Employment rose in the three large New Hampshire counties from June 2018 to June 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hillsborough’s employment increase lead the three counties at 0.8 percent, while Rockingham’s and Merrimack’s employment rose 0.5 percent and 0.4 percent respectively. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the employment gains in the state’s three large counties were lower than the 1.1-percent national average.

Among New Hampshire’s three largest counties, employment was highest in Hillsborough County (208,300) in June 2019. Together, New Hampshire’s three large counties accounted for 65.3 percent of total employment within the state.  Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.4 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in Rockingham County rose 5.0 percent to $1,082 from the second quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019. The average weekly wage in Hillsborough County increased 4.0 percent to $1,172. Merrimack’s average weekly wage increased 1.1 percent to $998. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.8 percent over the year to $1,095.

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

Large County Wage Changes

The 5.0-percent wage gain in Rockingham County ranked 39^th among the 355 largest U.S. counties. Hillsborough’s 4.0-percent wage increase ranked 110^th and Merrimack’s 1.1-percent increase ranked 338^th.

Among the 355 largest U.S. counties, 347 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the second quarter of 2019. Benton, AR, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in average weekly wages (16.3 percent). Eight large U.S. counties had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. McLean, IL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-5.8 percent).

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Hillsborough County’s average weekly wage of $1,172 placed 65^th among the 355 largest U.S. counties. Rockingham County’s $1,082 weekly wage ranked 101^st; Merrimack County’s $998 weekly wage ranked 175^th.

Average weekly wages were greater than the national average ($1,095) in 93 of the largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,612. San Francisco, CA, was second at $2,430, followed by San Mateo, CA ($2,373), and New York, NY ($2,109).

Among the largest U.S. counties, nearly three-fourths (260) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2019. The lowest weekly wage was reported in Horry, SC ($649), followed by the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($657), Cameron ($659), and Webb ($697).

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 $1,095. Among the seven smaller counties in the state, Grafton had the highest weekly wage at $1,097 and Carroll had the lowest weekly wage at $720.

When all 10 counties in New Hampshire were considered, 8 had wages below the national average. None had average weekly wages at or below $699, two had wages from $700 to $799, three 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 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 2018 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2019, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from the 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm. The 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2020. 

The County Employment and Wages news release for third quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 20, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (EST).

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 3 largest counties in New Hampshire, second quarter 2019

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	149,089.20	1.1	--	$1,095	--	3.8	--
New Hampshire	676.1	0.8	--	1,090	14	4.0	10
Hillsborough, NH	208.3	0.8	184	1,172	65	4.0	110
Merrimack, NH	78.9	0.4	236	998	175	1.1	338
Rockingham, NH	154.5	0.5	224	1,082	101	5.0	39
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, second quarter 2019

Area	Employment June 2019	Average Weekly Wage (1)
United States (2)	149,089,158	$1,095
New Hampshire	676,143	1,090
Belknap	27,510	843
Carroll	21,315	720
Cheshire	31,975	872
Coos	12,610	767
Grafton	54,911	1097
Hillsborough	208,290	1172
Merrimack	78,879	998
Rockingham	154,519	1082
Strafford	49,165	992
Sullivan	14,105	828
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, second quarter 2019

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2018-19	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2018-19	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	149,089.2	1.1	$1,095	--	3.8	--
Alabama	1,993.7	1.1	911	36	3.4	28
Alaska	338.9	0.7	1,078	15	3.6	26
Arizona	2,843.3	2.6	1,010	23	3.8	16
Arkansas	1,222.5	0.6	862	47	4.6	4
California	17,717.4	1.5	1,325	4	4.7	3
Colorado	2,765.7	2.2	1,128	9	4.9	2
Connecticut	1,690.8	-0.8	1,266	6	3.9	11
Delaware	458.0	0.8	1,057	17	3.4	28
District of Columbia	780.4	0.5	1,778	1	3.8	16
Florida	8,722.9	1.8	968	26	3.9	11
Georgia	4,507.1	1.7	1,016	22	3.9	11
Hawaii	652.2	-1.2	992	24	3.7	22
Idaho	765.1	2.6	820	50	3.3	33
Illinois	6,074.7	0.3	1,122	10	2.4	47
Indiana	3,089.8	0.5	910	38	3.1	39
Iowa	1,584.7	0.1	902	40	2.5	45
Kansas	1,403.0	0.6	905	39	2.8	42
Kentucky	1,909.7	0.3	911	36	3.3	33
Louisiana	1,920.2	-0.2	923	35	2.4	47
Maine	639.6	0.4	874	45	3.7	22
Maryland	2,733.6	0.7	1,178	8	3.3	33
Massachusetts	3,690.1	0.9	1,377	2	4.3	5
Michigan	4,419.7	0.1	1,018	21	2.4	47
Minnesota	2,952.6	0.8	1,101	13	2.6	44
Mississippi	1,135.9	0.4	767	51	2.0	51
Missouri	2,836.7	0.3	948	30	2.5	45
Montana	483.1	1.0	843	48	3.3	33
Nebraska	991.5	0.1	889	42	3.5	27
Nevada	1,408.8	2.6	961	29	3.2	38
New Hampshire	676.1	0.8	1,090	14	4.0	10
New Jersey	4,182.5	0.7	1,236	7	3.0	41
New Mexico	834.0	1.0	888	44	4.3	5
New York	9,682.8	1.0	1,347	3	3.9	11
North Carolina	4,527.3	2.0	970	25	3.9	11
North Dakota	431.8	1.3	1,026	20	4.1	7
Ohio	5,486.7	0.4	965	27	3.4	28
Oklahoma	1,618.5	0.5	900	41	3.1	39
Oregon	1,976.5	1.3	1,036	18	3.8	16
Pennsylvania	5,972.1	0.8	1,070	16	3.8	16
Rhode Island	494.5	0.7	1,034	19	3.4	28
South Carolina	2,144.2	1.3	867	46	3.7	22
South Dakota	441.8	0.4	838	49	3.8	16
Tennessee	3,047.8	1.8	964	28	3.3	33
Texas	12,585.6	2.0	1,102	12	3.8	16
Utah	1,526.1	3.0	936	32	4.1	7
Vermont	314.0	0.0	929	34	2.7	43
Virginia	3,981.6	1.0	1,113	11	3.7	22
Washington	3,500.6	1.8	1,288	5	5.9	1
West Virginia	700.4	-0.6	889	42	2.4	47
Wisconsin	2,945.3	0.3	940	31	4.1	7
Wyoming	287.6	1.7	932	33	3.4	28
Puerto Rico	867.7	1.5	531	(3)	-1.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	37.0	10.0	919	(3)	8.8	(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.