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News Release Information

21-454-KAN
Friday, March 19, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

County Employment and Wages in Missouri — Third Quarter 2020

Employment fell in all seven of the largest counties in Missouri from September 2019 to September 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2019. The independent city of St. Louis has been designated as a county-equivalent entity for the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.) Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that St. Louis City (-9.2 percent) and St. Louis County (-7.1 percent) had the largest over-the-year rate declines in employment in Missouri. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Missouri, September 2020

National employment decreased 6.8 percent over the year, with 355 of the 357 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Maui + Kalawao, HI, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 35.4 percent. Utah, UT, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment with a gain of 1.9 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in Missouri, employment was highest in St. Louis County (566,000) in September 2020. Within St. Louis County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the seven largest Missouri counties accounted for 61.0 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 357 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 108 counties in Missouri with employment below 75,000 in 2019. Wage levels in all of the smaller counties were below the national average in the third quarter of 2020. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All seven large Missouri counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020. (See chart 2.) Two counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 7.4 percent. Boone County had the largest gain (+12.3 percent), followed by Clay County (+8.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Missouri’s other five large counties ranged from 6.8 percent to 3.2 percent.

  Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2020

Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 350 had over-the-year wage increases. Nationally, the increases in average weekly wages largely reflect substantial employment loss among lower-paid industries. Employment declines occurring in some higher-paid industries also feature significant wage increases. San Mateo, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+23.2 percent). Seven large counties had wage declines during the period. Ector, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-11.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the two large counties in Missouri were above the national average of $1,173 in the third quarter of 2020. Average weekly wages in St. Louis City ($1,211, 87th) and St. Louis County ($1,194, 89th) ranked among the top 100 nationwide.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 96 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2020. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $2,922. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in 261 counties. At $697 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Missouri’s smaller counties

All 108 smaller counties in Missouri—those with employment below 75,000—reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,173. Among the smaller counties, Platte County ($987) recorded the highest weekly wage, while Ripley County ($476) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 115 counties in Missouri were considered, 9 reported average weekly wages of less than $550, 29 registered wages from $550 to $649, 40 had wages from $650 to $749, 23 had wages from $750 to $849, and 14 had average weekly wages of $850 or higher. (See chart 3.) The southern counties in Missouri had the highest concentration of lower wages.

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. The 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2021.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 2, 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 seven largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2020
Area Establishments,
third quarter 2020
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2020
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2019–20 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Third quarter
2020
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
third quarter
2019–20 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

10,561.3 138,549.5 -6.8 -- $1,173 -- 7.4 --

Missouri

218.8 2,681.7 -5.1 -- 995 32 5.6 38

Boone

5.0 91.2 -4.4 71 1,006 222 12.3 16

Clay

6.1 102.3 -3.9 51 998 230 8.4 103

Greene

9.7 164.6 -3.5 44 896 323 6.8 202

Jackson

23.4 351.8 -6.3 175 1,132 120 5.7 263

St. Charles

10.2 150.7 -2.1 14 920 307 6.7 209

St. Louis City

15.8 209.6 -9.2 297 1,211 87 3.2 336

St. Louis

42.5 566.0 -7.1 208 1,194 89 5.5 271

(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: 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 Missouri, 3rd quarter 2020
Area Employment September 2020 Average Weekly Wage(1)

United States(2)

138,549,503 $1,173

Missouri

2,681,749 995

Adair

9,507 686

Andrew

2,567 721

Atchison

1,640 668

Audrain

8,222 730

Barry

13,992 786

Barton

3,252 669

Bates

3,593 670

Benton

3,565 612

Bollinger

1,792 570

Boone

91,195 1,006

Buchanan

44,953 921

Butler

18,129 694

Caldwell

1,828 655

Callaway

14,447 910

Camden

16,782 720

Cape Girardeau

40,062 831

Carroll

2,337 707

Carter

1,528 553

Cass

26,504 761

Cedar

3,221 583

Chariton

1,879 664

Christian

17,672 673

Clark

1,384 559

Clay

102,257 998

Clinton

4,005 748

Cole

51,556 866

Cooper

4,674 702

Crawford

6,591 696

Dade

1,683 615

Dallas

2,578 519

Daviess

1,613 542

De Kalb

2,789 732

Dent

3,894 636

Douglas

2,382 574

Dunklin

8,702 557

Franklin

37,386 826

Gasconade

5,082 630

Gentry

2,097 709

Greene

164,648 896

Grundy

2,964 606

Harrison

2,404 637

Henry

7,149 783

Hickory

1,352 544

Holt

1,200 805

Howard

2,469 597

Howell

14,569 682

Iron

3,308 760

Jackson

351,753 1,132

Jasper

54,787 787

Jefferson

45,983 776

Johnson

15,434 768

Knox

864 601

Laclede

13,216 710

Lafayette

8,512 679

Lawrence

8,373 712

Lewis

2,400 692

Lincoln

11,775 802

Linn

3,772 688

Livingston

6,101 682

McDonald

6,938 694

Macon

4,799 689

Madison

3,560 629

Maries

1,249 693

Marion

12,939 766

Mercer

1,610 887

Miller

7,400 689

Mississippi

3,449 649

Moniteau

4,262 766

Monroe

1,717 617

Montgomery

2,921 731

Morgan

4,488 608

New Madrid

7,554 709

Newton

20,192 836

Nodaway

7,469 722

Oregon

2,204 517

Osage

4,007 777

Ozark

1,518 512

Pemiscot

5,194 604

Perry

9,026 755

Pettis

18,624 728

Phelps

18,212 796

Pike

5,225 687

Platte

43,673 987

Polk

8,291 725

Pulaski

12,644 825

Putnam

885 603

Ralls

3,449 899

Randolph

9,161 745

Ray

3,958 734

Reynolds

1,856 716

Ripley

2,594 476

St. Charles

150,735 920

St. Clair

1,580 570

Ste. Genevieve

5,848 826

St. Francois

22,310 651

St. Louis

566,016 1,194

Saline

8,542 768

Schuyler

563 575

Scotland

1,160 645

Scott

15,249 767

Shannon

1,552 514

Shelby

1,763 639

Stoddard

10,070 735

Stone

6,882 622

Sullivan

2,425 976

Taney

26,679 646

Texas

5,479 631

Vernon

6,707 759

Warren

7,597 789

Washington

4,810 597

Wayne

2,314 538

Webster

7,891 680

Worth

354 490

Wright

3,892 625

St. Louis City

209,596 1,211

(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, third quarter 2020
State Establishments,
third quarter 2020
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2020
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2019–20
Third quarter
2020
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
third quarter
2019–20
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

10,561.3 138,549.5 -6.8 $1,173 -- 7.4 --

Alabama

132.2 1,902.4 -4.5 978 33 6.4 27

Alaska

22.9 302.6 -10.7 1,165 14 5.4 42

Arizona

174.1 2,797.1 -4.2 1,091 22 7.3 17

Arkansas

93.6 1,180.1 -3.4 892 49 6.1 31

California

1,643.8 16,096.8 -9.2 1,466 4 12.0 1

Colorado

220.1 2,597.2 -5.6 1,235 9 5.6 38

Connecticut

125.4 1,555.6 -7.3 1,328 7 7.4 15

Delaware

34.9 428.8 -5.6 1,150 15 6.8 21

District of Columbia

43.3 713.7 -8.1 1,962 1 6.1 31

Florida

749.1 8,329.7 -5.8 1,029 27 8.0 11

Georgia

313.0 4,282.1 -5.2 1,084 23 5.8 35

Hawaii

46.5 507.5 -22.9 1,114 18 10.3 4

Idaho

70.7 763.7 -0.2 884 50 5.5 41

Illinois

385.9 5,558.5 -7.8 1,199 11 6.8 21

Indiana

172.4 2,941.8 -4.7 961 39 5.3 43

Iowa

105.1 1,475.0 -5.2 969 36 6.0 34

Kansas

89.2 1,325.4 -5.0 952 40 6.6 24

Kentucky

128.0 1,807.1 -5.5 935 43 5.8 35

Louisiana

139.5 1,734.6 -9.6 970 35 5.2 45

Maine

54.4 597.3 -5.9 966 37 9.0 9

Maryland

172.4 2,496.6 -7.6 1,277 8 9.5 7

Massachusetts

265.1 3,314.8 -9.4 1,488 2 9.7 6

Michigan

266.9 4,035.9 -7.9 1,096 20 7.5 14

Minnesota

183.1 2,703.3 -7.4 1,178 12 6.4 27

Mississippi

74.9 1,092.4 -4.0 810 51 5.6 38

Missouri

218.8 2,681.7 -5.1 995 32 5.6 38

Montana

53.0 466.9 -2.5 904 48 6.6 24

Nebraska

73.7 949.9 -3.8 964 38 6.4 27

Nevada

87.9 1,251.0 -11.6 1,048 24 7.8 13

New Hampshire

56.1 634.2 -5.2 1,171 13 8.9 10

New Jersey

289.3 3,778.4 -8.0 1,331 6 9.5 7

New Mexico

63.1 771.9 -8.6 944 41 5.1 46

New York

657.6 8,547.7 -10.8 1,446 5 10.0 5

North Carolina

301.4 4,308.2 -4.4 1,039 26 6.9 20

North Dakota

32.5 398.2 -7.0 1,025 28 -0.3 50

Ohio

305.7 5,136.8 -5.6 1,040 25 6.6 24

Oklahoma

112.4 1,538.5 -5.7 917 46 2.3 48

Oregon

164.6 1,837.3 -7.0 1,113 19 7.4 15

Pennsylvania

366.5 5,501.0 -7.6 1,139 17 7.0 19

Rhode Island

40.1 452.5 -8.0 1,092 21 10.4 3

South Carolina

146.6 2,022.9 -5.2 924 44 6.7 23

South Dakota

35.2 422.3 -2.6 918 45 7.2 18

Tennessee

173.6 2,918.1 -4.6 1,022 29 5.8 35

Texas

733.1 11,926.8 -5.5 1,150 15 3.8 47

Utah

114.3 1,518.2 -1.0 1,015 30 6.1 31

Vermont

26.4 283.9 -8.6 1,001 31 7.9 12

Virginia

285.7 3,737.0 -5.0 1,201 10 6.4 27

Washington

256.6 3,266.2 -6.3 1,482 3 11.0 2

West Virginia

51.7 649.1 -6.7 913 47 1.8 49

Wisconsin

181.2 2,746.6 -5.2 977 34 5.3 43

Wyoming

27.5 264.0 -6.8 939 42 -0.4 51

Puerto Rico

45.7 831.6 -5.3 547 (3) 3.4 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.4 33.9 -13.0 1,019 (3) -0.5 (3)

(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 3. Average weekly wages by county in Missouri, third quarter 2020

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, March 19, 2021