An official website of the United States government
21-2184-BOS
Friday, December 17, 2021
Employment rose in New Hampshire’s two large counties, Hillsborough and Rockingham, from June 2020 to June 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that Rockingham County’s 10.1-percent employment increase ranked 32nd among the 343 large U.S. counties. (See table 1.)
National employment increased 6.7 percent over the year, with 339 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 36.8 percent. Calcasieu, LA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.9 percent.
Among the two largest counties in New Hampshire, employment was highest in Hillsborough County (198,000) in June 2021. Within Hillsborough County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment share. Together, the two largest New Hampshire counties accounted for 53.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.2 percent of total U.S. employment.
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the eight counties in New Hampshire with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of the smaller counties were below the national average of $1,241 in the second quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)
Large County Wage Changes
The two large New Hampshire counties reported average weekly wage gains from the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021. The 2.8-percent wage increase in Hillsborough County ranked 194th among the 343 largest U.S. counties. Rockingham County’s 2.5-percent wage increase ranked 206th. Average weekly wages for the nation increased 4.5 percent over the year.
Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 302 had over-the-year wage increases. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+29.7 percent). Atlantic, NJ, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-7.4 percent).
Large County Average Weekly Wages
Hillsborough County’s average weekly wage of $1,342 was above the national average of $1,241 and ranked 57th among the 343 large U.S. counties in the second quarter of 2021. Rockingham County’s average weekly wage of $1,237 ranked 92nd.
Among the largest U.S. counties, 90 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2021. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,516. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 253 counties. At $728 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.
Average Weekly Wages in New Hampshire’s Smaller Counties
Among the eight smaller counties in New Hampshire—those with employment below 75,000—Grafton ($1,219) reported the highest average weekly wage. Carroll County ($845) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.
When all ten counties in New Hampshire were considered, two reported an average weekly wage of less than $899, three registered wages from $900 to $1,049, two had wages from $1,050 to $1,199, and three had average weekly wages of $1,200 or higher. (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. 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 third quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
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.
Area | Establishments, second quarter (thousands) |
Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 2021 (thousands) |
Percent change, June 2020–21 (2) |
National ranking by percent change (3) |
Second quarter 2021 |
National ranking by level (3) |
Percent change, second quarter 2020–21 (2) |
National ranking by percent change (3) |
||
United States (4) |
10,863.2 | 144,044.8 | 6.7 | -- | $1,241 | -- | 4.5 | -- |
New Hampshire |
58.5 | 657.4 | 8.7 | -- | 1,345 | 8 | 10.6 | 1 |
Hillsborough |
12.6 | 198.0 | 6.3 | 150 | 1,342 | 57 | 2.8 | 194 |
Rockingham |
11.6 | 151.4 | 10.1 | 32 | 1,237 | 92 | 2.5 | 206 |
Footnotes: |
||||||||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
Area | Establishments | Employment June 2021 | Average weekly wage (1) |
---|---|---|---|
United States (2) |
10,863,217 | 144,044,799 | $1,241 |
New Hampshire |
58,529 | 657,434 | 1,345 |
Belknap |
2,198 | 25,855 | 942 |
Carroll |
2,074 | 19,939 | 845 |
Cheshire |
2,246 | 31,204 | 960 |
Coos |
1,006 | 11,860 | 861 |
Grafton |
3,413 | 52,596 | 1,219 |
Hillsborough |
12,637 | 197,979 | 1,342 |
Merrimack |
5,391 | 74,350 | 1,123 |
Rockingham |
11,626 | 151,448 | 1,237 |
Strafford |
3,111 | 46,932 | 1,085 |
Sullivan |
1,135 | 13,852 | 1,008 |
Footnotes: |
|||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
State | Establishments, second quarter (thousands) |
Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 2021 (thousands) |
Percent change, June 2020–21 |
Second quarter 2021 |
National ranking by level |
Percent change, second quarter 2020–21 |
National ranking by percent change |
||
United States (2) |
10,863.2 | 144,044.8 | 6.7 | $1,241 | -- | 4.5 | -- |
Alabama |
137.8 | 1,952.0 | 4.4 | 1,010 | 35 | 4.8 | 15 |
Alaska |
23.7 | 315.5 | 6.7 | 1,181 | 17 | -1.2 | 51 |
Arizona |
180.2 | 2,857.8 | 5.3 | 1,154 | 20 | 5.9 | 6 |
Arkansas |
96.1 | 1,205.3 | 4.4 | 974 | 45 | 5.2 | 12 |
California |
1,662.9 | 16,992.1 | 7.0 | 1,579 | 3 | 7.5 | 5 |
Colorado |
228.9 | 2,723.9 | 7.1 | 1,283 | 10 | 4.4 | 19 |
Connecticut |
130.1 | 1,604.1 | 7.9 | 1,411 | 6 | 0.6 | 47 |
Delaware |
35.1 | 440.1 | 5.1 | 1,165 | 19 | 1.7 | 41 |
District of Columbia |
44.0 | 724.6 | 3.3 | 2,096 | 1 | 5.4 | 8 |
Florida |
782.5 | 8,654.0 | 6.7 | 1,113 | 24 | 7.7 | 3 |
Georgia |
337.0 | 4,453.5 | 6.5 | 1,139 | 22 | 5.9 | 6 |
Hawaii |
48.7 | 590.5 | 12.7 | 1,117 | 23 | 0.7 | 46 |
Idaho |
76.4 | 801.8 | 7.3 | 930 | 50 | 5.3 | 10 |
Illinois |
394.6 | 5,743.5 | 6.5 | 1,260 | 11 | 3.5 | 25 |
Indiana |
178.2 | 3,011.8 | 5.2 | 1,013 | 34 | 5.4 | 8 |
Iowa |
106.1 | 1,528.0 | 4.8 | 999 | 38 | 2.1 | 38 |
Kansas |
90.5 | 1,356.0 | 4.0 | 995 | 41 | 2.7 | 30 |
Kentucky |
132.4 | 1,851.2 | 5.6 | 999 | 38 | 2.9 | 28 |
Louisiana |
142.7 | 1,806.6 | 5.4 | 1,005 | 36 | 2.0 | 39 |
Maine |
57.0 | 623.0 | 8.7 | 1,005 | 36 | 2.4 | 33 |
Maryland |
175.6 | 2,599.7 | 6.8 | 1,319 | 9 | 1.0 | 44 |
Massachusetts |
277.4 | 3,497.0 | 10.1 | 1,591 | 2 | 1.1 | 43 |
Michigan |
270.2 | 4,175.6 | 8.4 | 1,143 | 21 | 2.5 | 32 |
Minnesota |
192.8 | 2,814.5 | 6.4 | 1,240 | 13 | 3.3 | 26 |
Mississippi |
75.7 | 1,107.1 | 4.1 | 843 | 51 | 3.8 | 22 |
Missouri |
221.6 | 2,759.3 | 5.3 | 1,052 | 32 | 3.6 | 23 |
Montana |
55.1 | 490.7 | 7.0 | 959 | 47 | 4.5 | 18 |
Nebraska |
74.4 | 976.6 | 4.8 | 997 | 40 | 3.9 | 21 |
Nevada |
93.9 | 1,353.9 | 14.0 | 1,106 | 25 | 5.3 | 10 |
New Hampshire |
58.5 | 657.4 | 8.7 | 1,345 | 8 | 10.6 | 1 |
New Jersey |
300.4 | 3,993.8 | 12.0 | 1,387 | 7 | 0.8 | 45 |
New Mexico |
63.0 | 790.6 | 4.3 | 987 | 42 | 2.9 | 28 |
New York |
667.9 | 8,885.4 | 9.2 | 1,540 | 5 | 1.3 | 42 |
North Carolina |
311.1 | 4,511.3 | 7.2 | 1,092 | 27 | 5.1 | 14 |
North Dakota |
32.6 | 407.4 | 4.3 | 1,067 | 29 | 0.6 | 47 |
Ohio |
312.4 | 5,266.7 | 4.3 | 1,068 | 28 | 3.6 | 23 |
Oklahoma |
114.6 | 1,568.7 | 3.1 | 963 | 46 | 2.4 | 33 |
Oregon |
169.2 | 1,899.6 | 5.6 | 1,196 | 15 | 4.8 | 15 |
Pennsylvania |
370.9 | 5,674.7 | 6.9 | 1,193 | 16 | 2.0 | 39 |
Rhode Island |
42.1 | 472.2 | 10.0 | 1,168 | 18 | -0.3 | 50 |
South Carolina |
150.1 | 2,091.9 | 4.9 | 977 | 44 | 5.2 | 12 |
South Dakota |
36.3 | 442.3 | 6.4 | 936 | 49 | 2.6 | 31 |
Tennessee |
182.3 | 3,012.4 | 5.9 | 1,094 | 26 | 7.6 | 4 |
Texas |
758.0 | 12,466.7 | 5.7 | 1,210 | 14 | 4.7 | 17 |
Utah |
119.9 | 1,586.0 | 7.6 | 1,060 | 30 | 4.2 | 20 |
Vermont |
27.8 | 292.4 | 7.5 | 1,053 | 31 | -0.2 | 49 |
Virginia |
293.6 | 3,854.3 | 6.1 | 1,257 | 12 | 3.2 | 27 |
Washington |
263.6 | 3,376.7 | 5.7 | 1,547 | 4 | 8.3 | 2 |
West Virginia |
52.7 | 663.8 | 4.8 | 955 | 48 | 2.2 | 37 |
Wisconsin |
186.5 | 2,845.7 | 5.7 | 1,037 | 33 | 2.3 | 35 |
Wyoming |
28.2 | 275.1 | 5.6 | 987 | 42 | 2.3 | 35 |
Puerto Rico |
47.6 | 867.2 | 8.6 | 567 | (3) | 2.0 | (3) |
Virgin Islands |
3.5 | 35.7 | 0.0 | 923 | (3) | -8.4 | (3) |
Footnotes: |
|||||||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
Last Modified Date: Friday, December 17, 2021