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News Release Information

13-2435-ATL
Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

County Employment and Wages in Alabama — Second Quarter 2013

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 159th and Madison’s 1.7-percent gain ranked 170th 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, 53rd) and Jefferson ($917, 112th) 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.
 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Alabama, second quarter 2013

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2014