Employment in Rockingham County rose 0.9 percent from September 2016 to September 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hillsborough and Merrimack, New Hampshire’s other large counties, had employment gains of 0.6 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. (Large counties are defined as those with 2016 annual average employment of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the employment growth in Rockingham County was comparable to the 1.0-percent national average.

Nationwide, employment increased in 283 of the 346 largest U.S. counties. Midland, Texas, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (10.4 percent); Collier, Fla., had the largest over-the-year decrease (-5.2 percent).

Among New Hampshire’s three largest counties, employment was highest in Hillsborough County (201,900) in September 2017. Together, New Hampshire’s three large counties accounted for 65.3 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 346 largest counties made up 72.7 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Merrimack rose 0.8 percent to $962 from the third quarter of 2016 to the third quarter of 2017. The average weekly wage in Rockingham County increased 0.3 percent to $933. Hillsborough’s average weekly wage decreased 0.8 percent to $1,126.( See table 1 .)Nationally, the average weekly wage decreased 0.6 percent over the year to $1,021.

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. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average except Grafton. (See table 2 .)

Large County Wage Changes

The 0.8-percent wage gain in Merrimack County ranked 38^th among the 346 largest U.S. counties. Rockingham’s 0.3-percent wage increase ranked 59^th while Hillsborough’s 0.8-percent wage decrease ranked 142^nd.

Across the country, 265 of the 346 largest counties had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Mercer, N.J., had the largest percentage wage decrease among the largest U.S. counties (-8.8 percent), followed by Wyandotte, Kan. (-6.0 percent); Clark, Nev(-5.3 percent).; Somerset, N.J. (-5.0 percent); and Clay, Mo (-5.0 percent).

Of the 346 largest counties nationwide, 71 experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas had the largest gain (8.4 percent), followed by Union, N.J. (8.2 percent); Elkhart, Ind. (6.5 percent); Forsyth, N.C. (5.3 percent); and Maui + Kalawao, Hawaii (4.6 percent).

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Hillsborough County’s average weekly wage of $1,126 placed 55^th among the 346 largest U.S. counties. Rockingham County’s $993 weekly wage ranked 115^th; Merrimack County’s $962 weekly wage ranked 147^th.

Among the largest U.S. counties, more than two-thirds (250) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2017. The lowest weekly wage was reported in Cameron, Texas ($612), followed by Horry, S.C. ($633), and the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($649) and Webb ($672).

Average weekly wages were greater than the national average ($1,021) in 96 of the largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,320. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $2,123, followed by San Francisco, Calif. ($1,954) and New York, N.Y. ($1,889).

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 $1,021. Among the seven smaller counties, Grafton had the highest weekly at $1,048 and Carroll had the lowest weekly wage at $662.

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, three had wages from $700 to $799, one 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 2016 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 2017 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online 2016 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2016/home.htm. The 2017 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2018. 

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2017 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

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 9.9 million employer reports cover 144.5 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: 1-800-877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 3 largest counties in New Hampshire, third quarter 2017

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2017 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2016-17 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2016-17 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	144,464.40	1.0	--	$1,021	--	-0.6	--
New Hampshire	659.1	0.6	--	1,022	16	-0.4	15
Hillsborough, N.H.	201.9	0.6	209	1,126	55	-0.8	142
Merrimack, N.H.	77.2	0.1	270	962	147	0.8	38
Rockingham, N.H.	151	0.9	167	993	115	0.3	59
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 2017

Area	Employment September 2017	Average Weekly Wage (1)
United States (2)	144,464,425	$1,021
New Hampshire	659,080	1,022
Belknap	26,460	764
Carroll	20,517	662
Cheshire	32,003	827
Coos	12,384	710
Grafton	54,299	1,048
Hillsborough	201,891	1,126
Merrimack	77,240	962
Rockingham	150,950	993
Strafford	48,531	945
Sullivan	14,301	755
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 2017

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2017 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2016-17	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2016-17	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	144,464.4	1.0	$1,021	--	-0.6	--
Alabama	1,941.1	0.8	859	37	-1.3	38
Alaska	335.4	-0.7	1,025	15	-2.8	50
Arizona	2,760.1	2.4	948	24	-0.2	10
Arkansas	1,213.0	0.6	788	49	-0.6	19
California	17,153.4	1.7	1,215	4	0.5	4
Colorado	2,625.9	1.9	1,067	9	0.5	4
Connecticut	1,676.3	0.1	1,179	6	-2.2	47
Delaware	443.0	0.4	1,026	14	0.4	6
District of Columbia	764.7	0.7	1,759	1	1.3	2
Florida	8,305.8	-0.2	896	29	-1.1	31
Georgia	4,343.5	1.3	961	21	-0.9	27
Hawaii	652.5	0.4	953	22	-0.3	13
Idaho	722.3	2.7	778	50	-0.5	16
Illinois	5,969.6	0.5	1,057	10	-0.3	13
Indiana	3,044.0	0.6	861	36	-0.6	19
Iowa	1,546.1	-0.2	855	38	-2.2	47
Kansas	1,376.4	-0.1	839	41	-2.1	46
Kentucky	1,890.4	0.5	837	42	-2.4	49
Louisiana	1,904.3	-0.1	869	33	-1.7	42
Maine	621.9	0.7	821	46	-0.5	16
Maryland	2,661.8	0.5	1,105	8	-1.7	42
Massachusetts	3,568.0	0.9	1,265	2	-0.9	27
Michigan	4,334.3	0.9	964	20	-1.1	31
Minnesota	2,883.0	1.1	1,030	13	-2.0	45
Mississippi	1,129.1	-0.1	729	51	-1.4	39
Missouri	2,805.8	0.9	878	31	-1.2	34
Montana	468.6	0.9	793	48	0.1	8
Nebraska	973.3	-0.2	850	39	-0.8	23
Nevada	1,337.7	2.9	914	26	-3.8	51
New Hampshire	659.1	0.6	1,022	16	-0.4	15
New Jersey	4,043.6	1.1	1,156	7	-1.5	41
New Mexico	816.0	0.3	823	45	-0.8	23
New York	9,329.8	1.2	1,219	3	-0.2	10
North Carolina	4,348.0	1.3	904	27	-0.7	21
North Dakota	419.2	-1.0	953	22	-1.2	34
Ohio	5,383.6	0.6	920	25	-0.8	23
Oklahoma	1,593.3	0.7	843	40	-1.2	34
Oregon	1,905.3	1.8	969	19	-0.1	9
Pennsylvania	5,836.5	1.0	1,002	17	-1.1	31
Rhode Island	484.5	0.8	973	18	-1.8	44
South Carolina	2,027.2	0.8	828	43	-0.5	16
South Dakota	426.2	0.4	803	47	-0.7	21
Tennessee	2,953.3	1.1	903	28	-1.2	34
Texas	12,008.9	1.4	1,032	12	-1.0	29
Utah	1,444.1	2.6	879	30	-0.2	10
Vermont	310.3	0.1	869	33	-1.4	39
Virginia	3,843.6	1.0	1,053	11	-0.8	23
Washington	3,343.4	2.0	1,208	5	1.7	1
West Virginia	694.0	0.2	826	44	1.1	3
Wisconsin	2,866.9	0.5	876	32	-1.0	29
Wyoming	276.2	0.3	868	35	0.3	7
Puerto Rico	862.8	-3.1	509	(3)	-2.7	(3)
Virgin Islands	36.9	-1.1	763	(3)	-1.9	(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.