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News Release Information

22-2355-CHI
Thursday, January 05, 2023

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

County Employment and Wages in Iowa — Second Quarter 2022

Employment rose in the four largest counties in Iowa from June 2021 to June 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that Polk County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 3.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)


National employment increased 4.0 percent over the year, with 338 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orange, FL, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 9.7 percent. Kanawha, WV, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 1.0 percent.

Among the four largest counties in Iowa, employment was highest in Polk County (307,200) in June 2022. Within Polk County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the four largest Iowa counties accounted for 39.0 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 95 counties in Iowa with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in the 95 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,294 in the second quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All four large Iowa counties reported average weekly wage gains from the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Three counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 4.3 percent. Linn County had the largest gain (+6.3 percent), followed by Scott County (+5.1 percent) and Polk County (+4.8 percent).


Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 340 had over-the-year wage increases. Saratoga, NY, had the largest percentage wage increase (+16.3 percent). Benton, AR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-16.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the four largest counties in Iowa were below the national average of $1,294 in the second quarter of 2022. Polk County's average weekly wage of $1,244 ranked 120th among the 355 largest U.S. counties. Weekly wages in Linn County ($1,187) and Johnson County ($1,134) ranked 158th and 198th, respectively.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2022. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,262. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $767 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Iowa’s smaller counties

Among the 95 smaller counties in Iowa—those with employment below 75,000—all reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,294. Dallas County ($1,273) reported the highest average weekly wage in the state and Decatur County ($753) reported the lowest.

When all 99 counties in Iowa were considered, 21 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 22 registered wages from $850 to $899, 30 had wages from $900 to $949, and 26 had average weekly wages of $950 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 third quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Improved Usability of QCEW State and Local Government Employment and Wages

With the Second Quarter 2022 QCEW data released December 6th, 2022, state and local government employment and wage measures include data for some states that were previously suppressed for confidentiality reasons. Publication of these data is possible because state and local government employment and wages are fully disclosable by law in many states. The improved data account for an employment of about 4.2 million in June 2022. Suppressed data were always included in totals and do not represent an increase in employment.

More information is available on the website about the improved usability of state and local government data.


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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the four largest counties in Iowa, second quarter 2022
AreaEstablishments,
second quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
June
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Second quarter
2022
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
second quarter
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,460.8149,902.04.0--$1,294--4.3--

Iowa

110.21,555.31.7--1,057405.822

Johnson

5.082.11.92531,1341982.4300

Linn

7.6128.81.82651,1871586.385

Polk

20.0307.23.31561,2441204.8166

Scott

6.189.11.92531,0162995.1144

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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Iowa, second quarter 2022
AreaEstablishmentsEmployment June 2022Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,460,819149,901,995$1,294

Iowa

110,1921,555,2531,057

Adair

3313,001919

Adams

1621,308855

Allamakee

4615,004805

Appanoose

3844,705811

Audubon

2311,800857

Benton

6986,040850

Black Hawk

3,91972,1331,044

Boone

7498,944911

Bremer

7259,993909

Buchanan

6366,865846

Buena Vista

65210,853933

Butler

4343,960914

Calhoun

3332,884908

Carroll

97811,344847

Cass

5625,902853

Cedar

6005,185876

Cerro Gordo

1,67023,560961

Cherokee

4494,935879

Chickasaw

4455,120941

Clarke

2524,648867

Clay

7478,588917

Clayton

6316,505905

Clinton

1,48519,901917

Crawford

5226,594885

Dallas

3,25150,3711,273

Davis

2502,168918

Decatur

2272,344753

Delaware

6286,791935

Des Moines

1,40220,081937

Dickinson

93411,671781

Dubuque

3,62358,4061,010

Emmet

3343,525846

Fayette

6947,006826

Floyd

4785,769985

Franklin

3813,925941

Fremont

2922,246853

Greene

3323,315962

Grundy

3874,386968

Guthrie

3803,167926

Hamilton

4825,720902

Hancock

3846,2521,000

Hardin

6666,696886

Harrison

4694,159866

Henry

6228,935903

Howard

3364,351870

Humboldt

3663,704925

Ida

3023,797964

Iowa

6839,162928

Jackson

6996,119785

Jasper

99010,415845

Jefferson

8397,381992

Johnson

4,97682,1121,134

Jones

6586,152866

Keokuk

3312,254835

Kossuth

6526,635906

Lee

1,07414,112994

Linn

7,649128,8211,187

Louisa

2823,847886

Lucas

2593,834825

Lyon

5404,671796

Madison

5604,260819

Mahaska

6528,018941

Marion

1,05819,2261,068

Marshall

1,05815,835975

Mills

4303,545949

Mitchell

3804,100970

Monona

3052,642778

Monroe

2453,6441,140

Montgomery

3954,172885

Muscatine

1,25122,3851,129

O'Brien

6176,546836

Osceola

2742,578857

Page

4896,517889

Palo Alto

3433,653805

Plymouth

86912,0011,075

Pocahontas

2843,082924

Polk

19,983307,1831,244

Pottawattamie

2,70239,252967

Poweshiek

7169,7681,040

Ringgold

1871,387799

Sac

3963,120875

Scott

6,05289,1341,016

Shelby

4475,616918

Sioux

1,57322,358930

Story

2,99346,3261,142

Tama

4555,420858

Taylor

2001,945871

Union

4615,897872

Van Buren

2211,944827

Wapello

87915,218942

Warren

1,29212,921906

Washington

8348,453822

Wayne

1812,028919

Webster

1,19217,7401,015

Winnebago

3994,190855

Winneshiek

76910,258901

Woodbury

3,30351,283939

Worth

2372,269827

Wright

4805,875974

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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, second quarter 2022
StateEstablishments,
second quarter
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
June
2021–22
Second quarter
2022
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
second quarter
2021–22
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,460.8149,902.04.0$1,294--4.3--

Alabama

147.82,007.02.11,069376.216

Alaska

24.4329.54.41,237174.736

Arizona

199.82,962.13.31,220215.822

Arkansas

98.51,240.42.8997492.447

California

1,706.117,915.35.61,5724-0.651

Colorado

242.32,838.54.11,36196.216

Connecticut

137.61,654.73.11,45863.542

Delaware

39.1456.42.51,227185.822

District of Columbia

48.2747.63.22,13912.048

Florida

858.79,126.75.01,186226.510

Georgia

369.24,669.64.91,221207.25

Hawaii

51.6612.63.41,152263.244

Idaho

83.2824.22.71,009488.51

Illinois

408.05,959.33.71,325115.229

Indiana

184.63,087.82.51,083356.98

Iowa

110.21,555.31.71,057405.822

Kansas

93.81,381.21.51,039444.638

Kentucky

140.91,886.91.81,070367.17

Louisiana

149.91,837.01.21,067386.510

Maine

61.6637.61.91,086348.03

Maryland

184.92,640.31.51,37884.638

Massachusetts

288.53,654.34.31,63722.846

Michigan

289.64,326.63.71,183233.542

Minnesota

197.82,876.62.01,289134.040

Mississippi

79.51,136.62.4887515.328

Missouri

231.62,852.03.31,106325.132

Montana

59.4504.82.71,028457.44

Nebraska

79.9988.51.21,060396.313

Nevada

106.91,462.47.81,163245.229

New Hampshire

62.4671.92.01,349100.450

New Jersey

321.74,221.95.81,44073.841

New Mexico

69.6822.43.61,040435.525

New York

672.29,341.55.11,58733.145

North Carolina

344.04,695.04.01,160256.313

North Dakota

33.9416.92.31,131306.019

Ohio

322.75,404.12.61,127315.426

Oklahoma

121.91,610.42.51,016465.426

Oregon

176.71,956.62.71,253154.835

Pennsylvania

387.95,901.33.91,252164.934

Rhode Island

45.7488.63.31,227185.033

South Carolina

162.72,170.73.51,043426.89

South Dakota

38.4454.02.6997496.510

Tennessee

201.03,151.94.71,152265.229

Texas

796.913,135.75.21,284146.118

Utah

130.31,644.03.71,137287.25

Vermont

29.9297.71.21,135298.12

Virginia

320.63,949.12.41,316124.736

Washington

264.93,547.24.71,56951.649

West Virginia

56.5672.11.21,013476.019

Wisconsin

197.92,897.01.61,097335.921

Wyoming

29.5280.61.61,048416.313

Puerto Rico

49.2910.14.8597(3)5.3(3)

Virgin Islands

3.633.7-5.21,014(3)9.1(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, January 05, 2023