Employment rose in 8 of the 9 largest counties in Massachusetts from March 2022 to March 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2022.) Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that Suffolk County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 3.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Massachusetts, March 2023

County	Percent change, March 2023
Suffolk	3.0
Barnstable	1.8
Norfolk	1.8
Bristol	1.4
Plymouth	1.4
Essex	1.3
Middlesex	1.1
Worcester	0.7
Hampden	-0.3

National employment increased 2.5 percent over the year, with 325 of the 360 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 8.5 percent. Elkhart, IN, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 4.6 percent.

Among the nine largest counties in Massachusetts, employment was highest in Middlesex County (923,500) in March 2023. Within Middlesex County’s private industry, professional, scientific, and technical services accounted for the largest employment. Together, the nine largest Massachusetts counties accounted for 93.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 360 largest counties made up 73.0 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the five counties in Massachusetts with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in four of the five smaller counties were below the national average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023. (See table 2.) 

All nine large Massachusetts counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021. (See chart 2.) Barnstable County had the largest gain (+8.4 percent), followed by Plymouth County (+8.1 percent) and Hampden County (+7.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Massachusetts’ other six large counties ranged from 7.2 percent to 0.1 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Massachusetts, first quarter 2023

County	Percent change, first quarter 2023
Barnstable	8.4
Plymouth	8.1
Hampden	7.9
Norfolk	7.2
Worcester	6.3
Essex	5.8
Middlesex	5.8
Bristol	5.2
Suffolk	0.1

Nationwide, wages increased by 6.6 percent over the year. Among the 360 largest counties in the United States, 353 had over-the-year wage increases. Clayton, GA, had the largest percentage wage increase (24.3 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-6.3 percent).

Weekly wages in 3 of the 9 largest counties in Massachusetts were above the national average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023. Average weekly wages in all three of these counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Suffolk ($2,750, 5^th), Middlesex ($2,274, 11^th), and Norfolk ($1,650, 47^th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 87 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2023. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,922. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 273 counties. At $782 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Among the five smaller counties in Massachusetts—those with employment below 75,000—Nantucket ($1,481) reported an average weekly wage above the national average. Franklin County ($1,021) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 14 counties in Massachusetts were considered, 3 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,200, 3 registered wages from $1,200 to $1,299, 3 had wages from $1,300 to $1,399, 2 recorded wages from $1,400 to $1,499, and 3 had average weekly wages of $1,500 or higher. (See chart 3.)

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 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The County Employment and Wages full data update for the second quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 7, 2023.

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.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.