Wages increased in 17 of the 18 largest counties in New York State from the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 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.) Saratoga posted the largest gain, 5.5 percent, followed by Westchester, 4.2 percent, and Albany, 3.9 percent. (See chart 1. and table 1.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that Dutchess was the only county where average weekly wages decreased (-0.1 percent).

Seven of New York’s large counties reported average weekly wages above the $921 national average in the second quarter of 2013. Average weekly wages in three counties (New York, Westchester, and Nassau) exceeded $1,000.

The largest employment gain among New York’s large counties was in Richmond, up 3.1 percent. Nationally, employment grew 1.6 from June 2012 to June 2013. (See chart 2.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 44 counties in New York with employment below 75,000. All but three of these small counties had an average wage below the U.S. average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 2013, six large New York counties recorded wage growth above the national increase of 2.1 percent. (See table 1.) Saratoga County (5.5 percent) ranked seventh in wage growth among the 334 large U.S. counties. The five other counties with above-average growth (Westchester, Albany, Oneida, Richmond, and Suffolk) placed in the top third of the national ranking. In contrast, Dutchess County’s 0.1-percent loss ranked 314th nationally.

Among large counties in the United States, 304 recorded wage gains, with Union, N.J., registering the largest over-the-year increase in average weekly wages in the second quarter (8.1 percent). Among the 18 counties with declining weekly wages, Davidson, Tenn., recorded the largest loss, 2.2 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Seven of New York’s large counties reported average weekly wages above the $921 national average in the second quarter of 2013. The two highest paying counties, New York ($1,675) and Westchester ($1,244) ranked among the top 20 in the nation. Five additional counties (Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, Albany, and Dutchess) had average weekly wages that placed them in the top 100 among the 334 large counties nationwide.

At the other end of the scale, Kings ($744), Broome ($745), and Oneida ($761) recorded the lowest weekly average among the state’s large counties, placing them in the lowest 25 percent of the national ranking.

Nationally, 107 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $921 in the second quarter of 2013. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,810. New York, was second at $1,675, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,632).

Among the 227 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average, Horry, S.C. ($537) reported the lowest wage, followed by Cameron, Texas ($572), and Hidalgo, Texas ($592).

Large county employment

Employment rose in 13 of 18 largest counties in New York State from June 2012 to June 2013. Six of these counties—Richmond, Queens, Bronx, Kings, Nassau, and Saratoga—posted employment growth above the national rate of 1.6 percent. Four counties posted over-the-year declines. Oneida experienced the largest loss, down 2.3 percent, followed by Broome, down 1.9 percent.

Nationally, employment grew in 288 of the 334 largest counties nationwide. The largest over-the-year percentage growth was recorded in Fort Bend, Texas. (7.0 percent); Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease (-4.5 percent).

In New York, employment was highest in Manhattan, (2,434,000) followed by Suffolk (652,800) and Nassau (609,500) Counties. Altogether, New York’s large counties accounted for 84.9 percent of total state employment. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages in New York's smaller counties

Forty-one of New York’s 44 counties with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average. Putnam ($973), Schenectady ($960), and Ontario ($925) were the exceptions. (See table 2.) Hamilton County in the Adirondacks and Yates County in western New York reported the lowest average weekly wages at $574 and $587, respectively.

When all 62 counties in New York were considered, 10 counties had an average weekly wage at or above $900, 7 of which were clustered in the lower Hudson River valley or on Long Island. Of the 13 counties with average weekly wages from $800 and $899, 10 were located in the western part of the state or the upper Hudson River valley. Thirty-nine counties encompassing a large portion of the state had average weekly wages below $800, with 10 counties located mostly in the north and west reporting wages below $700. (See chart 3.)

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 the QCEW Web site at 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 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 third quarter 2013 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 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 9.2 million employer reports cover 135.1 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 and the 18 largest counties in New York, second quarter 2013 (2)

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (3)
	June 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2012-13 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (5)	Percent change, second quarter 2012-13 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)
United States (6)	135,094.0	1.6	--	$921	--	2.1	--
New York	8,804.9	1.1	--	1,118	4	2.0	21
Albany	224.5	0.5	244	965	81	3.9	21
Bronx	244.4	2.4	84	888	138	1.8	159
Broome	90.0	-1.9	327	745	286	1.5	197
Dutchess	112.4	0.7	233	961	82	-0.1	314
Erie	459.3	-0.2	304	807	213	1.6	183
Kings	537.5	2.4	84	744	289	1.1	237
Monroe	380.2	0.0	289	869	155	0.9	254
Nassau	609.5	1.8	131	1,046	51	0.1	302
New York	2,434.0	1.5	158	1,675	2	1.8	159
Oneida	105.1	-2.3	331	761	264	2.8	69
Onondaga	243.6	-0.1	298	856	162	0.7	267
Orange	134.6	0.3	266	820	195	1.7	170
Queens	537.1	2.6	69	852	165	0.7	267
Richmond	95.0	3.1	37	787	240	2.2	111
Rockland	118.6	0.7	233	995	67	0.7	267
Saratoga	82.5	1.7	143	859	161	5.5	7
Suffolk	652.8	1.3	172	996	66	2.2	111
Westchester	416.2	0.4	254	1,244	16	4.2	16
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) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (6) 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 New York, 2nd quarter 2013 (2)

Area	Employment June 2013 (thousands)	Average weekly wage(3)
United States(4)	135,094.0	$921
New York	8,804.9	1,118
Albany	224.5	965
Allegany	13.5	660
Bronx	244.4	888
Broome	90.0	745
Cattaraugus	30.3	722
Cayuga	26.8	739
Chautauqua	51.7	671
Chemung	37.3	807
Chenango	18.2	752
Clinton	33.0	774
Columbia	21.6	736
Cortland	17.8	706
Delaware	15.7	736
Dutchess	112.4	961
Erie	459.3	807
Essex	15.0	709
Franklin	18.7	779
Fulton	17.5	711
Genesee	23.8	695
Greene	14.4	772
Hamilton	1.9	574
Herkimer	17.6	657
Jefferson	43.1	724
Kings	537.5	744
Lewis	6.8	679
Livingston	20.1	691
Madison	21.6	704
Monroe	380.2	869
Montgomery	18.8	700
Nassau	609.5	1,046
New York	2,434.0	$1,675
Niagara	73.1	716
Oneida	105.1	761
Onondaga	243.6	856
Ontario	52.6	925
Orange	134.6	820
Orleans	13.0	768
Oswego	33.7	750
Otsego	25.3	710
Putnam	25.6	973
Queens	537.1	852
Rensselaer	50.6	864
Richmond	95.0	787
Rockland	118.6	995
Saratoga	82.5	859
Schenectady	64.7	960
Schoharie	8.6	644
Schuyler	5.2	623
Seneca	11.3	754
St. Lawrence	34.8	756
Steuben	38.1	869
Suffolk	652.8	996
Sullivan	25.8	733
Tioga	13.4	884
Tompkins	50.4	810
Ulster	58.6	760
Warren	40.8	715
Washington	16.4	803
Wayne	30.2	758
Westchester	416.2	1,244
Wyoming	14.2	749
Yates	7.0	587
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, second quarter 2013 (2)

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (3)
	June 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2012-13	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2012-13	National ranking by percent change
United States (4)	135,094.0	1.6	$921	--	2.1	--
Alabama	1,859.5	0.9	794	35	1.4	44
Alaska	342.6	-0.1	970	9	1.6	37
Arizona	2,438.1	1.8	877	20	1.7	32
Arkansas	1,150.4	-0.6	734	46	2.4	10
California	15,485.8	2.4	1,048	6	2.0	21
Colorado	2,359.4	2.9	933	14	1.6	37
Connecticut	1,666.3	1.0	1,128	3	1.5	41
Delaware	417.8	1.8	966	12	2.0	21
District of Columbia	725.0	0.9	1,575	1	2.1	19
Florida	7,402.0	2.4	822	29	2.0	21
Georgia	3,917.2	1.7	867	22	2.2	17
Hawaii	617.0	1.9	823	28	1.6	37
Idaho	642.7	2.7	683	51	1.9	28
Illinois	5,750.0	0.8	971	8	1.9	28
Indiana	2,863.4	1.1	776	42	1.7	32
Iowa	1,523.9	1.3	757	43	2.0	21
Kansas	1,350.0	1.2	779	41	2.1	19
Kentucky	1,790.6	0.6	782	38	1.3	46
Louisiana	1,894.7	0.9	824	27	2.4	10
Maine	604.4	0.4	732	47	1.8	30
Maryland	2,570.3	0.9	1,005	7	1.4	44
Massachusetts	3,352.7	1.3	1,131	2	2.0	21
Michigan	4,073.7	2.2	875	21	2.0	21
Minnesota	2,745.2	1.9	929	15	2.4	10
Mississippi	1,094.9	0.7	691	49	1.5	41
Missouri	2,668.2	1.2	803	33	1.6	37
Montana	448.4	1.5	717	48	2.4	10
Nebraska	941.0	0.9	737	45	2.6	7
Nevada	1,168.3	2.3	829	26	1.7	32
New Hampshire	629.1	0.8	916	17	2.9	4
New Jersey	3,917.5	1.0	1,084	5	2.6	7
New Mexico	795.0	0.4	781	39	-0.3	51
New York	8,804.9	1.1	1,118	4	2.0	21
North Carolina	3,985.1	1.7	808	31	2.5	9
North Dakota	433.7	3.2	887	18	3.7	1
Ohio	5,162.3	1.1	830	25	1.7	32
Oklahoma	1,560.7	0.9	794	35	3.5	2
Oregon	1,708.0	2.5	848	23	1.3	46
Pennsylvania	5,665.9	0.3	918	16	2.8	5
Rhode Island	465.5	1.0	880	19	2.3	16
South Carolina	1,864.9	1.8	747	44	1.5	41
South Dakota	417.0	1.0	689	50	1.8	30
Tennessee	2,709.3	1.5	820	30	0.5	49
Texas	11,078.8	2.7	944	13	2.4	10
Utah	1,259.7	2.8	783	37	2.2	17
Vermont	303.1	0.3	808	31	2.7	6
Virginia	3,685.4	0.7	968	11	1.7	32
Washington	3,013.3	2.2	969	10	2.4	10
West Virginia	713.1	-0.1	781	39	0.6	48
Wisconsin	2,768.2	0.6	801	34	3.0	3
Wyoming	290.4	0.4	845	24	0.5	49
Puerto Rico	926.1	-1.1	503	(5)	1.0	(5)
Virgin Islands	38.9	-3.0	706	(5)	-13.8	(5)
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. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.