Employment declined in all five New York City boroughs from March 2020 to March 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that in New York County—commonly known as Manhattan—the over-the-year employment loss of 14.7 percent ranked 333^rd among the nation’s 343 largest counties, those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

In New York’s outer boroughs, employment declines ranged from 9.2 percent in Queens to 5.5 percent in Staten Island (Richmond County)

National employment decreased 4.5 percent over the year, with 324 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Calcasieu, LA, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 14.9 percent. Utah, UT, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment with a gain of 6.1 percent.

Among the five New York City boroughs, employment was highest in Manhattan (2,125,300) in March 2021. Within Manhattan’s private industry, all nine of the supersectors with at least 1,000 employees had over-the-year job losses. Leisure and hospitality had the largest loss (-53.1 percent), followed by manufacturing (-27.0 percent), and trade, transportation, and utilities (-22.1 percent). (See table 2.)

Nationally, all supersectors reported over-the-year employment losses. The largest employment declines occurred in leisure and hospitality (-18.5 percent), other services (-9.7 percent), and natural resources and mining (-7.3 percent).

Over-the-year wage changes

All five boroughs of New York City had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Manhattan ranked third among the nation’s largest counties with a gain of 21.0 percent. Staten Island matched the national gain of 5.6 percent, placing 103^rd. Brooklyn (Kings County, +4.4 percent) placed 158^th. The Bronx (Bronx County, +3.5 percent) and Queens (+3.2 percent) placed in the lower half of the large county rankings. (See chart 2.)

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 312 had over-the-year wage increases. Nationally, across most industries, increases in average weekly wages reflect substantial employment declines combined with wage increases. The lowest paying industry, leisure and hospitality, had the largest employment loss, which resulted in higher average weekly wages for the industry and the nation. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+33.9 percent). Clayton, GA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-14.2 percent).

Average weekly wages

Manhattan’s average weekly wage of $3,967 ranked first in the nation and was more than three times the national average of $1,289 in the first quarter of 2021. Weekly wages in the four other New York City boroughs had averages ranging from $1,144 in Queens to $1,014 in Brooklyn. (See chart 3.)

In Manhattan, the financial activities supersector had the highest first-quarter average weekly wage, $11,283. (See table 2.) Information had the second-highest average wage ($4,393), followed by professional and business services ($3,282). Manhattan’s leisure and hospitality supersector had the lowest average weekly wage, $1,055. Average wages in every supersector were higher in Manhattan than their respective national averages.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 84 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2021. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 259 counties.

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. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

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 in New York City, first quarter 2021

Area	Establishments, first quarter 2021 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2021	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	10,755.4	140,455.8	-4.5	--	$1,289	--	5.6	--
New York	664.6	8,587.8	-8.7	--	1869	2	10.4	2
Bronx	19.4	301.2	-6.9	276	1143	147	3.5	208
Kings	67.1	753.8	-6.4	256	1014	234	4.4	158
New York	128.8	2,125.3	-14.7	333	3967	1	21.0	3
Queens	54.3	642.6	-9.2	321	1144	146	3.2	223
Richmond	10.2	123.3	-5.5	211	1082	178	5.6	103
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from 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 2021

Area	Establishments, first quarter 2021	Employment		Average weekly wage(1)
		March 2021 (thousands)	Percent change March 2020-21(2)	First quarter 2021	Percent change, first quarter 2020-21(2)
United States(3)	10,755.2	140,455.8	-4.5	$1,289	5.6
Private industry	10,453.0	119,177.8	-4.5	1,310	6.0
Natural resources and mining	140.8	1,634.8	-7.3	1,215	-8.4
Construction	860.0	7,126.2	-2.1	1,240	0.6
Manufacturing	363.8	12,198.4	-3.7	1,450	1.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,967.5	26,868.9	-1.1	1,020	2.2
Information	212.2	2,761.6	-4.3	3,118	17.4
Financial activities	968.2	8,245.7	-1.2	2,740	7.7
Professional and business services	2,049.6	20,706.6	-1.3	1,725	4.9
Education and health services	1,908.0	22,575.1	-3.7	1,025	3.2
Leisure and hospitality	895.3	12,817.7	-18.5	479	0.4
Other services	840.0	4,002.0	-9.7	836	5.7
Government	302.4	21,278.0	-4.4	1,176	3.5
New York, NY	128.8	2,125.3	-14.7	3,967	21.0
Private industry	127.3	1,901.5	-15.7	4,248	23.0
Natural resources and mining	0.0	0.3	27.7	2,827	-1.9
Construction	2.4	36.8	-13.8	2,105	1.7
Manufacturing	1.8	14.7	-27.0	1,906	12.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	17.8	191.9	-22.1	1,863	13.9
Information	5.9	182.5	-6.8	4,393	15.2
Financial activities	19.4	374.1	-5.1	11,283	14.7
Professional and business services	29.2	530.1	-9.7	3,282	12.2
Education and health services	10.4	344.1	-7.7	1,527	7.7
Leisure and hospitality	14.1	135.4	-53.1	1,055	9.9
Other services	18.9	85.8	-18.4	1,509	7.9
Government	1.5	223.8	-4.9	1,610	2.4
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 2021

State	Establishments, first quarter 2021 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2020–21	First quarter 2021	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2020–21	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	10,755.4	140,455.8	-4.5	$1,289	--	5.6	--
Alabama	135.9	1,924.3	-3.0	996	37	2.5	40
Alaska	23.3	295.0	-5.5	1,125	23	-0.6	48
Arizona	176.5	2,894.2	-2.3	1,150	21	4.8	17
Arkansas	95.3	1,194.2	-2.0	957	43	3.7	30
California	1,651.4	16,507.7	-5.9	1,623	4	11.3	1
Colorado	224.7	2,634.7	-3.5	1,335	10	4.1	25
Connecticut	128.3	1,550.5	-5.4	1,575	5	4.7	19
Delaware	35.2	425.6	-4.1	1,264	13	1.6	44
District of Columbia	44.0	708.1	-9.0	2,166	1	8.7	4
Florida	780.8	8,701.9	-3.1	1,104	24	5.1	13
Georgia	329.2	4,393.8	-2.6	1,198	17	3.6	33
Hawaii	48.0	564.4	-14.1	1,091	26	5.7	9
Idaho	74.2	768.6	1.9	906	50	4.9	15
Illinois	390.0	5,559.6	-5.5	1,387	8	6.7	7
Indiana	176.2	2,956.4	-2.5	1,026	34	3.3	37
Iowa	105.1	1,473.6	-3.3	1,004	35	2.6	39
Kansas	90.4	1,335.4	-3.3	986	39	1.9	43
Kentucky	130.7	1,835.2	-2.5	965	41	2.3	42
Louisiana	141.5	1,787.6	-5.9	977	40	1.0	46
Maine	56.2	585.0	-2.8	1,000	36	4.7	19
Maryland	174.3	2,522.1	-5.0	1,386	9	8.5	5
Massachusetts	271.2	3,334.9	-6.6	1,732	3	7.8	6
Michigan	267.5	4,026.6	-5.9	1,155	20	4.8	17
Minnesota	189.7	2,695.4	-5.1	1,290	11	4.6	22
Mississippi	75.3	1,098.4	-2.5	811	51	1.1	45
Missouri	221.8	2,705.5	-3.0	1,055	30	3.7	30
Montana	53.2	465.2	0.1	915	48	5.4	10
Nebraska	73.4	944.7	-2.8	990	38	3.6	33
Nevada	92.8	1,291.5	-8.4	1,080	27	4.7	19
New Hampshire	56.8	631.8	-3.9	1,258	15	5.4	10
New Jersey	297.0	3,818.6	-5.5	1,533	7	5.3	12
New Mexico	65.2	774.5	-7.4	958	42	3.8	28
New York	664.6	8,587.8	-8.7	1,869	2	10.4	2
North Carolina	302.7	4,423.2	-1.7	1,137	22	4.1	25
North Dakota	32.3	388.7	-6.1	1,037	32	-0.9	51
Ohio	310.1	5,136.8	-3.9	1,098	25	3.3	37
Oklahoma	114.4	1,549.7	-3.7	939	46	-0.8	50
Oregon	169.4	1,841.9	-5.2	1,172	18	6.4	8
Pennsylvania	369.7	5,531.3	-5.4	1,226	16	4.3	23
Rhode Island	41.2	447.8	-5.6	1,171	19	3.4	35
South Carolina	150.1	2,056.2	-2.6	957	43	3.8	28
South Dakota	35.6	417.1	-0.9	932	47	3.4	35
Tennessee	180.2	2,968.7	-2.1	1,077	28	5.0	14
Texas	750.1	12,216.7	-3.4	1,261	14	2.4	41
Utah	117.3	1,548.8	1.5	1,065	29	3.7	30
Vermont	27.0	283.7	-6.9	1,028	33	4.9	15
Virginia	291.3	3,765.8	-3.9	1,285	12	4.2	24
Washington	261.2	3,252.0	-5.1	1,540	6	9.1	3
West Virginia	52.3	648.6	-3.8	911	49	0.8	47
Wisconsin	183.1	2,730.0	-3.7	1,047	31	3.9	27
Wyoming	27.8	255.9	-4.6	953	45	-0.6	48
Puerto Rico	47.1	856.5	-3.1	562	(3)	2.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.6	34.7	-14.0	961	(3)	-8.0	(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.