Average weekly wages in New York County, commonly known as the borough of Manhattan, increased 3.5 percent from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that Manhattan’s average weekly wage of $3,270 ranked the highest among the nation’s 357 large counties, those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2019. Nationally, average weekly wages increased 3.3 percent over the year. (See chart 1.)

The fastest rate of employment growth among the City’s boroughs was in Staten Island (Richmond County), up 1.8 percent. (See table 1.) Nationally, employment grew 0.4 percent from March 2019 to March 2020. (See chart 2.)

Over-the-year wage changes

While all five boroughs of New York City had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages, only Manhattan (+3.5 percent) had a gain above the 3.3-percent national wage gain. Brooklyn (Kings County), with an increase of 3.2 percent, was the only other borough to rank in the top half of the nation’s 357 large counties. Staten Island (Richmond County, +2.3 percent), the Bronx (Bronx County, +1.8 percent), and Queens (+0.6 percent), all placed in the bottom third of the large county rankings.                                                                   

In Manhattan, 9 of 10 supersectors with at least 1,000 employees had over-the-year gains in average weekly wages. Information had the largest wage increase, 6.2 percent. Average weekly wages in other services increased 4.6 percent, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities (+4.2 percent) and education and health services (+4.1 percent). Manufacturing had the smallest wage increase (+0.8 percent). Leisure and hospitality posted a 0.3-percent decline.

Nationally, all supersectors had over-the-year wage gains. The largest increases in average weekly wages occurred in information (+5.8 percent) and in financial activities (+4.6 percent). Natural resources and mining had the slowest over-the-year wage gain, 0.3 percent.

Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 335 had over-the-year wage increases. McLean, IL, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.3 percent). Twenty large counties had wage declines during the period. Peoria, IL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-12.8 percent).

Average weekly wages

Manhattan’s average weekly wage of $3,270 was more than two and a half times the national average of $1,222 in the first quarter of 2020. Weekly wages in the four other New York City boroughs had averages ranging from $1,110 in Queens to $975 in Brooklyn. (See chart 3.)

In Manhattan, the financial activities supersector had the highest first-quarter average weekly wage, $9,752. (See table 2.)

Information had the second-highest average wage ($3,811), followed by professional and business services ($2,993). Manhattan’s leisure and hospitality supersector had the lowest average weekly wage, $964. Average wages in every supersector were higher in Manhattan than their respective national averages.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 92 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2020. As noted, Manhattan had the highest average weekly wage at $3,270. Average weekly wages were below the national average in 265 counties. At $666 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Employment

From March 2019 to March 2020, employment growth in two New York City boroughs exceeded the national average of 0.4 percent. Employment grew 1.8 percent in Staten Island and 0.6 percent in the Bronx, ranking 41st and 133rd, respectively, among the 357 largest U.S. counties. Employment grew 0.1 percent in Queens, was unchanged in Manhattan, and decreased 0.3 percent in Brooklyn.

In Manhattan, 4 of 10 supersectors with 1,000 or more employees gained jobs over the year. Information had the fastest rate of employment growth (+2.6 percent), followed by education and health services (+1.3 percent). In contrast, leisure and hospitality (-5.3 percent) and manufacturing (-5.2 percent) experienced the greatest rates of employment loss.

Nationally employment increased in 202 of the 357 largest U.S. counties from March 2019 to March 2020. St. Johns, FL, had the largest percentage increase in the country, up 3.7 percent over the year. Ector, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 5.5 percent.

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 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in 2021.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 18, 2020. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

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 individuals with sensory impairments 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 five counties of New York City, first quarter 2020

Area	Establishments, first quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2019-20 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2020	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2019-20 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	10,447.2	147,088.9	0.4	--	$1,222	--	3.3	--
New York	657.2	9,415.7	-0.3	--	1,693	2	3.3	20
Bronx	19.4	323.2	0.6	133	1,108	148	1.8	267
Kings	67.0	806.8	-0.3	240	975	239	3.2	165
New York	132.7	2,498.6	0.0	203	3,270	1	3.5	142
Queens	54.7	708.5	0.1	192	1,110	146	0.6	321
Richmond	10.2	130.8	1.8	41	1,024	201	2.3	241
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 New York County, first quarter 2020

Area	Establishments, first quarter 2020	Employment		Average weekly wage(1)
		March 2020 (thousands)	Percent change March 2019-20(2)	First quarter 2020	Percent change, first quarter 2019-20(2)
United States(3)	10,447.2	147,088.9	0.4	$1,222	3.3
Private industry	10,145.2	124,839.4	0.3	1,237	3.3
Natural resources and mining	140.4	1,766.7	-2.3	1,341	0.3
Construction	843.8	7,272.0	1.6	1,235	3.5
Manufacturing	358.7	12,653.3	-1.0	1,436	1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,950.2	27,192.9	0.4	999	2.8
Information	193.0	2,883.2	0.8	2,655	5.8
Financial activities	933.2	8,328.5	1.3	2,539	4.6
Professional and business services	1,946.4	21,001.1	0.8	1,648	3.4
Education and health services	1,802.7	23,349.0	1.1	995	3.2
Leisure and hospitality	894.7	15,714.1	-2.3	477	3.5
Other services	872.7	4,485.7	-0.2	786	3.6
Government	302.0	22,249.6	0.8	1,136	2.7
New York, NY	132.7	2,498.6	0.0	3,270	3.5
Private industry	131.2	2,263.3	0.0	3,445	3.6
Natural resources and mining	0.0	0.2	25.0	2,757	2.9
Construction	2.4	42.3	-1.9	2,076	2.9
Manufacturing	1.8	20.6	-5.2	1,693	0.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	18.6	249.3	-1.3	1,668	4.2
Information	5.7	195.9	2.6	3,811	6.2
Financial activities	19.7	391.1	0.9	9,752	3.1
Professional and business services	29.1	588.9	1.0	2,993	2.9
Education and health services	10.4	374.1	1.3	1,412	4.1
Leisure and hospitality	14.8	289.8	-5.3	964	-0.3
Other services	20.3	105.5	-1.2	1,400	4.6
Government	1.5	235.3	0.0	1,574	1.1
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) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Covered employment and wages 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, first quarter 2020

State	Establishments, first quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2019-20	First quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2019-20	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	10,447.2	147,088.9	0.4	$1,222	--	3.3	--
Alabama	132.6	1,983.8	0.3	974	36	3.2	23
Alaska	22.6	312.8	-0.1	1,130	19	2.1	44
Arizona	170.4	2,957.2	1.9	1,098	22	4.4	1
Arkansas	93.6	1,220.5	0.2	922	45	3.0	29
California	1,631.1	17,570.5	0.8	1,459	5	4.2	3
Colorado	214.5	2,725.2	1.2	1,284	9	4.3	2
Connecticut	124.1	1,639.4	-0.7	1,510	4	1.5	48
Delaware	34.6	443.7	-0.3	1,251	11	1.7	45
District of Columbia	42.3	778.1	0.6	1,994	1	3.8	14
Florida	740.5	8,975.1	0.8	1,051	25	3.6	18
Georgia	301.5	4,522.2	0.9	1,159	17	3.4	19
Hawaii	45.4	655.5	-1.0	1,033	27	3.0	29
Idaho	66.8	755.2	3.1	864	50	4.2	3
Illinois	381.5	5,872.9	-0.7	1,302	8	2.3	41
Indiana	171.1	3,028.5	-1.0	994	33	3.2	23
Iowa	104.8	1,523.4	-0.2	978	35	3.7	16
Kansas	89.8	1,383.3	0.2	969	37	3.2	23
Kentucky	124.0	1,884.9	0.1	943	43	2.5	38
Louisiana	137.4	1,897.0	-1.3	969	37	1.7	45
Maine	53.9	601.0	0.1	955	40	4.0	11
Maryland	175.7	2,661.5	-0.4	1,277	10	4.1	8
Massachusetts	263.3	3,565.1	-0.2	1,605	3	3.0	29
Michigan	267.0	4,281.4	-0.6	1,103	20	2.3	41
Minnesota	183.9	2,838.2	-0.1	1,235	12	2.7	35
Mississippi	73.9	1,128.1	-0.2	801	51	2.8	34
Missouri	214.8	2,795.7	0.3	1,016	31	3.0	29
Montana	50.6	465.2	1.5	869	49	3.1	27
Nebraska	72.3	972.4	0.8	956	39	4.1	8
Nevada	86.1	1,410.8	1.3	1,033	27	4.2	3
New Hampshire	54.3	657.0	0.2	1,194	15	3.3	20
New Jersey	285.8	4,052.7	0.4	1,455	6	3.9	13
New Mexico	64.0	835.6	0.9	923	44	3.7	16
New York	657.2	9,415.7	-0.3	1,693	2	3.3	20
North Carolina	296.0	4,501.1	0.9	1,094	23	4.1	8
North Dakota	32.2	414.3	0.0	1,046	26	2.4	39
Ohio	304.4	5,349.6	-0.3	1,063	24	2.9	33
Oklahoma	112.8	1,598.0	-1.3	949	42	-0.5	51
Oregon	162.4	1,938.9	0.7	1,103	20	4.2	3
Pennsylvania	363.5	5,851.3	0.0	1,177	16	2.7	35
Rhode Island	39.5	473.9	-0.2	1,132	18	2.7	35
South Carolina	142.7	2,112.8	0.1	922	45	2.2	43
South Dakota	34.7	420.6	0.4	901	48	4.2	3
Tennessee	171.2	3,033.5	1.0	1,027	29	3.1	27
Texas	725.7	12,626.2	1.2	1,232	14	2.4	39
Utah	109.8	1,526.8	1.8	1,026	30	3.2	23
Vermont	26.1	303.9	-1.8	980	34	3.3	20
Virginia	282.9	3,921.0	0.6	1,233	13	4.0	11
Washington	255.6	3,427.3	1.7	1,414	7	3.8	14
West Virginia	51.2	674.9	-1.8	904	47	0.9	49
Wisconsin	178.2	2,836.5	-0.2	1,008	32	1.7	45
Wyoming	27.2	268.5	-0.5	955	40	0.6	50
Puerto Rico	47.5	886.4	1.0	551	(3)	0.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.3	40.1	5.7	1,046	(3)	6.3	(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.