Employment advanced in each of Alabama’s five large counties from June 2012 to June 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2012 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Madison County experienced the largest increase, up 2.2 percent, followed by Montgomery and Jefferson Counties, 1.1 and 1.0 percent respectively. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment rose 1.6 percent during the 12-month period, as 288 of the 334 largest U.S. counties added jobs. Fort Bend, Texas, posted the largest over-the-year percentage increase with a gain of 7.0 percent. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 4.5 percent.

Among the five large counties in Alabama, employment was highest in Jefferson (340,100) in June 2013, while Tuscaloosa had the smallest employment (85,500). Together, Alabama’s large counties accounted for 48.6 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 135.1 million in June 2013.

Four of Alabama’s large counties posted over-the-year wage increases with Mobile (1.8 percent) experiencing the largest increase. Madison had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s five largest counties at $1,030. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.1 percent over the year to $921 in the second quarter of 2013. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 62 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000. Among these, Dale ($984) and Washington ($966) were the only small counties to have an average weekly wage above the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

As noted, average weekly wages advanced in four of Alabama’s large counties from the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 2013. Mobile’s 1.8-percent wage increase ranked 159^th and Madison’s 1.7-percent gain ranked 170^th among the nation’s 334 large counties. In Montgomery County, average weekly wages were unchanged. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 304 large counties experienced growth in average weekly wages. Union, N.J., ranked first with an increase of 8.1 percent from the second quarter of 2012. San Mateo, Calif., ranked second with a gain of 8.0 percent, followed by the counties of Williamson, Tenn. (7.8 percent), Rockingham, N.H. (6.9 percent), and Dane, Wis. (6.0 percent).

Among the 334 largest counties, 18 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Davidson, Tenn., had the largest decrease in the nation (-2.2 percent), followed by the county of Whatcom, Wash. (-1.5 percent). Washington, Ore., and Shelby, Tenn., tied for the third largest percentage decrease (-1.3 percent). Two counties, El Paso, Colo., and Wyandotte, Kan., tied for the fifth largest percentage decrease (-1.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Madison ($1,030, 53^rd) and Jefferson ($917, 112^th) placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 334 largest counties in the second quarter of 2013. Average weekly wages in Alabama’s three other large counties placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than average in 107 of the 334 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,810. New York, N.Y., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,675, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,632), Washington D.C. ($1,575), and Arlington, Va. ($1,525).

There were 227 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2013. Horry, S.C. ($537) reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($572), Hidalgo, Texas ($592), Yakima, Wash. ($629), and Lake, Fla. ($633).

Average weekly wages in Alabama’s smaller counties

Among the 62 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000, Dale ($984) and Washington ($966) were the only two counties to report a weekly wage above the national average of $921. (See table 2.) Geneva County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $537 in the second quarter of 2013.

When all 67 counties in Alabama were considered, 14 reported average weekly wages under $600, 34 reported wages from $600-$699, 10 had wages from $700-$799, and 9 had wages above $800. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

Quarterly 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 the QCEW Web site at https://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 2012 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2013, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2013 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages 2012 are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2012/home.htm. The 2013 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2014.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200, Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.

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 9.2 million employer reports cover 135.1 million full- and part-time workers. 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. 

Table 1. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and the 5 largest counties in Alabama, second quarter 2013 (2)

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (3)
	June 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2012-13 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (5)	Percent change, second quarter 2012-13 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)
United States (6)	135,094.0	1.6	--	$921	--	2.1	--
Alabama	1,859.5	0.9	--	794	35	1.4	44
Jefferson, Ala.	340.1	1.0	203	917	112	0.3	297
Madison, Ala.	182.9	2.2	99	1,030	53	1.7	170
Mobile, Ala.	164.8	0.3	266	804	219	1.8	159
Montgomery, Ala.	129.7	1.1	191	784	244	0.0	305
Tuscaloosa, Ala.	85.5	0.9	216	797	232	0.9	254
Footnotes: (1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. (2) Data are preliminary. (3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (4) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (5) Ranking does not include the county of San Juan, Puerto Rico. (6) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Table 2. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Alabama, 2nd quarter 2013 (2)

Area	Employment June 2013	Average weekly wage (3)
United States (4)	135,093,963	$921
Alabama	1,859,505	794
Autauga	10,323	650
Baldwin	65,748	603
Barbour	8,451	630
Bibb	4,101	685
Blount	8,393	579
Bullock	2,858	608
Butler	6,600	590
Calhoun	44,097	710
Chambers	8,181	616
Cherokee	5,150	581
Chilton	9,401	601
Choctaw	3,586	893
Clarke	8,076	691
Clay	3,551	583
Cleburne	2,396	679
Coffee	14,748	590
Colbert	22,718	742
Conecuh	3,540	616
Coosa	1,212	633
Covington	12,489	623
Crenshaw	3,764	667
Cullman	26,343	647
Dale	16,834	984
Dallas	12,889	657
DeKalb	20,549	602
Elmore	18,436	618
Escambia	12,309	659
Etowah	34,825	637
Fayette	3,808	553
Franklin	9,860	593
Geneva	4,789	537
Greene	1,713	587
Hale	2,714	623
Henry	3,211	648
Houston	46,951	696
Jackson	16,103	638
Jefferson	340,083	917
Lamar	3,423	644
Lauderdale	29,130	592
Lawrence	5,901	794
Lee	52,338	637
Limestone	21,244	822
Lowndes	2,547	835
Macon	4,961	731
Madison	182,883	1,030
Marengo	6,875	683
Marion	9,561	601
Marshall	34,096	606
Mobile	164,800	804
Monroe	6,447	705
Montgomery	129,706	784
Morgan	46,397	757
Perry	2,008	573
Pickens	3,547	604
Pike	13,040	673
Randolph	4,398	573
Russell	13,352	637
St. Clair	17,762	622
Shelby	77,266	858
Sumter	3,191	621
Talladega	28,932	784
Tallapoosa	12,983	586
Tuscaloosa	85,544	797
Walker	18,689	636
Washington	3,466	966
Wilcox	2,510	773
Winston	7,260	574
Footnotes (1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. (2) Data are preliminary. (3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Table 3. Covered (1) employment and wages by state, second quarter 2013 (2)

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (3)
	June 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2012-13	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2012-13	National ranking by percent change
United States (4)	135,094.0	1.6	$921	--	2.1	--
Alabama	1,859.5	0.9	794	35	1.4	44
Alaska	342.6	-0.1	970	9	1.6	37
Arizona	2,438.1	1.8	877	20	1.7	32
Arkansas	1,150.4	-0.6	734	46	2.4	10
California	15,485.8	2.4	1,048	6	2.0	21
Colorado	2,359.4	2.9	933	14	1.6	37
Connecticut	1,666.3	1.0	1,128	3	1.5	41
Delaware	417.8	1.8	966	12	2.0	21
District of Columbia	725.0	0.9	1,575	1	2.1	19
Florida	7,402.0	2.4	822	29	2.0	21
Georgia	3,917.2	1.7	867	22	2.2	17
Hawaii	617.0	1.9	823	28	1.6	37
Idaho	642.7	2.7	683	51	1.9	28
Illinois	5,750.0	0.8	971	8	1.9	28
Indiana	2,863.4	1.1	776	42	1.7	32
Iowa	1,523.9	1.3	757	43	2.0	21
Kansas	1,350.0	1.2	779	41	2.1	19
Kentucky	1,790.6	0.6	782	38	1.3	46
Louisiana	1,894.7	0.9	824	27	2.4	10
Maine	604.4	0.4	732	47	1.8	30
Maryland	2,570.3	0.9	1,005	7	1.4	44
Massachusetts	3,352.7	1.3	1,131	2	2.0	21
Michigan	4,073.7	2.2	875	21	2.0	21
Minnesota	2,745.2	1.9	929	15	2.4	10
Mississippi	1,094.9	0.7	691	49	1.5	41
Missouri	2,668.2	1.2	803	33	1.6	37
Montana	448.4	1.5	717	48	2.4	10
Nebraska	941.0	0.9	737	45	2.6	7
Nevada	1,168.3	2.3	829	26	1.7	32
New Hampshire	629.1	0.8	916	17	2.9	4
New Jersey	3,917.5	1.0	1,084	5	2.6	7
New Mexico	795.0	0.4	781	39	-0.3	51
New York	8,804.9	1.1	1,118	4	2.0	21
North Carolina	3,985.1	1.7	808	31	2.5	9
North Dakota	433.7	3.2	887	18	3.7	1
Ohio	5,162.3	1.1	830	25	1.7	32
Oklahoma	1,560.7	0.9	794	35	3.5	2
Oregon	1,708.0	2.5	848	23	1.3	46
Pennsylvania	5,665.9	0.3	918	16	2.8	5
Rhode Island	465.5	1.0	880	19	2.3	16
South Carolina	1,864.9	1.8	747	44	1.5	41
South Dakota	417.0	1.0	689	50	1.8	30
Tennessee	2,709.3	1.5	820	30	0.5	49
Texas	11,078.8	2.7	944	13	2.4	10
Utah	1,259.7	2.8	783	37	2.2	17
Vermont	303.1	0.3	808	31	2.7	6
Virginia	3,685.4	0.7	968	11	1.7	32
Washington	3,013.3	2.2	969	10	2.4	10
West Virginia	713.1	-0.1	781	39	0.6	48
Wisconsin	2,768.2	0.6	801	34	3.0	3
Wyoming	290.4	0.4	845	24	0.5	49
Puerto Rico	926.1	-1.1	503	(5)	1.0	(5)
Virgin Islands	38.9	-3.0	706	(5)	-13.8	(5)
Footnotes: (1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. (2) Data are preliminary. (3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.