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County Employment and Wages in North Dakota — Third Quarter 2022
Employment rose 2.7 percent in North Dakota’s only large county, Cass, 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 in September 2022, Cass County’s employment level was 125,100. (See 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.
Cass County’s employment accounted for 29.8 percent of total employment within the state in September 2022. Within the county’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. 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 52 counties in North Dakota with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 45 of the 52 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changes
Cass County’s 9.4-percent wage growth from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022 was higher than the national rate of 6.7 percent and ranked 74th nationally. 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
Cass County’s $1,213 average weekly was below the national average of $1,334 and ranked 176th among the 355 large U.S. counties in the third quarter of 2022. 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 North Dakota’s smaller counties
Among the 52 smaller counties in North Dakota—those with employment below 75,000—McKenzie ($1,715) reported the highest average weekly wage, while Sheridan County ($621) reported the state’s lowest.
When all 53 counties in North Dakota were considered, 11 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 19 registered wages from $850 to $999, 11 had wages from $1,000 to $1,149, and 12 had average weekly wages of $1,150 or higher. (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. 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.
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 largest county in North Dakota, third quarter 2022
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 North Dakota, third quarter 2022
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
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 North Dakota, third quarter 2022
United States Department of Labor
