Two of the four large counties in Connecticut reported employment increases from December 2017 to December 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.) Acting Regional Commissioner Jim Sibley noted that New Haven County had the larger rate of employment growth, up 0.7 percent, followed by Hartford County at 0.4 percent. Fairfield County’s employment was unchanged, while Connecticut’s remaining large county, New London, had an over-the-year employment decrease of 0.1 percent.

Nationally, employment increased 1.5 percent from December 2017 to December 2018, as 296 of the 349 largest counties registered increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage increase with a gain of 10.0 percent over the year. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the year percentage decrease in employment, with a loss of 5.6 percent.

Among the four largest counties in Connecticut, employment was highest in Hartford (517,472), followed by Fairfield (426,528). The four large counties accounted for 85 percent of the state’s total employment in December 2018. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties accounted for 73.2 percent of total U.S. employment.

All four of Connecticut’s large counties recorded increases in average weekly wages from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018, with the largest increases in Hartford (2.9 percent) and New London (1.9 percent). Fairfield County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,705 and ranked eighth among the nation’s 349 largest counties. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 3.2 percent over the year to $1,144 in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the four counties in Connecticut with employment below 75,000. Average weekly wages in three of these smaller counties were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large County Wage Changes

Over-the-year, wage increases in all four large counties in Connecticut were below the national increase of 3.2 percent. Hartford County’s 2.9-percent increase ranked 187th among the 349 largest U.S. counties. (See table 1.) The wage increases in New London (1.9 percent), New Haven (0.9 percent), and Fairfield (0.4 percent) ranked 265th, 316th, and 325th, respectively.

Nationwide, 332 of the 349 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages from the fourth quarter of 2017. Tippecanoe, IN, had the largest wage increase among the largest U.S. counties, up 15.1 percent. Fifteen large U.S. counties had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Washington, PA, had the largest over-the year decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 6.6 percent.

Large County Average Weekly Wages

As noted, average weekly wages in Fairfield County placed eighth among the 349 largest U.S. counties in the fourth quarter of 2018. Hartford ($1,331, 43rd) also had an average weekly wage above the U.S. average of $1,144, placing it in the top quarter of the nationwide ranking. The average weekly wages in the state’s remaining large counties, New Haven ($1,131, 100th) and New London ($1,064, 150th), while below the national average, placed in the top half of the national ranking.

Nationwide, 255 of the 349 large counties had an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the fourth quarter 2018. Hidalgo, TX ($680) reported the lowest wage nationwide, followed by Cameron, TX ($685), and Horry, SC ($685).

Among the 94 large counties with an average weekly wage above the U.S. average, Santa Clara, CA held the top position at $2,670. San Francisco, CA, was second with an average weekly wage of $2,452, followed by San Mateo, CA ($2,410), and New York, NY ($2,400).

Average Weekly Wages in Connecticut’s Smaller Counties

The four counties in Connecticut with employment below 75,000—Litchfield, Middlesex, Tolland, and Windham—had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,144. (See table 2.)

When all eight counties in Connecticut were considered, one had an average weekly wage less than $899, two had wages from $900 to $999, one had a wage from $1,000 to $1,099, and four counties had wages above $1,100. (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 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 Online 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. 

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 21, 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.

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 4 largest counties in Connecticut, fourth quarter 2018

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	December 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	148,061.8	1.5	--	$1,144	--	3.2	--
Connecticut	1,697.9	0.5	--	1,334	5	1.3	49
Fairfield, CT	426.5	0.0	297	1,705	8	0.4	325
Hartford, CT	517.5	0.4	251	1,331	43	2.9	187
New Haven, CT	373.4	0.7	215	1,131	100	0.9	316
New London, CT	124.2	-0.1	303	1,064	150	1.9	265
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 Connecticut, fourth quarter 2018

Area	Employment December 2018	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	148,061,773	$1,144
Connecticut	1,697,896	$1,334
Fairfield	426,528	$1,705
Hartford	517,472	$1,331
Litchfield	62,461	$965
Middlesex	69,840	$1,125
New Haven	373,449	$1,131
New London	124,205	$1,064
Tolland	42,274	$956
Windham	39,144	$888
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, fourth quarter 2018

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	December 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2017-18	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2017-18	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	148,061.8	1.5	$1,144	--	3.2	--
Alabama	1,986.6	1.6	957	36	3.1	33
Alaska	308.3	0.4	1,103	16	4.9	7
Arizona	2,921.1	3.0	1,017	24	4.1	11
Arkansas	1,227.0	0.8	869	50	2.4	43
California	17,556.7	1.7	1,392	4	3.3	26
Colorado	2,713.7	2.2	1,180	10	4.1	11
Connecticut	1,697.9	0.5	1,334	5	1.3	49
Delaware	451.2	1.1	1,107	15	2.4	43
District of Columbia	775.1	0.6	1,943	1	7.3	2
Florida	8,902.7	2.1	1,006	27	3.1	33
Georgia	4,499.8	1.8	1,053	21	2.4	43
Hawaii	669.3	0.6	1,016	25	3.3	26
Idaho	734.4	3.2	890	47	3.6	20
Illinois	6,026.0	0.3	1,189	9	3.3	26
Indiana	3,086.2	0.9	941	38	2.8	37
Iowa	1,558.4	0.5	966	35	3.0	35
Kansas	1,402.2	0.8	927	41	3.7	18
Kentucky	1,914.0	0.3	924	42	3.2	30
Louisiana	1,934.1	0.7	968	34	3.8	15
Maine	618.4	1.3	906	44	2.5	41
Maryland	2,702.5	0.8	1,228	8	1.7	48
Massachusetts	3,620.3	1.0	1,457	2	3.3	26
Michigan	4,366.5	1.0	1,077	19	1.3	49
Minnesota	2,902.3	0.9	1,140	14	3.6	20
Mississippi	1,144.3	0.2	793	51	2.5	41
Missouri	2,821.3	0.5	980	31	3.6	20
Montana	468.8	1.6	888	48	5.2	5
Nebraska	983.0	0.2	930	40	3.2	30
Nevada	1,397.4	3.3	1,006	27	5.3	4
New Hampshire	666.0	0.7	1,158	12	2.3	46
New Jersey	4,125.6	0.8	1,298	6	2.7	38
New Mexico	830.2	1.5	905	45	4.6	9
New York	9,613.2	1.5	1,445	3	1.0	51
North Carolina	4,458.9	1.6	1,013	26	5.1	6
North Dakota	422.3	1.5	1,057	20	4.7	8
Ohio	5,442.9	0.5	1,006	27	3.4	24
Oklahoma	1,632.3	1.5	932	39	4.1	11
Oregon	1,935.8	1.7	1,052	22	3.7	18
Pennsylvania	5,932.5	1.0	1,103	16	2.6	39
Rhode Island	487.2	0.8	1,085	18	2.6	39
South Carolina	2,119.6	2.8	893	46	1.9	47
South Dakota	428.4	1.2	885	49	3.4	24
Tennessee	3,039.8	1.8	1,030	23	3.0	35
Texas	12,531.7	2.5	1,148	13	3.5	23
Utah	1,511.5	3.2	972	33	3.8	15
Vermont	314.2	-0.4	954	37	3.2	30
Virginia	3,927.2	1.1	1,164	11	3.8	15
Washington	3,384.2	2.4	1,292	7	6.3	3
West Virginia	704.2	1.5	917	43	8.3	1
Wisconsin	2,892.3	0.6	989	30	4.0	14
Wyoming	272.1	1.8	978	32	4.4	10
Puerto Rico	896.4	0.8	576	(3)	0.9	(3)
Virgin Islands	34.5	0.5	925	(3)	2.3	(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.