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News Release Information

19-486-BOS
Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

County Employment and Wages in New Hampshire — Third Quarter 2018

Employment rose in two of the three large New Hampshire counties from September 2017 to September 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hillsborough’s employment increased 0.8 percent and Merrimack’s employment rose 0.4 percent. Employment in Rockingham County was unchanged. (Large counties are defined as those with 2017 annual average employment of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the employment gains in Hillsborough and Merrimack Counties were lower than the 1.6-percent national average.

Nationwide, employment increased in 295 of the 349 largest U.S. counties. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (11.9 percent); New Hanover NC, had the largest over-the-year decrease (-2.0 percent).

Among New Hampshire’s three largest counties, employment was highest in Hillsborough County (204,400) in September 2018. Together, New Hampshire’s three large counties accounted for 65.4 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 73 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Merrimack County rose 3.2 percent to $994 from the third quarter of 2017 to the third quarter of 2018. The average weekly wage in Rockingham County increased 1.8 percent to $1,010. Hillsborough’s average weekly wage decreased 1.6 percent to $1,113.The average weekly wage in Merrimack rose 0.8 percent to $962 from the third quarter of 2016 to the third quarter of 2017.( See table 1 .) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.3 percent over the year to $1,055.

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

Large County Wage Changes

The 3.2-percent wage gain in Merrimack County ranked 141st among the 349 largest U.S. counties. Rockingham’s 1.8-percent wage increase ranked 283rd, while Hillsborough’s 1.6-percent wage decrease ranked 342nd.

Among the 349 largest U.S. counties, 336 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2018. Chatham, GA, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in average weekly wages (8.5 percent). Eleven large U.S. counties had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-4.2 percent).

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Hillsborough County’s average weekly wage of $1,113 placed 71st among the 349 largest U.S. counties. Rockingham County’s $1,010 weekly wage ranked 131st; Merrimack County’s $994 weekly wage ranked 143rd.

Average weekly wages were greater than the national average ($1,055) in 94 of the largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,460. San Mateo, CA, was second at $2,363, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,097), and New York, NY ($1,997).

Among the largest U.S. counties, more than two-thirds (255) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2018. The lowest weekly wage was reported in Cameron, TX ($632), followed by Horry, SC ($635), and the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($662) and Webb ($698).

Average Weekly Wages in New Hampshire’s Smaller Counties

Six of the seven counties in New Hampshire with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,055. Among the seven smaller counties in the state, Grafton had the highest weekly wage at $1,094 and Carroll had the lowest weekly wage at $680.

When all 10 counties in New Hampshire were considered, 8 had wages below the national average. One had average weekly wages at or below $699, two had wages from $700 to $799, two had wages from $800 to $899, and five had wages above $900.(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 .

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online, features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2017 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2018 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online 2017 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2017/home.htm. The 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2019. 

The County Employment and Wages news release for fourth quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).


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 sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 3 largest counties in New Hampshire, third quarter 2018
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2018 (thousands) Percent change, September 2017-18 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, third quarter 2017-18 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

146,824.1 1.6 -- $1,055 -- 3.3 --

New Hampshire

662.3 0.5 -- 1,040 16 1.7 49

Hillsborough, N.H.

204.4 0.8 194 1,113 71 -1.6 342

Merrimack, N.H.

77.7 0.4 249 994 143 3.2 141

Rockingham, N.H.

150.8 0.0 296 1,010 131 1.8 283

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: 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 New Hampshire, third quarter 2018
Area Employment September 2018 Average Weekly Wage (1)

United States (2)

146,824,093 $1,055

  New Hampshire

662,276 1,040

    Belknap

26,032 827

    Carroll

20,283 680

    Cheshire

31,860 852

    Coos

12,310 733

    Grafton

54,000 1,094

    Hillsborough

204,423 1,113

    Merrimack

77,719 994

    Rockingham

150,760 1,010

    Strafford

48,636 955

    Sullivan

14,230 782

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: 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 2018
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2018 (thousands) Percent change, September 2017-18 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, third quarter 2017-18 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

146,824.1 1.6 $1,055 -- 3.3 --

Alabama

1,966.0 1.2 885 38 3.1 25

Alaska

334.0 -0.4 1,065 13 3.7 12

Arizona

2,838.6 2.8 974 23 2.9 31

Arkansas

1,222.1 0.7 811 49 2.9 31

California

17,457.5 1.8 1,260 5 3.8 9

Colorado

2,684.0 2.1 1,104 9 3.5 18

Connecticut

1,681.5 0.3 1,209 6 2.5 41

Delaware

447.8 0.6 1,046 15 2.4 42

District of Columbia

770.7 0.7 1,807 1 2.8 36

Florida

8,690.7 4.6 924 29 3.1 25

Georgia

4,448.8 2.3 993 20 3.3 21

Hawaii

654.7 0.0 975 22 2.4 42

Idaho

743.5 3.0 805 50 3.2 23

Illinois

6,029.2 0.8 1,087 10 3.0 28

Indiana

3,072.3 0.9 883 39 2.4 42

Iowa

1,555.0 0.6 887 37 3.7 12

Kansas

1,390.4 1.0 867 42 3.5 18

Kentucky

1,898.7 0.5 855 43 2.2 47

Louisiana

1,915.4 0.5 901 33 3.7 12

Maine

626.5 0.6 851 45 3.7 12

Maryland

2,683.9 0.7 1,130 8 2.4 42

Massachusetts

3,598.1 0.7 1,305 2 3.2 23

Michigan

4,366.5 0.8 991 21 2.8 36

Minnesota

2,904.3 0.8 1,074 12 4.2 5

Mississippi

1,133.7 0.2 754 51 3.4 20

Missouri

2,812.0 0.4 907 31 3.3 21

Montana

473.3 1.0 815 48 2.8 36

Nebraska

980.3 0.6 873 41 2.8 36

Nevada

1,382.9 3.4 936 28 2.4 42

New Hampshire

662.3 0.5 1,040 16 1.7 49

New Jersey

4,072.6 0.8 1,181 7 2.1 48

New Mexico

826.2 1.2 855 43 3.9 7

New York

9,467.5 1.4 1,272 4 4.2 5

North Carolina

4,398.0 1.1 938 26 3.8 9

North Dakota

424.3 1.1 995 19 4.4 3

Ohio

5,424.4 0.7 947 25 2.9 31

Oklahoma

1,616.8 1.2 874 40 3.6 16

Oregon

1,939.8 1.5 1,005 18 3.8 9

Pennsylvania

5,894.8 1.0 1,031 17 3.0 28

Rhode Island

489.4 1.0 963 24 -1.3 51

South Carolina

2,088.2 2.8 834 46 0.8 50

South Dakota

431.5 1.3 827 47 3.0 28

Tennessee

3,005.6 1.7 938 26 3.9 7

Texas

12,327.0 2.6 1,064 14 3.1 25

Utah

1,494.4 3.4 911 30 3.6 16

Vermont

310.9 0.0 892 36 2.6 40

Virginia

3,889.6 1.1 1,082 11 2.9 31

Washington

3,425.6 2.4 1,280 3 6.2 2

West Virginia

706.0 1.7 894 35 8.1 1

Wisconsin

2,888.9 0.7 901 33 2.9 31

Wyoming

278.2 0.6 905 32 4.3 4

Puerto Rico

862.5 0.2 534 (3) 5.3 (3)

Virgin Islands

33.4 -8.0 888 (3) 18.6 (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: 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 New Hampshire, third quarter 2018

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2019