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News Release Information

21-1537-CHI
Thursday, September 23, 2021

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

County Employment and Wages in Indiana — First Quarter 2021

Employment declined in 7 of the 8 largest counties in Indiana 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 Jason Palmer noted that St. Joseph County and Lake County had the largest over-the-year decreases in employment at 5.3 percent and 4.9 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 eight largest counties in Indiana, employment was highest in Marion County (575,000) in March 2021. Within Marion County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the eight largest Indiana counties accounted for 51.2 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 84 counties in Indiana with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 83 of the 84 smaller counties were below the national average in the first quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wage gains were reported for 7 of the 8 large Indiana counties from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021. (See chart 2.) Elkhart County (+14.8 percent) was the only large county with a wage gain above the national rate of 5.6 percent. Tippecanoe County had an average weekly wage decline of 2.1 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

Average weekly wages in Marion County, at $1,326, were above the national average of $1,289 and ranked 71st nationwide in the first quarter of 2021. The remaining seven large counties had weekly wages below the national average, ranging from $1,210 in Hamilton County to $942 in Vanderburgh County.

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 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Indiana’s smaller counties

Among the 84 smaller counties in Indiana—those with employment below 75,000—Martin ($1,410) reported an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,289. Brown County ($569) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 92 counties in Indiana were considered, 10 reported average weekly wages of less than $700, 35 registered wages from $700 to $799, 21 had wages from $800 to $899, 15 had wages from $900 to $999, and 11 had average weekly wages of $1,000 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 eight largest counties in Indiana, first quarter 2021
AreaEstablishments,
first quarter 2021
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage 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)

10,755.4140,455.8-4.5--$1,289--5.6--

Indiana

176.22,956.4-2.5--1,026343.337

Allen

9.4183.4-2.1499792570.3310

Elkhart

4.9136.04.321,11816314.86

Hamilton

10.5142.3-1.3281,2101183.9183

Lake

10.7175.7-4.91809812553.3218

Marion

25.7575.0-3.51001,326714.0178

St. Joseph

6.0114.4-5.31989472884.8136

Tippecanoe

3.782.5-3.7111959273-2.1329

Vanderburgh

4.9103.0-3.1899422923.0232

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 Indiana, first quarter 2021
AreaEmployment March 2021Average weekly wage(1)

United States(2)

140,455,819$1,289

Indiana

2,956,3541,026

Adams

13,148763

Allen

183,448979

Bartholomew

47,5491,256

Benton

2,345775

Blackford

2,831746

Boone

37,004872

Brown

2,608569

Carroll

5,442768

Cass

13,895769

Clark

53,563846

Clay

7,360679

Clinton

10,688798

Crawford

1,811663

Daviess

11,975736

Dearborn

14,227786

Decatur

13,840891

De Kalb

21,2261,012

Delaware

42,706833

Dubois

27,310829

Elkhart

135,9831,118

Fayette

5,793775

Floyd

30,064856

Fountain

4,466719

Franklin

4,250658

Fulton

5,811762

Gibson

20,855942

Grant

26,148807

Greene

6,297706

Hamilton

142,2521,210

Hancock

25,172950

Harrison

9,804767

Hendricks

75,737808

Henry

12,580751

Howard

35,6231,029

Huntington

13,268764

Jackson

22,332885

Jasper

11,500777

Jay

6,664750

Jefferson

12,056798

Jennings

7,182753

Johnson

57,837796

Knox

16,884786

Kosciusko

36,0521,092

La Porte

37,469842

Lagrange

14,186936

Lake

175,679981

Lawrence

13,312829

Madison

38,396787

Marion

574,9531,326

Marshall

17,805786

Martin

7,8981,410

Miami

8,672772

Monroe

62,7721,029

Montgomery

14,490880

Morgan

15,197779

Newton

3,126795

Noble

17,010801

Ohio

1,033629

Orange

7,051694

Owen

5,013928

Parke

3,026670

Perry

6,172811

Pike

2,582994

Porter

56,970918

Posey

8,4161,183

Pulaski

4,614794

Putnam

12,322758

Randolph

6,584793

Ripley

11,884863

Rush

4,671759

St. Joseph

114,352947

Scott

7,846896

Shelby

16,794870

Spencer

6,005884

Starke

4,004625

Steuben

15,234779

Sullivan

5,391910

Switzerland

1,702642

Tippecanoe

82,500959

Tipton

5,270922

Union

1,250617

Vanderburgh

102,968942

Vermillion

4,0291,146

Vigo

44,698866

Wabash

11,612798

Warren

1,797860

Warrick

16,186945

Washington

5,743713

Wayne

28,441791

Wells

10,482775

White

8,920825

Whitley

12,860902

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
StateEstablishments,
first quarter 2021
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage 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)

10,755.4140,455.8-4.5$1,289--5.6--

Alabama

135.91,924.3-3.0996372.540

Alaska

23.3295.0-5.51,12523-0.648

Arizona

176.52,894.2-2.31,150214.817

Arkansas

95.31,194.2-2.0957433.730

California

1,651.416,507.7-5.91,623411.31

Colorado

224.72,634.7-3.51,335104.125

Connecticut

128.31,550.5-5.41,57554.719

Delaware

35.2425.6-4.11,264131.644

District of Columbia

44.0708.1-9.02,16618.74

Florida

780.88,701.9-3.11,104245.113

Georgia

329.24,393.8-2.61,198173.633

Hawaii

48.0564.4-14.11,091265.79

Idaho

74.2768.61.9906504.915

Illinois

390.05,559.6-5.51,38786.77

Indiana

176.22,956.4-2.51,026343.337

Iowa

105.11,473.6-3.31,004352.639

Kansas

90.41,335.4-3.3986391.943

Kentucky

130.71,835.2-2.5965412.342

Louisiana

141.51,787.6-5.9977401.046

Maine

56.2585.0-2.81,000364.719

Maryland

174.32,522.1-5.01,38698.55

Massachusetts

271.23,334.9-6.61,73237.86

Michigan

267.54,026.6-5.91,155204.817

Minnesota

189.72,695.4-5.11,290114.622

Mississippi

75.31,098.4-2.5811511.145

Missouri

221.82,705.5-3.01,055303.730

Montana

53.2465.20.1915485.410

Nebraska

73.4944.7-2.8990383.633

Nevada

92.81,291.5-8.41,080274.719

New Hampshire

56.8631.8-3.91,258155.410

New Jersey

297.03,818.6-5.51,53375.312

New Mexico

65.2774.5-7.4958423.828

New York

664.68,587.8-8.71,869210.42

North Carolina

302.74,423.2-1.71,137224.125

North Dakota

32.3388.7-6.11,03732-0.951

Ohio

310.15,136.8-3.91,098253.337

Oklahoma

114.41,549.7-3.793946-0.850

Oregon

169.41,841.9-5.21,172186.48

Pennsylvania

369.75,531.3-5.41,226164.323

Rhode Island

41.2447.8-5.61,171193.435

South Carolina

150.12,056.2-2.6957433.828

South Dakota

35.6417.1-0.9932473.435

Tennessee

180.22,968.7-2.11,077285.014

Texas

750.112,216.7-3.41,261142.441

Utah

117.31,548.81.51,065293.730

Vermont

27.0283.7-6.91,028334.915

Virginia

291.33,765.8-3.91,285124.224

Washington

261.23,252.0-5.11,54069.13

West Virginia

52.3648.6-3.8911490.847

Wisconsin

183.12,730.0-3.71,047313.927

Wyoming

27.8255.9-4.695345-0.648

Puerto Rico

47.1856.5-3.1562(3)2.0(3)

Virgin Islands

3.634.7-14.0961(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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 23, 2021