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News Release Information

21-2184-BOS
Friday, December 17, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

County Employment and Wages in New Hampshire — Second Quarter 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.


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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the two largest counties in New Hampshire, second quarter 2021
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:
(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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in New Hampshire, second quarter 2021
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:
(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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, second quarter 2021
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:
(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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, December 17, 2021