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News Release Information

14-800-NEW
Monday, May 12, 2014

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

County Employment and Wages in Puerto Rico - Third Quarter 2013

Puerto Rico’s only large county, the municipio of San Juan, reported an employment loss of 2.9 percent from September 2012 to September 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2012 annual average employment.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that in September 2013, San Juan’s employment level of 255,000 accounted for 28.0 percent of total employment in the commonwealth.

In the United States, employment grew 1.7 percent over the year, as 286 of the 334 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. (See chart 1.) The 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in San Juan was $598 in the third quarter of 2013, 0.3 percent lower than a year ago. By comparison, the U.S. weekly wage increased 1.9 percent over the year to $922. (See table 1 and chart 2.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 77 municipios in Puerto Rico with employment below 75,000. All 77 had wages below the U.S. average of $922. (See table 2.) Juncos, at $871, had the highest average weekly wage. Guaynabo and Barceloneta had weekly wages above $600. The three municipios with average weekly wages exceeding $600 were located on the northern and eastern parts of the island. Thirty-five municipios had average weekly wages below $400, with roughly half of these low-wage municipios located in the western end of the island, including Aguada, Lares (each at $326), and Las Marias ($310). (See chart 3.)

In the neighboring Virgin Islands, average weekly wages were also below the U.S. average. The highest average weekly wage among the three Virgin Island counties was $718 in St. Thomas. Average weekly wages on St. Croix and St. John were $698 and $645, respectively, well above wage averages in most of Puerto Rico’s municipios.

Though employment on each island was below 25,000, more than half of the territory’s 37,900 jobs in September 2013 were on St. Thomas, and an additional 14,600 were on St. Croix.

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 wage 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 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/cewbultn12.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: (800) 877-8339.

County employment and wage data for the fourth quarter 2012 are scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 19, 2014.


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 (1) employment and wages in the United States, Puerto Rico, and San Juan, third quarter 2013 (2)
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (3)
September 2013 (thousands)Percent change, September 2012-13 (4)Average weekly wagePercent change, third quarter 2012-13 (4)

United States (5)

134,957.51.7$9221.9

Puerto Rico

910.9-2.5501-0.6

San Juan

255.0-2.9598-0.3

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(5) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

Table 2. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Puerto Rico, third quarter 2013 (2)
AreaEmployment September 2013 (thousands)Average weekly wage(3)

United States(4)

134,957.50$922

Puerto Rico

910.9501

Adjuntas

1.9351

Aguada

4.4326

Aguadilla

17520

Aguas Buenas

1.8396

Aibonito

5.4461

Anasco

5.3455

Arecibo

21.9475

Arroyo

2.5481

Barceloneta

9.6615

Barranquitas

3.4405

Bayamon

56451

Cabo Rojo

5.5333

Caguas

46.3457

Camuy

3.6351

Canovanas

6.4431

Carolina

51.3444

Catano

10.3565

Cayey

10.4518

Ceiba

1.2398

Ciales

1.7378

Cidra

5.9499

Coamo

4392

Comerio

2.1362

Corozal

4.3360

Culebra

0.4339

Dorado

7.6465

Fajardo

11.5458

Florida

1.3390

Guanica

2.2344

Guayama

10.7527

Guayanilla

2.6412

Guaynabo

45.4613

Gurabo

6.5553

Hatillo

8.1355

Hormigueros

2.4337

Humacao

16.8523

Isabela

6.6418

Jayuya

2.7467

Juana Diaz

6.6423

Juncos

6.6871

Lajas

2.6330

Lares

3.6326

Las Marias

1.2310

Las Piedras

6.5567

Loiza

1.6404

Luquillo

1.8411

Manati

13.7484

Maricao

1.3396

Maunabo

1.7512

Mayaguez

31.3439

Moca

3.7341

Morovis

2.6359

Naguabo

1.9398

Naranjito

2.8377

Orocovis

3.2337

Patillas

1.8385

Penuelas

2.9437

Ponce

50.8433

Quebradillas

2.2371

Rincon

1.6342

Rio Grande

6416

Sabana Grande

2.7362

Salinas

4447

San German

9424

San Juan

255598

San Lorenzo

4.3499

San Sebastian

5.2340

Santa Isabel

5.2387

Toa Alta

3.5364

Toa Baja

13.4429

Trujillo Alto

11.1329

Utuado

3.8424

Vega Alta

4.5402

Vega Baja

8488

Vieques

1.6397

Villalba

3.1559

Yabucoa

3388

Yauco

6.5349

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands
 

Table 3. Covered (1) employment and wages by state, third quarter 2013 (2)
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (3)
September 2013 (thousands)Percent change, September 2012-13Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, third quarter 2012-13National ranking by percent change (4)

United States (5)

134,957.51.7$922--1.9--

Alabama

1,847.60.8794341.343

Alaska

345.00.499093.07

Arizona

2,490.92.2859221.536

Arkansas

1,156.50.1723472.121

California

15,526.42.71,05762.121

Colorado

2,355.73.1952121.731

Connecticut

1,650.30.71,10931.928

Delaware

416.82.1941142.121

District of Columbia

726.21.51,56013.07

Florida

7,501.82.6808311.146

Georgia

3,928.22.3867211.536

Hawaii

617.71.7839251.633

Idaho

644.72.3703502.319

Illinois

5,731.70.7959111.536

Indiana

2,883.61.2784381.633

Iowa

1,512.01.5772402.121

Kansas

1,347.61.8776392.026

Kentucky

1,794.51.0760431.146

Louisiana

1,893.41.4827282.910

Maine

601.50.7735461.830

Maryland

2,546.40.61,01180.451

Massachusetts

3,318.31.21,13122.611

Michigan

4,069.72.1875201.536

Minnesota

2,724.21.7938152.611

Mississippi

1,099.10.8688512.515

Missouri

2,661.01.3805321.440

Montana

446.71.2705492.319

Nebraska

937.51.3766413.43

Nevada

1,169.42.5836272.026

New Hampshire

624.50.6895182.417

New Jersey

3,851.91.21,06851.343

New Mexico

793.70.5766410.749

New York

8,724.81.31,10841.731

North Carolina

4,006.41.7817301.440

North Dakota

436.73.4921165.51

Ohio

5,147.51.4837261.245

Oklahoma

1,572.61.4797332.417

Oregon

1,709.82.4856232.611

Pennsylvania

5,622.40.3913171.633

Rhode Island

465.21.3878192.611

South Carolina

1,859.32.3751441.928

South Dakota

408.90.9706483.43

Tennessee

2,712.81.5819290.650

Texas

11,091.92.8952122.515

Utah

1,265.52.9791363.16

Vermont

302.50.0788373.43

Virginia

3,650.10.6971101.146

Washington

3,017.92.41,04472.121

West Virginia

710.3-0.7751443.72

Wisconsin

2,752.71.1793353.07

Wyoming

286.10.2840241.440

Puerto Rico

910.9-2.5501(6)-0.6(6)

Virgin Islands

37.9-1.9706(6)-0.6(6)

Footnotes:
(1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
(2) Data are preliminary.
(3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(4) Ranking does not include Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(5) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(6) Data not included in the national ranking.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, May 12, 2014