Average weekly wages in all 18 large counties in New York increased from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are those with 2014 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that Saratoga County had the largest growth in average weekly wages, 5.4 percent, followed by Westchester County, 4.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Seven of New York’s large counties reported average weekly wages above the $968 national average in the second quarter of 2015. Average weekly wages in five counties (New York, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and Albany) exceeded $1,000.

Seventeen of the 18 large counties in New York had employment gains from June 2014 to June 2015. The largest growth was in Kings County, up 4.4 percent while the smallest rate of growth was in Onandaga County, at 0.1 percent. Nationally, employment grew 2.0 percent from June 2014 to June 2015 as 319 of the 342 largest U.S. counties added jobs. (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 levels below 75,000. Average wages in all but two of these smaller counties were below the national average in the second quarter of 2015. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Three of New York’s large counties had average weekly wage growth above the national average of 3.0 percent from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015. (See table 1.) Saratoga County ranked 13^th and Westchester County ranked 37^th among the 342 large counties in the nation with wage increases of 5.4 and 4.1 percent over the year, respectively. New York County ranked 87^th with a wage gain of 3.3 percent.

Nationally, 323 of the 342 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Ventura, Calif., had the largest wage gain, up 15.2 percent from the second quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., was second with a wage increase of 11.3 percent, followed by Forsyth, N.C. (10.9 percent). Among the 16 counties with declining weekly wages, Olmsted, Minn., had the largest loss, 5.2 percent, followed by Ector, Texas, at 5.1 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

New York County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,842 and ranked 3^rd among the 342 largest counties in the United States. Westchester County ($1,274) ranked in the top 25 in the nation, at 19^th. Five additional counties (Nassau, Suffolk, Albany, Rockland, and Dutchess) had average weekly wages that placed them in the top 100 nationwide. Broome ($774) and Oneida ($776) reported the lowest average weekly wages among the state’s large counties and ranked 295^th and 293^rd, respectively.

Nationally, 102 large counties had average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $968 in the second quarter of 2015. Santa Clara., Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $2,109. San Mateo, Calif., was second at $1,863, followed by New York, N.Y. at $1,842.

Seventy percent of the largest U.S. counties (240) reported weekly wages below the national average. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($568), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($586) and Hidalgo ($614). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, San Mateo, Calif.

Large county employment

Employment rose in 17 of the 18 largest counties in New York State from June 2014 to June 2015. Seven of these counties— Kings, Queens, Saratoga, New York, Rockland, Bronx, and Westchester—had employment growth above the national rate of 2.0 percent. Only Broome County lost jobs, down 1.2 percent.

Nationally, employment grew in 319 of the 342 largest counties nationwide. The largest over-the-year percentage growth was recorded in Utah, Utah (7.5 percent). Ector, Texas, had the largest over-the-year decrease (-4.2 percent).

In New York, employment was highest in New York County (2,495,683) followed by Suffolk (634,939) and Nassau (604,958). Altogether, New York’s large counties accounted for 85.3 percent of total state employment. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made up 72.1 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages in New York’s smaller counties

Forty-two of New York’s 44 counties with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average of $968. Schenectady ($1,016) and Putnam ($987) were the exceptions. (See table 2.) Yates and Schuyler counties in western New York reported the lowest average weekly wages at $635 and $659, respectively.

When all 62 counties in New York were considered, all but 10 had wages below $950. Seventeen counties reported average weekly wages less than $749, 25 had wages from $750 to $849, and 10 had wages from $850 to$949. Nine of the 10 counties with an average weekly wage at or above $950 were clustered in the Hudson River Valley or on Long Island. The counties with the lowest average weekly wage, under $749, were all located in the northern and western parts of the state. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

Quarterly 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 2014 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 2015 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2014 are now available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2014/home.htm. The 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2016.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

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 9.6 million employer reports cover 140.6 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.

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. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 18 largest counties in New York, second quarter 2015

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2015 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2014-15 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2014-15 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	140,594.9	2.0	--	$968	--	3.0	--
New York	9,136.9	1.9	--	1,180	3	3.1	9
Albany, N.Y.	231.1	1.1	243	1,013	81	2.9	120
Bronx, N.Y.	299.9	2.1	155	928	137	2.3	194
Broome, N.Y.	87.7	-1.2	335	774	295	2.4	180
Dutchess, N.Y.	111.7	1.1	243	977	98	1.0	298
Erie, N.Y.	468.0	0.8	275	843	217	2.2	198
Kings, N.Y.	663.0	4.4	17	813	252	2.9	120
Monroe, N.Y.	384.5	0.9	265	913	150	2.0	220
Nassau, N.Y.	626.7	1.2	235	1,094	48	2.3	194
New York, N.Y.	2,378.9	2.3	138	1,842	3	3.3	87
Oneida, N.Y.	105.3	0.7	284	776	293	2.1	207
Onondaga, N.Y.	244.2	0.1	315	884	173	2.2	198
Orange, N.Y.	141.5	1.2	235	850	206	2.9	120
Queens, N.Y.	636.5	3.8	42	905	162	1.0	298
Richmond, N.Y.	113.4	1.8	172	853	204	3.0	114
Rockland, N.Y.	120.6	2.2	147	979	97	0.2	323
Saratoga, N.Y.	86.0	3.0	88	918	149	5.4	13
Suffolk, N.Y.	665.3	1.1	243	1,025	72	1.4	276
Westchester, N.Y.	429.6	2.1	155	1,274	19	4.1	37
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 [1] employment and wages in the United States and all counties in New York, second quarter 2015 [2]

Area	Employment June 2015	Average weekly wage (3)
United States (4)	140,594,927	$968
New York	9,136,947	1180
Albany	231,077	1,013
Allegany	13,863	709
Bronx	299,870	928
Broome	87,714	774
Cattaraugus	29,692	745
Cayuga	27,088	803
Chautauqua	51,211	711
Chemung	37,296	843
Chenango	18,198	800
Clinton	33,242	806
Columbia	22,113	751
Cortland	18,243	729
Delaware	14,923	775
Dutchess	111,696	977
Erie	467,976	843
Essex	14,882	725
Franklin	18,188	791
Fulton	17,565	708
Genesee	24,664	721
Greene	14,937	807
Hamilton	2,118	678
Herkimer	17,252	697
Jefferson	43,519	757
Kings	663,005	813
Lewis	6,639	727
Livingston	20,264	703
Madison	21,307	718
Monroe	384,479	913
Montgomery	18,870	751
Nassau	626,730	1,094
New York	2,378,876	1,842
Niagara	75,120	751
Oneida	105,267	776
Onondaga	244,205	884
Ontario	54,367	842
Orange	141,475	850
Orleans	13,220	780
Oswego	34,150	805
Otsego	24,539	744
Putnam	26,618	987
Queens	636,509	905
Rensselaer	52,321	950
Richmond	113,429	853
Rockland	120,644	979
Saratoga	86,026	918
Schenectady	63,582	1,016
Schoharie	8,782	700
Schuyler	5,275	659
Seneca	12,043	794
St. Lawrence	35,327	808
Steuben	37,880	915
Suffolk	665,346	1,025
Sullivan	26,259	752
Tioga	13,365	926
Tompkins	50,955	921
Ulster	60,703	777
Warren	41,641	739
Washington	16,202	837
Wayne	29,909	761
Westchester	429,630	1,274
Wyoming	14,468	785
Yates	7,195	635
Footnotes: (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 employment and wages by state, second quarter 2015

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2015 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2014-15	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2014-15	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	140,594.9	2.0	$968	--	3.0	--
Alabama	1,899.3	1.3	819	37	1.6	41
Alaska	346.6	0.4	1,028	8	2.4	30
Arizona	2,549.9	2.5	904	21	1.8	39
Arkansas	1,184.6	1.7	762	47	2.1	35
California	16,338.9	2.8	1,131	5	5.5	1
Colorado	2,517.1	3.2	989	13	3.0	13
Connecticut	1,693.1	0.9	1,177	4	2.0	38
Delaware	439.1	2.2	991	12	1.5	42
District of Columbia	745.1	1.8	1,599	1	1.8	39
Florida	7,907.7	3.6	861	28	2.6	23
Georgia	4,167.8	3.4	903	22	2.4	30
Hawaii	635.9	1.6	876	24	3.8	6
Idaho	678.5	2.9	713	50	2.3	33
Illinois	5,925.5	1.5	1,015	10	2.6	23
Indiana	2,966.0	1.7	811	40	3.4	7
Iowa	1,561.2	0.9	802	43	2.8	18
Kansas	1,382.1	0.7	819	37	2.8	18
Kentucky	1,850.5	1.7	822	35	3.0	13
Louisiana	1,930.6	0.5	850	30	0.8	47
Maine	615.8	0.8	768	46	2.9	16
Maryland	2,631.3	1.4	1,046	7	2.6	23
Massachusetts	3,488.3	2.1	1,211	2	4.7	2
Michigan	4,225.0	1.5	916	20	2.1	35
Minnesota	2,826.3	1.5	977	15	3.2	8
Mississippi	1,114.7	1.1	709	51	0.6	48
Missouri	2,746.6	1.7	842	32	2.8	18
Montana	461.5	1.8	754	48	2.7	21
Nebraska	968.7	1.2	787	44	4.1	3
Nevada	1,248.1	3.2	855	29	2.6	23
New Hampshire	647.7	1.5	967	16	1.3	46
New Jersey	4,000.2	1.5	1,126	6	2.6	23
New Mexico	808.4	0.8	805	41	1.4	44
New York	9,136.9	1.9	1,180	3	3.1	9
North Carolina	4,185.6	2.6	850	30	3.9	4
North Dakota	445.0	-1.8	939	18	0.3	50
Ohio	5,308.1	1.4	865	26	2.4	30
Oklahoma	1,591.5	0.6	818	39	0.5	49
Oregon	1,810.4	3.4	899	23	3.0	13
Pennsylvania	5,763.9	0.8	958	17	2.7	21
Rhode Island	480.0	1.5	925	19	2.9	16
South Carolina	1,963.5	2.5	782	45	2.1	35
South Dakota	428.6	1.3	740	49	3.9	4
Tennessee	2,832.1	2.8	863	27	3.1	9
Texas	11,689.4	2.4	988	14	1.5	42
Utah	1,345.9	3.9	821	36	3.1	9
Vermont	309.3	0.6	831	34	2.2	34
Virginia	3,767.2	1.7	1,000	11	2.5	29
Washington	3,197.6	3.3	1,026	9	3.1	9
West Virginia	706.5	-0.8	803	42	1.4	44
Wisconsin	2,839.8	1.0	836	33	2.6	23
Wyoming	291.5	-1.5	869	25	-0.1	51
Puerto Rico	884.6	-1.4	513	(3)	2.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.9	0.1	748	(3)	2.2	(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.