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County Employment and Wages in Missouri — Third Quarter 2022
Employment rose in all seven of the largest counties in Missouri 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.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Clay County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 4.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Missouri, September 2022
County
Percent change, September 2022
Clay
4.5
Greene
3.3
Boone
2.6
St. Charles
2.3
St. Louis
2.2
St. Louis City
2.1
Jackson
1.9
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 seven largest counties in Missouri, employment was highest in St. Louis County (590,400) in September 2022. 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 60.5 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 108 counties in Missouri with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 108 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changes
All seven large Missouri 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. St. Charles County had the largest gain (+11.2 percent), followed by Clay County (+10.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Missouri’s other five large counties ranged from 9.3 percent to 5.7 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2022
County
Percent change, third quarter 2022
St. Charles
11.2
Clay
10.9
St. Louis City
9.3
Greene
9.0
St. Louis
8.2
Jackson
7.1
Boone
5.7
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 two of the seven largest counties in Missouri were above the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in St. Louis City ($1,404, 68th) and St. Louis County ($1,352, 84th) ranked among the top 100 nationwide.
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 Missouri’s smaller counties
Among the 108 smaller counties in Missouri—those with employment below 75,000—Platte ($1,138) reported the highest average weekly wage. Worth County ($539) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.
When all 115 counties in Missouri were considered, 19 reported average weekly wages of less than $699, 53 registered wages from $700 to $849, 32 had wages from $850 to $999, and 11 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher. (See chart 3.) The higher-paying counties were mainly located in and around the major metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City.
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 seven largest counties in Missouri, third quarter 2022
(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 Missouri, third quarter 2022
(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
(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 2022
United States Department of Labor
