Employment rose in all eight large counties in Minnesota from September 2021 to September 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 Washington and Anoka County had the largest over-the-year increases in employment at 3.5 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 4.3 percent over the year, with 346 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orleans, LA, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 10.7 percent. Deschutes, OR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.4 percent.

Among the eight largest counties in Minnesota, employment was highest in Hennepin County (904,200) in September 2022. Within Hennepin County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the eight largest Minnesota counties accounted for 66.4 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 79 counties in Minnesota with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 79 small counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All eight large Minnesota counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Six counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 6.7 percent. Dakota County had the largest gain (+11.6 percent), followed by both St. Louis and Washington Counties (+10.5 percent each). Over-the-year wage gains among Minnesota’s other five large counties ranged from 9.1 percent to 2.8 percent.

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 345 had over-the-year wage increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.9 percent). San Mateo, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-19.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in 4 of the 8 largest counties in Minnesota were above the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. All four counties ranked among the top 100 nationwide: Hennepin ($1,631, 26^th), Ramsey ($1,400, 69^th), Olmsted ($1,347, 87^th), and Dakota ($1,335, 90^th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2022. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,061. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $812 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Minnesota’s smaller counties

Among the 79 smaller counties in Minnesota—those with employment below 75,000—Dodge County ($1,267) reported the highest average weekly wage in the state and Cass County ($787) reported the lowest.

When all 87 counties in Minnesota were considered, 18 reported average weekly wages of less than $900, 28 registered wages from $900 to $999, 29 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, and 12 had average weekly wages of $1,100 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 fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

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.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

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 eight largest counties in Minnesota, third quarter 2022

Area	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Third quarter 2022	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,608.9	151,239.6	4.3	--	$1,334	--	6.7	--
Minnesota	201.6	2,880.9	3.4	--	1,346	13	7.9	32
Anoka	8.5	130.0	3.4	158	1,252	142	2.8	334
Dakota	11.5	186.3	3.1	194	1,335	90	11.6	8
Hennepin	43.8	904.2	2.7	226	1,631	26	7.4	185
Olmsted	4.0	100.9	1.4	314	1,347	87	5.2	297
Ramsey	15.1	320.5	2.5	252	1,400	69	6.9	219
St. Louis	5.5	94.1	1.5	311	1,149	225	10.5	32
Stearns	4.6	85.0	2.8	220	1,158	210	9.1	90
Washington	6.7	92.4	3.5	150	1,120	243	10.5	32
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 Minnesota, third quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment September 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,608,876	151,239,638	$1,334
Minnesota	201,645	2,880,943	1,346
Aitkin	477	4,286	887
Anoka	8,464	129,979	1,252
Becker	1,127	15,082	937
Beltrami	1,308	20,466	993
Benton	1,043	18,106	1,060
Big Stone	214	1,664	965
Blue Earth	2,125	38,898	1,045
Brown	886	12,945	1,028
Carlton	783	13,208	1,086
Carver	2,773	40,652	1,253
Cass	959	10,972	787
Chippewa	425	5,257	954
Chisago	1,335	16,069	1,061
Clay	1,486	20,053	991
Clearwater	236	2,703	927
Cook	334	2,700	809
Cottonwood	440	5,932	884
Crow Wing	2,340	30,774	969
Dakota	11,475	186,307	1,335
Dodge	482	5,755	1,267
Douglas	1,463	19,357	1,046
Faribault	495	4,742	1,032
Fillmore	775	6,188	788
Freeborn	836	11,701	980
Goodhue	1,346	20,829	1,096
Grant	262	1,900	904
Hennepin	43,842	904,156	1,631
Houston	452	5,028	834
Hubbard	655	6,518	928
Isanti	941	11,330	955
Itasca	1,304	15,900	1,023
Jackson	359	4,807	939
Kanabec	347	4,055	977
Kandiyohi	1,450	22,673	972
Kittson	190	1,412	879
Koochiching	424	4,429	1,061
Lac qui Parle	241	2,174	872
Lake	358	3,804	985
Lake of the Woods	180	1,601	864
Le Sueur	774	8,718	1,031
Lincoln	228	1,551	804
Lyon	849	13,792	1,026
McLeod	1,011	15,501	1,057
Mahnomen	118	1,794	1,001
Marshall	344	2,429	1,048
Martin	696	8,093	1,008
Meeker	649	7,785	981
Mille Lacs	758	9,171	875
Morrison	1,082	10,534	885
Mower	887	16,269	1,091
Murray	330	2,852	888
Nicollet	826	15,969	1,050
Nobles	633	10,264	1,067
Norman	251	1,643	881
Olmsted	3,963	100,876	1,347
Otter Tail	1,898	22,850	932
Pennington	425	10,149	1,080
Pine	709	7,561	830
Pipestone	379	4,404	940
Polk	1,035	11,641	989
Pope	379	4,390	1,036
Ramsey	15,115	320,494	1,400
Red Lake	128	982	813
Redwood	579	6,043	963
Renville	587	5,629	982
Rice	1,742	25,079	1,059
Rock	322	3,613	959
Roseau	468	7,766	1,050
St. Louis	5,534	94,091	1,149
Scott	3,864	60,122	1,144
Sherburne	2,395	27,227	1,081
Sibley	420	4,410	971
Stearns	4,604	85,023	1,158
Steele	1,112	19,158	1,047
Stevens	379	5,535	1,112
Swift	349	3,540	1,005
Todd	628	6,583	992
Traverse	157	1,104	855
Wabasha	590	6,641	856
Wadena	460	5,666	921
Waseca	564	5,729	982
Washington	6,657	92,432	1,120
Watonwan	341	4,365	912
Wilkin	203	1,702	1,061
Winona	1,228	23,777	1,007
Wright	3,754	46,835	1,046
Yellow Medicine	377	3,674	934
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, third quarter 2022

State	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2021–22	Third quarter 2022	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2021–22	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,608.9	151,239.6	4.3	$1,334	--	6.7	--
Alabama	150.1	2,031.6	3.2	1,120	35	9.1	9
Alaska	24.9	325.2	2.5	1,304	15	8.2	29
Arizona	205.4	3,080.6	3.9	1,251	20	7.7	36
Arkansas	100.1	1,262.1	4.4	1,036	50	7.5	38
California	1,741.3	18,051.1	4.9	1,601	5	1.5	50
Colorado	247.1	2,813.9	3.3	1,432	8	8.5	22
Connecticut	140.6	1,652.8	2.8	1,491	6	6.5	42
Delaware	39.7	465.7	5.1	1,292	18	8.4	25
District of Columbia	49.0	756.6	2.7	2,134	1	4.5	48
Florida	860.6	9,417.2	5.6	1,220	23	9.0	11
Georgia	378.4	4,726.4	5.1	1,255	19	8.5	22
Hawaii	52.8	623.2	4.5	1,208	24	5.1	46
Idaho	86.7	834.7	3.8	1,063	45	11.5	1
Illinois	410.9	5,982.2	3.9	1,361	12	6.9	40
Indiana	188.3	3,140.6	3.9	1,123	34	8.6	19
Iowa	111.1	1,541.1	1.9	1,118	36	10.1	3
Kansas	95.6	1,401.3	3.7	1,085	41	8.8	15
Kentucky	142.9	1,941.5	3.8	1,082	43	9.4	6
Louisiana	150.7	1,866.3	4.5	1,103	39	8.2	29
Maine	62.2	637.7	2.5	1,117	37	8.4	25
Maryland	188.3	2,669.1	2.5	1,418	9	7.9	32
Massachusetts	292.6	3,628.8	3.6	1,651	3	3.6	49
Michigan	296.0	4,334.0	3.5	1,236	21	7.2	39
Minnesota	201.6	2,880.9	3.4	1,346	13	7.9	32
Mississippi	81.5	1,151.8	2.4	933	51	8.7	17
Missouri	236.9	2,849.2	3.2	1,149	31	8.9	14
Montana	61.2	505.5	3.9	1,059	46	10.0	4
Nebraska	80.5	989.2	2.4	1,117	37	9.9	5
Nevada	107.0	1,496.1	7.5	1,205	26	6.2	43
New Hampshire	63.8	677.3	3.4	1,365	11	1.2	51
New Jersey	320.9	4,176.5	5.0	1,461	7	5.6	44
New Mexico	70.9	838.1	3.5	1,087	40	9.1	9
New York	683.2	9,355.0	4.8	1,608	4	4.8	47
North Carolina	348.9	4,737.5	4.9	1,207	25	8.5	22
North Dakota	34.5	419.8	2.9	1,190	28	10.7	2
Ohio	328.9	5,402.7	2.9	1,187	29	8.1	31
Oklahoma	123.9	1,646.6	3.8	1,047	48	8.6	19
Oregon	179.5	1,932.6	1.1	1,301	16	6.6	41
Pennsylvania	390.7	5,913.7	3.8	1,296	17	7.6	37
Rhode Island	46.5	487.3	3.1	1,225	22	8.3	27
South Carolina	166.6	2,200.9	4.7	1,079	44	9.4	6
South Dakota	39.1	448.5	2.9	1,052	47	9.0	11
Tennessee	204.0	3,202.4	5.1	1,198	27	7.9	32
Texas	805.5	13,371.1	5.9	1,333	14	8.6	19
Utah	134.1	1,663.9	4.4	1,186	30	9.0	11
Vermont	30.8	300.6	2.4	1,142	32	7.9	32
Virginia	330.1	3,979.4	3.4	1,380	10	9.3	8
Washington	235.3	3,572.9	4.4	1,657	2	5.2	45
West Virginia	56.8	678.8	1.9	1,042	49	8.3	27
Wisconsin	200.7	2,899.1	2.8	1,140	33	8.7	17
Wyoming	29.9	278.2	2.3	1,083	42	8.8	15
Puerto Rico	50.0	924.6	3.9	616	(3)	8.5	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.7	34.3	-1.0	1,030	(3)	9.2	(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.