Total nonfarm employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua metropolitan area stood at 2,654,400 in July 2015, up 57,900 from one year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that nonfarm employment rose 2.2 percent locally from July a year ago compared to 2.1 percent nationwide.(See chart 1 and table 1; Technical note at end of release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

                                                                                                

The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua area includes 10 metropolitan divisions – separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton Metropolitan Division, which made up 67 percent of the workforce, gained 48,200 jobs from July 2014 to July 2015, accounting for 83 percent of the area’s growth. Eight of the other nine divisions for which data are published also added jobs over the year.

Industry employment

Two supersectors in the Boston area – education and health services and professional and business services–accounted for almost half of the local employment gain from July 2014 to July 2015. Education and health services, the largest industry in the Boston area, gained 15,100 jobs. Both the Boston area and the nation had a 2.8-percent rate of job growth in this industry. Professional and business services added 13,600 jobs locally. The 3.0-percent rate of local job growth was lower than the national increase of 3.6 percent.

Leisure and hospitality and trade, transportation, and utilities had the next highest annual employment gains in the Boston area from July 2014, adding 8,100 and 6,100 jobs, respectively. The 3.1-percent rate of job growth in Boston’s leisure and hospitality supersector compared to the 3.0-percent gain nationwide, while the 1.5-percent rate of local job growth in the trade, transportation, and utilities supersector was lower than the 2.0-percent gain nationwide.

Employment in government rose by 4,500 in the local area from July a year ago. The 1.6-percent increase in employment locally over the 12-month period outpaced the 0.4-percent national increase. Local employment in Boston’s other services supersector rose by 3,100. The 2.9-percent local job gain outpaced the 1.5-percent national increase.

Employment in the 12 Largest Metropolitan Areas

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in July 2015. All 12 areas experienced over-the-year job growth during the period, with 9 areas exceeding the U.S. average of 2.1 percent. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had the fastest rate of job growth, 3.7 percent, followed by Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (3.4 percent), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (3.3 percent), and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (3.2 percent). The slowest rates of job growth were in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, at 1.5 percent each, and New York-Newark-Jersey City at 1.8 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

New York added the largest number of jobs, 164,400. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and Dallas both added more than 120,000 jobs. Philadelphia recorded the smallest employment gain (41,500), followed by Boston (57,900).

Professional and business services registered the largest over-the-year employment gains in 6 of the 12 metropolitan areas—Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Education and health services added the most jobs in four areas—Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington.

Manufacturing recorded the largest job losses in Dallas, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, New York, and Phoenix. Four areas—Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco—recorded no over-the-year job losses greater than 1,000 jobs in any supersector.

Metropolitan area employment data for August 2015 are scheduled to be released on Friday, September 18, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. The employment data are estimated using a "link relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios. Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for approximately 39 percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-based estimates.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample survey and administrative data and thus are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data are also subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the special estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error for state CES data at the supersector level are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions for states is available at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae/.

 

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on February 28, 2013. A detailed list of geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

Areas in the six New England states are defined as Metropolitan New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs), while areas in other states are county-based and identified as metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions.  However, for comparative purposes, the Boston NECTA and its divisions have been referred to as a metropolitan area and metropolitan divisions. 

 

The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Mass.-N.H. Metropolitan New England City and Town Area (NECTA) includes 10 NECTA divisions--subdivisions of the larger NECTA which function as distinct social, economic, and cultural areas within the larger region. The NECTA divisions that compose the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA include:  Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA, Framingham, MA, Haverhill- Newburyport-Amesbury town, MA-NH, Lawrence-Methuen town-Salem, MA-NH, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH, Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, MA, Nashua, NH-MA, Peabody-Salem-Beverly, MA, Taunton- Middleborough-Norton, MA, and select cities and towns within.  

 

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: voice phone: (202)-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800)-877-8339.

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and Boston metropolitan area, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)

Area and Industry	July	May	June	July	Change from July
	2014	2015	2015	2015(p)	2014 to July 2015
					Number	Percent
United States
Total nonfarm	138,841	142,365	142,839	141,794	2,953	2.1
Mining and logging	915	838	842	845	-70.0	-7.7
Construction	6,425	6,437	6,572	6,650	225	3.5
Manufacturing	12,263	12,317	12,412	12,413	150	1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	26,419	26,794	26,950	26,956	537	2.0
Information	2,754	2,791	2,796	2,806	52	1.9
Financial activities	8,056	8,092	8,176	8,217	161	2.0
Professional and business services	19,227	19,700	19,882	19,913	686	3.6
Educational and health services	21,151	22,045	21,841	21,738	587	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	15,422	15,390	15,786	15,879	457	3.0
Other services	5,639	5,669	5,713	5,722	83	1.5
Government	20,570	22,292	21,869	20,655	85	0.4
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
Total nonfarm	2,596.5	2,644.9	2,665.4	2,654.4	57.9	2.2
Mining, Logging, and Construction	101.0	99.3	103.3	105.1	4.1	4.1
Manufacturing	193.0	190.7	192.7	192.3	-0.7	-0.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	410.7	414.4	418.7	416.8	6.1	1.5
Information	76.3	76.4	77.8	78.6	2.3	3.0
Financial activities	175.6	174.6	177.2	177.3	1.7	1.0
Professional and business services	450.1	454.8	460.1	463.7	13.6	3.0
Educational and health services	531.7	552.2	544.1	546.8	15.1	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	264.1	257.1	268.2	272.2	8.1	3.1
Other services	105.1	103.0	105.9	108.2	3.1	2.9
Government	288.9	322.4	317.4	293.4	4.5	1.6
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA division
Total nonfarm	1,737.7	1,770.6	1,785.1	1,785.9	48.2	2.8
Mining, Logging, and Construction	60.9	60.7	64.1	65.2	4.3	7.1
Manufacturing	82.3	81.9	83.0	83.3	1.0	1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	241.0	242.5	245.1	243.4	2.4	1.0
Information	55.9	56.6	57.8	58.4	2.5	4.5
Financial activities	143.6	143.4	145.6	145.7	2.1	1.5
Professional and business services	335.5	340.6	344.6	347.7	12.2	3.6
Educational and health services	381.9	397.3	388.4	392.7	10.8	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	180.0	176.5	183.8	187.1	7.1	3.9
Other services	69.3	68.4	70.5	71.9	2.6	3.8
Government	187.3	202.7	202.2	190.5	3.2	1.7
(P) Preliminary

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)

Area and Industry	July	May	June	July	Change from July
	2014	2015	2015	2015 (P)	2014 to July 2015
					Number	Percent
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Total nonfarm	2,499.6	2,582.8	2,581.0	2,584.6	85.0	3.4
Mining and logging	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	0.0	0.0
Construction	102.7	105.7	106.2	107.7	5.0	4.9
Manufacturing	153.0	153.9	155.3	156.2	3.2	2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	554.4	569.2	568.8	572.4	18.0	3.2
Information	89.5	88.4	88.7	88.4	-1.1	-1.2
Financial activities	160.1	164.8	165.2	164.9	4.8	3.0
Professional and business services	466.0	481.0	484.0	490.7	24.7	5.3
Education and health services	302.3	316.5	312.8	311.5	9.2	3.0
Leisure and hospitality	265.0	279.9	279.3	280.8	15.8	6.0
Other services	95.9	94.4	96.0	95.8	-0.1	-0.1
Government	309.4	327.7	323.4	314.9	5.5	1.8
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
Total nonfarm	2,596.5	2,644.9	2,665.4	2,654.4	57.9	2.2
Mining, logging, and construction	101.0	99.3	103.3	105.1	4.1	4.1
Manufacturing	193.0	190.7	192.7	192.3	-0.7	-0.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	410.7	414.4	418.7	416.8	6.1	1.5
Information	76.3	76.4	77.8	78.6	2.3	3.0
Financial activities	175.6	174.6	177.2	177.3	1.7	1.0
Professional and business services	450.1	454.8	460.1	463.7	13.6	3.0
Education and health services	531.7	552.2	544.1	546.8	15.1	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	264.1	257.1	268.2	272.2	8.1	3.1
Other services	105.1	103.0	105.9	108.2	3.1	2.9
Government	288.9	322.4	317.4	293.4	4.5	1.6
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Total nonfarm	4,529.7	4,584.0	4,618.1	4,596.1	66.4	1.5
Mining and logging	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.5	-0.1	-6.3
Construction	166.7	163.0	169.1	173.8	7.1	4.3
Manufacturing	410.5	405.7	409.1	408.3	-2.2	-0.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	908.8	919.1	925.5	925.6	16.8	1.8
Information	81.5	80.6	81.0	80.7	-0.8	-1.0
Financial activities	292.4	285.5	290.1	290.0	-2.4	-0.8
Professional and business services	804.9	818.2	825.3	827.4	22.5	2.8
Education and health services	676.4	702.1	699.5	690.0	13.6	2.0
Leisure and hospitality	452.6	450.3	461.0	459.7	7.1	1.6
Other services	198.0	194.9	197.5	197.6	-0.4	-0.2
Government	536.3	563.1	558.5	541.5	5.2	1.0
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Total nonfarm	3,268.3	3,377.1	3,403.4	3,390.0	121.7	3.7
Mining, logging, and construction	196.9	196.4	197.3	197.1	0.2	0.1
Manufacturing	263.2	260.5	261.8	260.4	-2.8	-1.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	681.4	703.0	707.5	709.1	27.7	4.1
Information	82.8	81.2	81.1	81.4	-1.4	-1.7
Financial activities	267.5	276.8	276.8	275.6	8.1	3.0
Professional and business services	538.3	557.3	567.5	567.0	28.7	5.3
Education and health services	396.8	416.5	420.1	421.2	24.4	6.1
Leisure and hospitality	339.2	354.2	363.0	364.1	24.9	7.3
Other services	117.8	117.0	118.8	120.5	2.7	2.3
Government	384.4	414.2	409.5	393.6	9.2	2.4
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Total nonfarm	2,921.6	2,982.7	2,991.1	2,986.2	64.6	2.2
Mining and logging	111.4	108.1	108.8	110.3	-1.1	-1.0
Construction	203.4	204.4	205.4	205.6	2.2	1.1
Manufacturing	256.4	249.0	248.0	249.7	-6.7	-2.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	596.7	608.3	607.5	610.6	13.9	2.3
Information	33.2	33.8	33.9	34.2	1.0	3.0
Financial activities	148.7	146.0	146.4	145.4	-3.3	-2.2
Professional and business services	467.1	471.2	479.3	481.9	14.8	3.2
Education and health services	348.4	363.2	360.9	363.9	15.5	4.4
Leisure and hospitality	291.6	307.6	314.2	311.9	20.3	7.0
Other services	105.1	104.5	106.1	105.9	0.8	0.8
Government	359.6	386.6	380.6	366.8	7.2	2.0
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Total nonfarm	5,662.4	5,860.4	5,864.2	5,819.9	157.5	2.8
Mining and logging	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.2	-0.2	-3.7
Construction	203.5	214.9	215.8	216.6	13.1	6.4
Manufacturing	523.6	526.2	526.9	528.2	4.6	0.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,052.6	1,069.9	1,076.1	1,078.0	25.4	2.4
Information	214.6	216.5	214.7	216.3	1.7	0.8
Financial activities	325.2	326.4	327.4	328.5	3.3	1.0
Professional and business services	884.7	900.9	904.8	905.0	20.3	2.3
Education and health services	918.0	976.1	964.1	956.3	38.3	4.2
Leisure and hospitality	669.8	684.8	687.4	694.5	24.7	3.7
Other services	200.0	207.1	208.7	207.7	7.7	3.9
Government	665.0	732.4	733.1	683.6	18.6	2.8
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Total nonfarm	2,379.9	2,502.0	2,464.3	2,449.8	69.9	2.9
Mining and logging	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.0	0.0
Construction	102.9	106.2	106.7	106.9	4.0	3.9
Manufacturing	80.5	81.3	81.4	80.4	-0.1	-0.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	559.4	576.9	573.8	572.1	12.7	2.3
Information	48.4	48.6	48.6	48.2	-0.2	-0.4
Financial activities	168.6	175.6	174.4	173.9	5.3	3.1
Professional and business services	386.3	403.1	403.4	404.1	17.8	4.6
Education and health services	349.3	371.3	365.7	363.2	13.9	4.0
Leisure and hospitality	289.7	311.7	308.4	303.1	13.4	4.6
Other services	116.5	121.1	121.7	120.0	3.5	3.0
Government	277.7	305.6	279.6	277.3	-0.4	-0.1
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Total nonfarm	9,166.8	9,318.3	9,399.9	9,331.2	164.4	1.8
Mining, logging, and construction	364.4	362.2	372.6	376.3	11.9	3.3
Manufacturing	370.3	367.8	370.0	367.4	-2.9	-0.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,683.9	1,706.3	1,719.6	1,707.6	23.7	1.4
Information	284.2	283.5	285.3	284.9	0.7	0.2
Financial activities	766.8	754.1	764.9	768.4	1.6	0.2
Professional and business services	1,453.2	1,454.6	1,472.7	1,467.1	13.9	1.0
Education and health services	1,678.1	1,791.1	1,770.8	1,738.9	60.8	3.6
Leisure and hospitality	887.1	873.0	915.9	920.9	33.8	3.8
Other services	406.9	418.0	424.4	425.2	18.3	4.5
Government	1,271.9	1,307.7	1,303.7	1,274.5	2.6	0.2
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Total nonfarm	2,765.6	2,831.1	2,837.7	2,807.1	41.5	1.5
Mining, logging, and construction	110.0	115.0	115.3	116.7	6.7	6.1
Manufacturing	180.2	177.9	178.8	178.1	-2.1	-1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	511.1	520.4	523.7	521.8	10.7	2.1
Information	46.6	45.7	45.7	45.6	-1.0	-2.1
Financial activities	205.4	206.3	207.7	209.3	3.9	1.9
Professional and business services	447.5	445.0	449.8	448.8	1.3	0.3
Education and health services	575.5	597.4	588.4	587.1	11.6	2.0
Leisure and hospitality	257.8	260.9	270.4	270.6	12.8	5.0
Other services	119.8	122.5	122.1	121.2	1.4	1.2
Government	311.7	340.0	335.8	307.9	-3.8	-1.2
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Total nonfarm	1,799.5	1,895.0	1,865.2	1,858.7	59.2	3.3
Mining and logging	3.4	3.4	3.4	3.4	0.0	0.0
Construction	95.8	101.3	102.3	102.0	6.2	6.5
Manufacturing	118.5	116.9	117.1	117.0	-1.5	-1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	360.8	367.7	367.5	368.5	7.7	2.1
Information	35.7	35.4	35.8	35.8	0.1	0.3
Financial activities	161.5	166.6	166.2	165.9	4.4	2.7
Professional and business services	306.4	315.7	318.0	321.2	14.8	4.8
Education and health services	262.6	277.6	276.5	276.3	13.7	5.2
Leisure and hospitality	190.9	206.9	200.8	199.3	8.4	4.4
Other services	63.7	68.2	67.7	68.0	4.3	6.8
Government	200.2	235.3	209.9	201.3	1.1	0.5
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Total nonfarm	2,185.7	2,247.3	2,253.4	2,255.9	70.2	3.2
Mining and logging	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	-0.1	-11.1
Construction	103.1	103.8	105.8	107.9	4.8	4.7
Manufacturing	121.7	124.4	124.0	124.8	3.1	2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	355.1	356.6	359.9	362.7	7.6	2.1
Information	79.0	81.0	81.4	82.0	3.0	3.8
Financial activities	129.0	127.4	127.2	128.1	-0.9	-0.7
Professional and business services	444.4	467.1	471.0	480.1	35.7	8.0
Education and health services	322.8	329.8	327.4	326.3	3.5	1.1
Leisure and hospitality	252.9	259.2	261.5	261.0	8.1	3.2
Other services	83.9	86.1	85.5	85.7	1.8	2.1
Government	292.9	311.1	308.9	296.5	3.6	1.2
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Total nonfarm	3,118.0	3,183.2	3,208.6	3,191.8	73.8	2.4
Mining, logging, and construction	151.4	153.7	153.6	153.7	2.3	1.5
Manufacturing	50.5	48.9	49.5	49.9	-0.6	-1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	397.3	404.1	407.8	405.7	8.4	2.1
Information	77.9	76.7	76.6	77.7	-0.2	-0.3
Financial activities	153.3	149.2	151.1	151.5	-1.8	-1.2
Professional and business services	713.5	724.8	734.9	734.8	21.3	3.0
Education and health services	391.6	419.2	416.5	415.1	23.5	6.0
Leisure and hospitality	311.7	310.9	321.5	319.2	7.5	2.4
Other services	196.0	196.1	197.8	199.6	3.6	1.8
Government	674.8	699.6	699.3	684.6	9.8	1.5
(P) Preliminary