For Release: Monday, October 24, 2016

16-1793-CHI

MIDWEST INFORMATION OFFICE: Chicago, Ill.
Technical information: (312) 353-1880 BLSInfoChicago@bls.gov www.bls.gov/regions/midwest
Media contact: (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in Ohio — First Quarter 2016

All 13 large counties in Ohio reported employment gains 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.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that Warren County had the largest increase, up 3.9 percent, followed by Butler County, up 3.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from March 2015 to March 2016 as 318 of the 344 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Williamson, Tenn., had the largest percentage increase with a gain of 7.9 percent over the year. Midland, Texas, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest U.S. counties, with a loss of 9.0 percent.

Among the 13 largest counties in Ohio, employment was highest in Franklin County (724,200) and Cuyahoga County (707,500) in March 2016. Four other counties—Hamilton (501,200), Summit (261,100), Montgomery (251,500), and Lucas (207,500)—had employment levels of more than 200,000. Collectively, Ohio's 13 large counties accounted for 65.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 344 largest counties made up 72.6 percent of total U.S. employment in March 2016.

Average weekly wages declined in 7 of the 13 largest counties in Ohio from the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016. Stark County had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, down 4.5 percent (See table 1.) Hamilton County recorded the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties at $1,106, followed by Delaware County at $1,096. Nationally, the average weekly wage decreased 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 75 counties in Ohio with employment levels below 75,000. Wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average in the first quarter of 2016. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

In addition to Stark County’s 4.5-percent decline in average weekly wages from the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016, five other large counties in the state had wage declines greater than the national decrease of 0.5 percent. Four of Ohio’s large counties registered wage increases over the year. Wages in Summit County increased 1.0 percent, the highest of the four and ranked 98th among the nation’s 344 large counties. (See table 1.)

Among the 344 largest U.S. counties, 167 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2016. McLean, Ill., had the largest percentage decline in average weekly wages with a loss of 13.3 percent. Nationally, 164 large counties experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Clayton, Ga., had the largest percentage increase in average weekly wages with a gain of 15.5 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

As noted, Hamilton County ($1,106) had the highest average weekly wage in the state and ranked 69th among the 344 largest U.S. counties. Delaware County ($1,096, 72nd) and Cuyahoga County ($1,048, 90th) also had average weekly wages above the national average of $1,043. Mahoning ($683, 335th) had the lowest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties.

Nationally, weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average of $1,043 in 91 of the 344 largest counties. New York, N.Y., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,783. Santa Clara, Calif., was second at $2,210, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($2,195); San Francisco, Calif. ($2,054); and Somerset, N.J. ($2,022). Among the 253 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2016, Horry, S.C. ($587) reported the lowest wage.

Average weekly wages in Ohio’s smaller counties

All 75 counties in Ohio with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average of $1,043. Among these smaller counties, Union had the highest average weekly wage at $1,021, while Meigs had the lowest at $541. (See table 2.)

When all 88 counties in Ohio were considered, all but 3 had wages below the national average. Four reported average weekly wages less than $600, 33 had wages from $600 to $699, 32 reported wages from $700 to $799, 9 had wages from $800 to $899, and 10 had wages of $900 or more. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

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

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2016 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

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.

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.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 13 largest counties in Ohio, first quarter 2016
Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 13 largest counties in Ohio, first quarter 2016
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
March 2016 (thousands)Percent change, March 2015-16 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, first quarter 2015-16 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States (4)

140,070.82.0--$1,043---0.5--

Ohio

5,236.21.8--91324-0.830

Butler, Ohio

147.93.644900182-0.1177

Cuyahoga, Ohio

707.50.92731,04890-2.0270

Delaware, Ohio

82.73.3631,096720.0165

Franklin, Ohio

724.23.1781,041930.1155

Hamilton, Ohio

501.21.62111,10669-1.1224

Lake, Ohio

93.30.82838332530.0165

Lorain, Ohio

95.31.0263782297-2.7297

Lucas, Ohio

207.52.41308861970.5129

Mahoning, Ohio

96.60.2314683335-2.6295

Montgomery, Ohio

251.52.4130843243-1.3239

Stark, Ohio

155.90.6295726325-4.5325

Summit, Ohio

261.10.62959461541.098

Warren, Ohio

88.83.9319121740.2147

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.
 

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 Ohio, first quarter 2016
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Ohio, first quarter 2016
AreaEmployment March 2016Average weekly wage (1)
 
 
 
- Continued

United States (2)

140,070,814$1,043

Ohio

5,236,188913

Adams

6,007648

Allen

49,030783

Ashland

18,397685

Ashtabula

29,681648

Athens

20,998730

Auglaize

20,925750

Belmont

22,674698

Brown

8,020630

Butler

147,916900

Carroll

6,442651

Champaign

10,618720

Clark

47,422709

Clermont

57,654795

Clinton

16,614797

Columbiana

29,353649

Coshocton

10,329711

Crawford

13,317668

Cuyahoga

707,4671,048

Darke

18,084698

Defiance

15,581832

Delaware

82,7261,096

Erie

34,296709

Fairfield

42,113652

Fayette

11,664623

Franklin

724,1861,041

Fulton

18,263718

Gallia

10,765666

Geauga

33,036743

Greene

71,204944

Guernsey

14,979706

Hamilton

501,2011,106

Hancock

44,6441,011

Hardin

8,519647

Harrison

3,660700

Henry

10,672719

Highland

10,394589

Hocking

6,760592

Holmes

19,225629

Huron

20,217692

Jackson

9,932640

Jefferson

20,491735

Knox

20,165705

Lake

93,304833

Lawrence

12,601636

Licking

52,856757

Logan

19,290787

Lorain

95,348782

Lucas

207,540886

Madison

16,688765

Mahoning

96,581683

Marion

23,959711

Medina

58,894773

Meigs

3,435541

Mercer

19,510664

Miami

39,868730

Monroe

2,698572

Montgomery

251,545843

Morgan

2,623638

Morrow

5,523685

Muskingum

32,209696

Noble

3,100689

Ottawa

12,220842

Paulding

4,845676

Perry

5,652616

Pickaway

13,326759

Pike

9,441889

Portage

54,263776

Preble

10,360666

Putnam

11,487650

Richland

50,169667

Ross

27,407789

Sandusky

25,286715

Scioto

23,648640

Seneca

19,235647

Shelby

27,069856

Stark

155,854726

Summit

261,126946

Trumbull

68,705780

Tuscarawas

35,490670

Union

31,0271,021

Van Wert

10,738667

Vinton

2,223653

Warren

88,755912

Washington

24,721806

Wayne

45,796731

Williams

17,250721

Wood

64,249842

Wyandot

9,055718

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
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, first quarter 2016
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
March 2016 (thousands)Percent change, March 2015-16Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, first quarter 2015-16National ranking by percent change
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States (2)

140,070.82.01043---0.5--

Alabama

1,902.61.684237-0.222

Alaska

317.6-1.4102815-243

Arizona

2,679.82.891823-0.830

Arkansas

1,191.12.1793450.513

California

16,455.52.612066020

Colorado

2,514.62.4105713-1.336

Connecticut

1,650.60.613623-1.438

Delaware

429.71.5107210-348

District of Columbia

749.62.0176610.414

Florida

8,301.83.5887270.218

Georgia

4,215.13.01008171.92

Hawaii

645.11.4896261.73

Idaho

670.43.572550-1.539

Illinois

5,800.61.211267-0.528

Indiana

2,949.51.985333-0.528

Iowa

1,518.20.984436-0.427

Kansas

1,362.30.483338-243

Kentucky

1,843.91.9823410.119

Louisiana

1,910.5-0.886032-2.647

Maine

580.51.8804441.18

Maryland

2,591.71.911039-0.830

Massachusetts

3,414.82.113274-133

Michigan

4,163.72.1976200.711

Minnesota

2,750.11.5106512-1.234

Mississippi

1,121.01.7713510.414

Missouri

2,729.51.987929-0.325

Montana

447.81.8751490.316

Nebraska

956.61.481742020

Nevada

1,264.13.0875301.25

New Hampshire

635.11.9998181.64

New Jersey

3,909.72.412685-1.741

New Mexico

800.40.079246-1.640

New York

9,042.22.014562-0.325

North Carolina

4,220.33.092822-0.222

North Dakota

409.4-6.290825-7.651

Ohio

5,236.21.891324-0.830

Oklahoma

1,578.6-0.983338-4.149

Oregon

1,808.23.2929211.25

Pennsylvania

5,662.21.1101216-1.942

Rhode Island

464.61.998519-2.246

South Carolina

1,974.62.7806430.810

South Dakota

410.50.9771481.25

Tennessee

2,859.23.3887270.316

Texas

11,638.70.7106611-2.145

Utah

1,369.23.8849350.612

Vermont

304.60.18324019

Virginia

3,748.12.6105713-1.234

Washington

3,147.73.11121831

West Virginia

683.9-1.278247-1.336

Wisconsin

2,771.41.387530-0.222

Wyoming

267.9-3.785034-4.750

Puerto Rico

895.2-1.2520(3)-0.4(3)

Virgin Islands

38.60.4769(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.
 

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 Ohio, first quarter 2016