Employment increased in 21 of the 22 large counties in Florida from September 2012 to September 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 employment advances ranged from 5.2 percent in Lee County to 0.7 percent in Leon County. Brevard County was the only large county in Florida to experience an employment decline, down 0.3 percent. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment rose 1.7 percent during the 12-month period as 286 of the 334 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Fort Bend, Texas, posted the largest over-the-year percentage increase with a gain of 6.0 percent, while Peoria, Ill., experienced the largest employment decline at 3.7 percent.

Among the 22 largest counties in Florida, employment was highest in Miami-Dade County (1,016,700) in September 2013. Two other counties—Broward and Orange—had employment levels exceeding 700,000. Together, Florida’s 22 large counties accounted for 85.4 percent of total employment within the state. (See table 1.) Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.4 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 135.0 million in September 2013.

The average weekly wage in Collier County rose 8.0 percent from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013, the largest increase in the state and the third largest increase in the nation. Palm Beach County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $884, followed by the counties of Hillsborough ($874) and Miami-Dade ($873). Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 1.9 percent over the year to $922 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 45 counties in Florida with employment levels below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in 20 of the 22 largest counties in Florida from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013. As noted, Collier County’s 8.0-percent wage increase ranked third among the nation’s 334 largest counties. Four other Florida counties experienced over-the-year wage increases that placed them in the top third of the national ranking—Marion (2.9 percent, 51^st), Palm Beach (2.6 percent, 70^th) and Alachua and Miami-Dade (2.1 percent each, 108^th). (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 291 large counties experienced increases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest gain (9.9 percent) from the third quarter of 2012, followed by the counties of Dane, Wis. (9.3 percent) and Collier, Fla. (8.0 percent).

Among the 334 largest U.S. counties, 40 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Pinellas, Fla., had the largest decrease in the nation (-4.3 percent), followed by the counties of Rockland, N.Y. (-4.1 percent), Harford, Md. (-2.6 percent), and Douglas, Colo. (-2.5 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 4 of Florida’s 22 largest counties place in the top half of the national ranking among the 334 largest counties in the third quarter of 2013. However, none of these counties had an average weekly wage above the national average of $922. The four large counties with the lowest average weekly wages in the state—Pasco ($635, 331^st), Marion ($639, 328^th), Lake ($640, 327^th), and Volusia ($650, 325^th)—placed among the 10 lowest in the United States. (See table 1.)

Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 101 of the 334 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,868. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,698, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,667), Washington, D.C. ($1,560), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,549).

There were 232 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2013. Horry County, S.C. ($564), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($587), Hidalgo, Texas ($595), Pasco, Fla. ($635), and Webb, Texas ($636).

Average weekly wages in Florida’s smaller counties

All 45 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $922. Among these counties, Hamilton County had the highest average weekly wage at $750. Holmes County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $517 in the third quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Florida were considered, 22 reported average weekly wages under $600, 24 reported wages from $600 to $699, 12 had wages from $700 to $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/.

An annual bulletin, 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 bulletin, which was published in September 2013, contains selected data produced by the 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 the 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 later in 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 9.3 million employer reports cover 135.0 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 22 largest counties in Florida, third quarter 2013 (2)

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (3)
	September 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2012-13 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (5)	Percent change, third quarter 2012-13 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)
United States (6)	134,957.5	1.7	--	$922	--	1.9	--
Florida	7,501.8	2.6	--	808	31	1.1	46
Alachua, Fla.	118.2	1.6	156	764	263	2.1	108
Brevard, Fla.	186.7	-0.3	302	845	176	0.5	255
Broward, Fla.	719.4	2.6	77	846	174	1.1	212
Collier, Fla.	118.6	5.1	5	837	187	8.0	3
Duval, Fla.	451.2	2.6	77	865	161	-0.1	295
Escambia, Fla.	121.9	1.1	203	709	317	1.9	138
Hillsborough, Fla.	603.0	3.3	41	874	151	1.0	216
Lake, Fla.	83.7	3.9	23	640	327	1.3	202
Lee, Fla.	210.4	5.2	4	729	300	0.4	262
Leon, Fla.	138.4	0.7	239	757	275	0.4	262
Manatee, Fla.	103.8	2.3	97	699	320	1.9	138
Marion, Fla.	91.3	1.0	214	639	328	2.9	51
Miami-Dade, Fla.	1,016.7	2.4	90	873	152	2.1	108
Okaloosa, Fla.	77.6	1.1	203	757	275	0.5	255
Orange, Fla.	707.8	3.3	41	804	222	1.0	216
Palm Beach, Fla.	518.4	3.3	41	884	142	2.6	70
Pasco, Fla.	100.8	2.4	90	635	331	1.8	146
Pinellas, Fla.	390.5	1.5	162	802	227	-4.3	334
Polk, Fla.	193.1	1.9	130	718	311	1.8	146
Sarasota, Fla.	142.6	4.0	22	744	287	0.8	236
Seminole, Fla.	162.3	2.7	68	762	266	1.6	172
Volusia, Fla.	152.7	1.9	130	650	325	1.1	212
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 data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (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 Florida, 3rd quarter 2013 (2)

Area	Employment September 2013	Average Weekly Wage (3)
United States (4)	134,957,493	$922
Florida	7,501,757	808
Alachua	118,175	764
Baker	6,844	571
Bay	72,275	673
Bradford	6,549	603
Brevard	186,656	845
Broward	719,423	846
Calhoun	2,877	550
Charlotte	41,660	632
Citrus	30,919	665
Clay	45,746	627
Collier	118,585	837
Columbia	21,632	643
De Soto	7,590	615
Dixie	2,660	526
Duval	451,181	865
Escambia	121,892	709
Flagler	19,772	582
Franklin	3,492	533
Gadsden	12,691	594
Gilchrist	3,043	571
Glades	1,530	674
Gulf	3,567	593
Hamilton	3,155	750
Hardee	6,589	594
Hendry	10,135	640
Hernando	37,589	586
Highlands	24,475	597
Hillsborough	602,960	874
Holmes	3,211	517
Indian River	44,696	674
Jackson	14,168	597
Jefferson	2,487	574
Lafayette	1,612	521
Lake	83,661	640
Lee	210,420	729
Leon	138,407	757
Levy	8,050	536
Liberty	2,121	594
Madison	4,235	568
Manatee	103,789	699
Marion	91,305	639
Martin	55,700	709
Miami-Dade	1,016,677	873
Monroe	36,589	691
Nassau	19,089	706
Okaloosa	77,567	757
Okeechobee	10,391	641
Orange	707,802	804
Osceola	76,725	640
Palm Beach	518,426	884
Pasco	100,775	635
Pinellas	390,499	802
Polk	193,054	718
Putnam	16,098	637
St. Johns	60,201	674
St. Lucie	66,233	684
Santa Rosa	32,928	586
Sarasota	142,635	744
Seminole	162,288	762
Sumter	24,054	674
Suwannee	10,949	558
Taylor	6,940	743
Union	3,656	626
Volusia	152,731	650
Wakulla	5,135	589
Walton	22,003	601
Washington	5,699	583
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.
SOURCE: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

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

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (3)
	September 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2012-13	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2012-13	National ranking by percent change
United States (4)	134,957.5	1.7	$922	--	1.9	--
Alabama	1,847.6	0.8	794	34	1.3	43
Alaska	345.0	0.4	990	9	3.0	7
Arizona	2,490.9	2.2	859	22	1.5	36
Arkansas	1,156.5	0.1	723	47	2.1	21
California	15,526.4	2.7	1,057	6	2.1	21
Colorado	2,355.7	3.1	952	12	1.7	31
Connecticut	1,650.3	0.7	1,109	3	1.9	28
Delaware	416.8	2.1	941	14	2.1	21
District of Columbia	726.2	1.5	1,560	1	3.0	7
Florida	7,501.8	2.6	808	31	1.1	46
Georgia	3,928.2	2.3	867	21	1.5	36
Hawaii	617.7	1.7	839	25	1.6	33
Idaho	644.7	2.3	703	50	2.3	19
Illinois	5,731.7	0.7	959	11	1.5	36
Indiana	2,883.6	1.2	784	38	1.6	33
Iowa	1,512.0	1.5	772	40	2.1	21
Kansas	1,347.6	1.8	776	39	2.0	26
Kentucky	1,794.5	1.0	760	43	1.1	46
Louisiana	1,893.4	1.4	827	28	2.9	10
Maine	601.5	0.7	735	46	1.8	30
Maryland	2,546.4	0.6	1,011	8	0.4	51
Massachusetts	3,318.3	1.2	1,131	2	2.6	11
Michigan	4,069.7	2.1	875	20	1.5	36
Minnesota	2,724.2	1.7	938	15	2.6	11
Mississippi	1,099.1	0.8	688	51	2.5	15
Missouri	2,661.0	1.3	805	32	1.4	40
Montana	446.7	1.2	705	49	2.3	19
Nebraska	937.5	1.3	766	41	3.4	3
Nevada	1,169.4	2.5	836	27	2.0	26
New Hampshire	624.5	0.6	895	18	2.4	17
New Jersey	3,851.9	1.2	1,068	5	1.3	43
New Mexico	793.7	0.5	766	41	0.7	49
New York	8,724.8	1.3	1,108	4	1.7	31
North Carolina	4,006.4	1.7	817	30	1.4	40
North Dakota	436.7	3.4	921	16	5.5	1
Ohio	5,147.5	1.4	837	26	1.2	45
Oklahoma	1,572.6	1.4	797	33	2.4	17
Oregon	1,709.8	2.4	856	23	2.6	11
Pennsylvania	5,622.4	0.3	913	17	1.6	33
Rhode Island	465.2	1.3	878	19	2.6	11
South Carolina	1,859.3	2.3	751	44	1.9	28
South Dakota	408.9	0.9	706	48	3.4	3
Tennessee	2,712.8	1.5	819	29	0.6	50
Texas	11,091.9	2.8	952	12	2.5	15
Utah	1,265.5	2.9	791	36	3.1	6
Vermont	302.5	0.0	788	37	3.4	3
Virginia	3,650.1	0.6	971	10	1.1	46
Washington	3,017.9	2.4	1,044	7	2.1	21
West Virginia	710.3	-0.7	751	44	3.7	2
Wisconsin	2,752.7	1.1	793	35	3.0	7
Wyoming	286.1	0.2	840	24	1.4	40
Puerto Rico	910.9	-2.5	501	(5)	-0.6	(5)
Virgin Islands	37.9	-1.9	706	(5)	-0.6	(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.