For Release: Tuesday, April 08, 2014

14-584-KAN

MOUNTAIN-PLAINS INFORMATION OFFICE: Kansas City, Mo.
Technical information: (816) 285-7000 BLSInfoKansasCity@bls.gov www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains
Media contact: (816) 285-7000

County Employment and Wages in Missouri – Third Quarter 2013

Employment rose in the seven largest counties in Missouri from September 2012 to September 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2012 annual average employment. The independent city of St. Louis has been designated a county by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.) Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that Boone County reported the largest increase at 2.6 percent followed by St. Charles, 2.3 percent. These two counties registered employment gains that exceeded the national average of 1.7 percent.

Nationally, employment increased in 286 of the 334 largest U.S. counties from September 2012 to September 2013. Fort Bend, Texas, posted the largest increase with a gain of 6.0 percent over the year. Peoria, Ill., experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 3.7 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in Missouri, employment was highest in St. Louis County (573,900) in September 2013. Two other counties, Jackson and St. Louis City, had employment levels exceeding 200,000. Together, Missouri’s seven large counties accounted for 60.7 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages increased in all but one of the large counties in Missouri from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013. Wages in Clay County experienced the largest growth (5.1 percent) followed by Greene and Jackson (2.9 percent each). Nationally, average weekly wages increased 1.9 percent during the year ending in the third quarter of 2013. St. Louis City had the highest average weekly wage among the largest counties in the state at $1,000, followed by St. Louis ($958) and Jackson ($944). Average weekly wages in these three counties exceeded the national average of $922. Greene County recorded the lowest average weekly wage at $712. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 108 counties in Missouri with employment below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Six of the seven large counties in Missouri recorded wage gains from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013, with three counties posting increases greater than the U.S. average of 1.9 percent. (See table 1.) As mentioned, Clay County had the largest wage gain (5.1 percent), placing 9th in the national ranking, and Greene and Jackson (2.9 percent each) ranked 51st. Boone (1.6 percent, 172nd) and St. Charles and St. Louis City (0.8 percent each, 236th) also registered wage increases while average weekly wages in St. Louis County decreased 0.8 percent and ranked 316th.

Among the 334 largest counties, 291 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest wage gain at 9.9 percent. Forty of the 334 largest counties experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages, with Pinellas, Fla., reporting the largest percentage decrease with a loss of 4.3 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Three of the state’s large counties had average weekly wage levels that placed in the top 100 among the 334 largest counties in the United States in the third quarter of 2013. Average wages in St. Louis City ($1,000) and St. Louis County ($958) ranked 64th and 81st, respectively. Jackson County’s average weekly wage of $944 was also above the national average of $922 and ranked 90th. The wage levels in Missouri’s four other large counties were below average with St. Charles and Greene ranking among the lowest 10 percent in the nation.

Nationally, weekly wages were higher than average in 101 of the 334 largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,868. San Mateo, Calif., was second at $1,698, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,667).

Among the 232 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2013, 3 had wages below $600. Horry, S.C. ($564) reported the lowest wage, followed by Cameron, Texas ($587) and Hidalgo, Texas ($595).

Average weekly wages in Missouri’s smaller counties

Of the 108 counties in Missouri with employment below 75,000, Ralls recorded the highest average weekly wage at $758 followed by Platte at $754. Shannon County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state with an average of $379 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

When all 115 counties in Missouri were considered, all but 3 had wages below the national average of $922. Twenty-eight reported average weekly wages under $500, 50 reported wages from $500 to $599, 24 had wages from $600 to $699, and 13 had wages of $700 and above. (See chart 1.) Of the 13 counties with wages of $700 or higher, six were located in the major metropolitan areas of Kansas City and St. Louis.

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 2012 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2013, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2013 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2012 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2012/home.htm . The 2013 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2014.

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.

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 9.3 million employer reports cover 135.0 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.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 7 largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013
Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 7 largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013
AreaEmploymentAverage Weekly Wage (1)
September 2013 (thousands)Percent change, September 2012-13 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, third quarter 2012-13 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States (4)

134957.51.7--$922--1.9--

Missouri

2661.01.3--805321.440

Boone, Mo.

89.82.6777482841.6172

Clay, Mo.

90.71.51628431775.19

Greene, Mo.

156.11.31877123132.951

Jackson, Mo.

348.91.0214944902.951

St. Charles, Mo.

131.52.3977283040.8236

St. Louis City, Mo.

223.20.72391,000640.8236

St. Louis, Mo.

573.91.219495881-0.8316

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

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

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013
AreaEmployment September 2013Average weekly wage (1) AreaEmployment September 2013Average weekly wage (1)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States (2)

134,957,493$922    

Missouri

2,661,021805 Linn3,945583

Adair

10,080569 Livingston6,155585

Andrew

2,500520 McDonald6,882554

Atchison

1,716490 Macon4,912534

Audrain

9,237621 Madison3,713505

Barry

13,702710 Maries1,487596

Barton

3,334519 Marion13,404614

Bates

3,553518 Mercer1,726637

Benton

3,526500 Miller6,311555

Bollinger

1,874418 Mississippi4,205530

Boone

89,809748 Moniteau3,993535

Buchanan

46,714725 Monroe1,960521

Butler

18,677594 Montgomery2,906545

Caldwell

1,489543 Morgan4,090468

Callaway

14,395696 New Madrid7,262669

Camden

16,872533 Newton17,794601

Cape Girardeau

40,703697 Nodaway8,060585

Carroll

2,312544 Oregon2,410422

Carter

1,492446 Osage3,317533

Cass

23,769586 Ozark1,484398

Cedar

3,223479 Pemiscot5,939549

Chariton

1,802516 Perry9,587619

Christian

15,993531 Pettis18,966585

Clark

1,506467 Phelps17,365657

Clay

90,723843 Pike6,027548

Clinton

3,831550 Platte39,364754

Cole

51,347735 Polk7,758606

Cooper

5,209566 Pulaski13,737621

Crawford

6,608617 Putnam1,046484

Dade

1,625494 Ralls3,549758

Dallas

2,411431 Randolph9,553633

Daviess

1,581484 Ray4,121581

De Kalb

3,398549 Reynolds1,563416

Dent

4,113555 Ripley3,069443

Douglas

2,176467 St. Charles131,480728

Dunklin

9,916482 St. Clair1,666460

Franklin

36,552694 Ste. Genevieve5,466717

Gasconade

5,155526 St. Francois22,471541

Gentry

2,257487 St. Louis573,871958

Greene

156,065712 Saline9,009593

Grundy

3,539601 Schuyler616488

Harrison

2,430488 Scotland1,187533

Henry

7,389624 Scott15,108596

Hickory

1,267419 Shannon1,562379

Holt

1,362529 Shelby1,742492

Howard

2,453469 Stoddard10,175573

Howell

15,025570 Stone5,238490

Iron

3,580683 Sullivan2,278625

Jackson

348,929944 Taney29,894533

Jasper

59,492687 Texas6,015519

Jefferson

46,765611 Vernon7,008622

Johnson

15,440618 Warren7,018597

Knox

1,113466 Washington4,989503

Laclede

12,052573 Wayne2,704417

Lafayette

8,521543 Webster6,371546

Lawrence

8,757601 Worth487434

Lewis

2,564525 Wright4,236502

Lincoln

10,146649 St. Louis City223,2411,000

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

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: Covered employment and wages 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, third quarter 2013
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2013
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage(1)
September 2013 (thousands)Percent change, September 2012-13Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, third quarter 2012-13National ranking by percent change
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States(2)

134957.51.7$922--1.9--

Alabama

1847.60.8794341.343

Alaska

345.00.499093.07

Arizona

2490.92.2859221.536

Arkansas

1156.50.1723472.121

California

15526.42.71,05762.121

Colorado

2355.73.1952121.731

Connecticut

1650.30.71,10931.928

Delaware

416.82.1941142.121

District of Columbia

726.21.51,56013.07

Florida

7501.82.6808311.146

Georgia

3928.22.3867211.536

Hawaii

617.71.7839251.633

Idaho

644.72.3703502.319

Illinois

5731.70.7959111.536

Indiana

2883.61.2784381.633

Iowa

1512.01.5772402.121

Kansas

1347.61.8776392.026

Kentucky

1794.51.0760431.146

Louisiana

1893.41.4827282.910

Maine

601.50.7735461.830

Maryland

2546.40.61,01180.451

Massachusetts

3318.31.21,13122.611

Michigan

4069.72.1875201.536

Minnesota

2724.21.7938152.611

Mississippi

1099.10.8688512.515

Missouri

2661.01.3805321.440

Montana

446.71.2705492.319

Nebraska

937.51.3766413.43

Nevada

1169.42.5836272.026

New Hampshire

624.50.6895182.417

New Jersey

3851.91.21,06851.343

New Mexico

793.70.5766410.749

New York

8724.81.31,10841.731

North Carolina

4006.41.7817301.440

North Dakota

436.73.4921165.51

Ohio

5147.51.4837261.245

Oklahoma

1572.61.4797332.417

Oregon

1709.82.4856232.611

Pennsylvania

5622.40.3913171.633

Rhode Island

465.21.3878192.611

South Carolina

1859.32.3751441.928

South Dakota

408.90.9706483.43

Tennessee

2712.81.5819290.650

Texas

11091.92.8952122.515

Utah

1265.52.9791363.16

Vermont

302.50.0788373.43

Virginia

3650.10.6971101.146

Washington

3017.92.41,04472.121

West Virginia

710.3-0.7751443.72

Wisconsin

2752.71.1793353.07

Wyoming

286.10.2840241.440

Puerto Rico

910.9-2.5501(3)-0.6(3)

Virgin Islands

37.9-1.9706(3)-0.6(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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (OCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.
 

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

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages for counties in Missouri, third quarter 2013