 313

Peoria, Ill.

100.7 -0.9 336 954 161 1.8 300

Sangamon, Ill.

129.9 2.0 158 1,019 111 0.8 325

St. Clair, Ill.

93.8 1.3 223 799 306 2.4 258

Will, Ill.

219.3 1.1 236 895 214 3.7 143

Winnebago, Ill.

127.6 1.1 236 874 238 3.4 179

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 Illinois, fourth quarter 2014
Area Employment December 2014 Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

139,204,840 $1,035

Illinois

5,844,090 1,089

Adams

32,822 790

Alexander

1,284 673

Bond

4,741 679

Boone

17,212 896

Brown

3,919 858

Bureau

11,243 757

Calhoun

778 485

Carroll

4,051 671

Cass

5,738 679

Champaign

89,743 868

Christian

10,717 709

Clark

4,725 656

Clay

5,150 686

Clinton

12,354 713

Coles

24,010 700

Cook

2,512,521 1,209

Crawford

7,877 846

Cumberland

2,542 664

De Kalb

37,010 782

De Witt

5,307 1,014

Douglas

7,207 752

Du Page

608,012 1,178

Edgar

6,940 767

Edwards

2,361 800

Effingham

21,124 747

Fayette

5,433 625

Ford

4,505 737

Franklin

8,103 638

Fulton

8,209 616

Gallatin

1,073 767

Greene

2,469 605

Grundy

18,512 1,034

Hamilton

2,158 854

Hancock

3,947 614

Hardin

886 586

Henderson

1,146 574

Henry

14,030 725

Iroquois

8,079 633

Jackson

25,563 794

Jasper

1,966 756

Jefferson

19,320 803

Jersey

4,704 624

Jo Daviess

7,665 665

Johnson

2,322 837

Kane

205,637 912

Kankakee

43,612 810

Kendall

26,517 756

Knox

19,614 647

La Salle

43,779 827

Lake

331,437 1,341

Lawrence

4,515 807

Lee

13,438 812

Livingston

14,044 855

Logan

9,046 773

Macon

49,289 956

Macoupin

10,122 682

Madison

97,938 848

Marion

13,072 707

Marshall

3,086 894

Mason

3,253 697

Massac

3,336 867

McDonough

11,753 731

McHenry

95,809 847

McLean

84,442 968

Menard

1,930 597

Mercer

3,102 632

Monroe

7,933 683

Montgomery

8,547 749

Morgan

14,713 712

Moultrie

4,790 724

Ogle

15,772 876

Peoria

100,694 954

Perry

4,982 699

Piatt

3,307 666

Pike

4,289 614

Pope

546 597

Pulaski

1,452 769

Putnam

1,689 878

Randolph

12,082 768

Richland

5,932 686

Rock Island

72,974 1,251

Saline

8,520 775

Sangamon

129,908 1,019

Schuyler

1,946 923

Scott

1,065 727

Shelby

4,628 612

St. Clair

93,804 799

Stark

1,298 699

Stephenson

17,056 805

Tazewell

58,110 1,105

Union

4,738 675

Vermilion

28,808 786

Wabash

3,268 758

Warren

6,381 648

Washington

5,784 883

Wayne

4,124 634

White

4,380 742

Whiteside

21,103 689

Will

219,269 895

Williamson

27,050 774

Winnebago

127,644 874

Woodford

11,055 787

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, fourth quarter 2014
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2014 (thousands) Percent change, December 2013-14 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, fourth quarter 2013-14 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

139,204.8 2.2 $1,035 -- 3.5 --

Alabama

1,891.4 1.3 881 35 3.5 31

Alaska

317.6 0.8 1,063 13 4.0 20

Arizona

2,630.8 2.2 926 25 2.3 47

Arkansas

1,180.5 2.2 807 47 4.5 5

California

16,068.5 2.6 1,209 6 2.9 41

Colorado

2,478.0 3.9 1,066 12 4.1 17

Connecticut

1,681.2 1.2 1,278 4 2.7 45

Delaware

433.0 2.9 1,049 16 1.5 51

District of Columbia

736.9 0.9 1,696 1 3.7 28

Florida

8,009.6 3.5 911 28 3.1 40

Georgia

4,131.9 3.7 958 21 3.8 25

Hawaii

638.3 0.7 908 29 4.2 15

Idaho

650.7 2.5 782 50 4.0 20

Illinois

5,844.1 1.4 1,089 8 2.8 42

Indiana

2,946.5 1.7 846 41 3.9 22

Iowa

1,527.6 1.1 870 38 4.3 11

Kansas

1,377.2 1.3 855 39 2.6 46

Kentucky

1,852.2 1.8 836 43 4.1 17

Louisiana

1,954.0 2.1 923 26 3.8 25

Maine

592.7 0.9 826 44 5.1 4

Maryland

2,590.3 1.3 1,113 7 3.5 31

Massachusetts

3,415.6 2.2 1,315 3 4.5 5

Michigan

4,158.9 2.1 984 20 3.3 37

Minnesota

2,762.9 1.4 1,024 17 3.6 30

Mississippi

1,118.6 1.0 747 51 2.3 47

Missouri

2,709.8 1.5 891 32 3.4 34

Montana

442.2 0.5 794 48 4.5 5

Nebraska

958.1 1.4 837 42 5.2 3

Nevada

1,229.6 4.2 899 30 1.6 50

New Hampshire

638.0 1.4 1,081 10 6.3 2

New Jersey

3,933.6 1.3 1,211 5 2.0 49

New Mexico

808.4 1.3 850 40 4.4 10

New York

9,067.6 2.0 1,321 2 4.3 11

North Carolina

4,141.8 2.4 890 33 3.4 34

North Dakota

454.8 4.5 1,050 15 7.1 1

Ohio

5,264.3 1.6 922 27 3.9 22

Oklahoma

1,614.3 2.1 876 36 2.8 42

Oregon

1,755.4 3.2 928 23 3.8 25

Pennsylvania

5,716.5 1.2 1,013 18 3.7 28

Rhode Island

471.5 1.9 1,003 19 4.5 5

South Carolina

1,931.4 2.9 817 46 3.2 39

South Dakota

412.5 1.3 791 49 4.2 15

Tennessee

2,822.1 2.4 927 24 3.5 31

Texas

11,662.7 3.7 1,070 11 4.3 11

Utah

1,324.2 3.0 872 37 4.3 11

Vermont

311.0 0.7 882 34 4.1 17

Virginia

3,691.4 0.6 1,057 14 2.8 42

Washington

3,069.7 3.2 1,082 9 4.5 5

West Virginia

712.0 0.1 818 45 3.3 37

Wisconsin

2,789.3 1.3 894 31 3.4 34

Wyoming

283.6 1.5 952 22 3.9 22

Puerto Rico

944.2 -1.5 556 (3) 0.7 (3)

Virgin Islands

38.5 -0.3 746 (3) -1.2 (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.
 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Illinois, fourth quarter 2014

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, July 20, 2015