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News Release Information

19-688-NEW
Thursday, April 18, 2019

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

County Employment and Wages in Puerto Rico — Third Quarter 2018

Employment in Puerto Rico’s only large county, the municipio of San Juan, increased 1.3 percent from September 2017 to September 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with 2017 annual average employment of 75,000 or more.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that in September 2018, San Juan’s employment level of 242,000 accounted for 28.1 percent of total employment in the commonwealth.

In the United States, employment grew 1.6 percent over the year, as 295 of the 349 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. (See table 1 and chart 1.) The 349 largest counties made up 73.0 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in San Juan was $649 in the third quarter of 2018, a 6.0-percent increase from one year prior. In the United States, the average weekly wage increased 3.3 percent to $1,055. (See table 1 and chart 2.) Among the 349 largest U.S. counties, 336 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages.

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 municipios had wages below the U.S. average of $1,055. (See table 2.) Juncos, located on the eastern part of the island, had the highest average weekly wage, $838. Two small municipios located on the northern part of the island, had average weekly wages above $600—Guaynabo ($661) and Cataño ($601). Thirty municipios had average weekly wages below $400, with about half of these municipios located in the western part of the island, including Cabo Rojo ($324) and Las Marías ($322). (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 $908 in St. Thomas. Average weekly wages on St. Croix and St. John were $881 and $685, respectively.

Of the 33,400 jobs in the U.S. Virgin Islands in September 2018, 17,700 were on St. Thomas, and 14,500 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 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 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 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.

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.

The County Employment and Wages news release for fourth quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.


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.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States, Puerto Rico, and San Juan, third quarter 2018
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2018 (thousands)Percent change, September 2017-18 (2)Third quarter 2018Percent change, third quarter 2017-18 (2)

United States (3)

146,824.11.6$1,0553.3

Puerto Rico

862.50.25345.3

San Juan

242.01.36496.0

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) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Puerto Rico, third quarter 2018
AreaEmployment September 2018Average weekly wage(1)

United States(2)

146,824,093$1,055

Puerto Rico

862,488534

Adjuntas

1,591334

Aguada

4,271355

Aguadilla

17,236569

Aguas Buenas

1,706370

Aibonito

5,491457

Añasco

4,927511

Arecibo

20,023487

Arroyo

2,105551

Barceloneta

10,575531

Barranquitas

3,033403

Bayamón

52,428473

Cabo Rojo

5,904324

Caguas

44,705495

Camuy

3,725365

Canóvanas

4,760453

Carolina

44,053497

Cataño

10,214601

Cayey

9,281500

Ceiba

1,139424

Ciales

1,482383

Cidra

5,959481

Coamo

3,307380

Comerío

1,627392

Corozal

3,866379

Culebra

436353

Dorado

8,361511

Fajardo

9,325477

Florida

988401

Guánica

2,375337

Guayama

9,973481

Guayanilla

2,382414

Guaynabo

48,310661

Gurabo

6,441537

Hatillo

8,367361

Hormigueros

2,373353

Humacao

14,662585

Isabela

6,937470

Jayuya

2,719508

Juana Díaz

6,086478

Juncos

6,734838

Lajas

3,101327

Lares

3,913341

Las Marías

1,109322

Las Piedras

7,269535

Loíza

1,621394

Luquillo

1,867415

Manatí

13,728544

Maricao

1,241359

Maunabo

1,258578

Mayagüez

28,870463

Moca

4,230329

Morovis

2,128375

Naguabo

2,089395

Naranjito

3,036413

Orocovis

2,326365

Patillas

1,475419

Peñuelas

2,457412

Ponce

44,649463

Quebradillas

1,982372

Rincón

1,735359

Rio Grande

4,827424

Sabana Grande

3,115354

Salinas

3,481479

San Germán

8,182402

San Juan

241,993649

San Lorenzo

3,926398

San Sebastián

5,239334

Santa Isabel

5,071457

Toa Alta

3,214409

Toa Baja

13,339452

Trujillo Alto

9,363358

Utuado

3,537424

Vega Alta

4,346429

Vega Baja

7,757501

Vieques

1,463453

Villalba

3,292586

Yabucoa

2,499393

Yauco

5,844383

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
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2018 (thousands)Percent change, September 2017-18Third quarter 2018National ranking by levelPercent change, third quarter 2017-18National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

146,824.11.6$1,055--3.3--

Alabama

1,966.01.2885383.125

Alaska

334.0-0.41,065133.712

Arizona

2,838.62.8974232.931

Arkansas

1,222.10.7811492.931

California

17,457.51.81,26053.89

Colorado

2,684.02.11,10493.518

Connecticut

1,681.50.31,20962.541

Delaware

447.80.61,046152.442

District of Columbia

770.70.71,80712.836

Florida

8,690.74.6924293.125

Georgia

4,448.82.3993203.321

Hawaii

654.70.0975222.442

Idaho

743.53.0805503.223

Illinois

6,029.20.81,087103.028

Indiana

3,072.30.9883392.442

Iowa

1,555.00.6887373.712

Kansas

1,390.41.0867423.518

Kentucky

1,898.70.5855432.247

Louisiana

1,915.40.5901333.712

Maine

626.50.6851453.712

Maryland

2,683.90.71,13082.442

Massachusetts

3,598.10.71,30523.223

Michigan

4,366.50.8991212.836

Minnesota

2,904.30.81,074124.25

Mississippi

1,133.70.2754513.420

Missouri

2,812.00.4907313.321

Montana

473.31.0815482.836

Nebraska

980.30.6873412.836

Nevada

1,382.93.4936282.442

New Hampshire

662.30.51,040161.749

New Jersey

4,072.60.81,18172.148

New Mexico

826.21.2855433.97

New York

9,467.51.41,27244.25

North Carolina

4,398.01.1938263.89

North Dakota

424.31.1995194.43

Ohio

5,424.40.7947252.931

Oklahoma

1,616.81.2874403.616

Oregon

1,939.81.51,005183.89

Pennsylvania

5,894.81.01,031173.028

Rhode Island

489.41.096324-1.351

South Carolina

2,088.22.8834460.850

South Dakota

431.51.3827473.028

Tennessee

3,005.61.7938263.97

Texas

12,327.02.61,064143.125

Utah

1,494.43.4911303.616

Vermont

310.90.0892362.640

Virginia

3,889.61.11,082112.931

Washington

3,425.62.41,28036.22

West Virginia

706.01.7894358.11

Wisconsin

2,888.90.7901332.931

Wyoming

278.20.6905324.34

Puerto Rico

862.50.2534(3)5.3(3)

Virgin Islands

33.4-8.0888(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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 18, 2019