Employment rose in 5 of the 6 large counties in Tennessee from March 2013 to March 2014, 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 2013 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment increases ranged from 3.9 percent in Rutherford County to 0.2 percent in Hamilton County. Shelby County was the only large county in Tennessee to experience an employment decline, down 0.4 percent. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment increased 1.7 percent during the 12-month period, as 281 of the 339 large U.S. counties gained jobs. Weld, Colo., posted the largest percentage increase with a gain of 7.5 percent over the year. Peoria, Ill., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 2.6 percent.

Among the largest counties in Tennessee, employment was highest in Shelby (470,100) in March 2014. One other county, Davidson, had an employment exceeding 400,000. Together, Tennessee’s six large counties accounted for 56.6 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 72.0 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 134.6 million in March 2014.

Average weekly wages increased in 5 of Tennessee’s 6 largest counties from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014. Shelby County recorded the largest wage increase at 3.9 percent. Davidson (3.3 percent) was the only other Tennessee county with an average weekly wage increase above 3.0 percent. Williamson County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,189, followed by the counties of Davidson ($1,041) and Shelby ($1,017). Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.8 percent over the year to $1,027 in the first quarter of 2014, compared to the 2.2 percent growth rate for wages in Tennessee. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 89 counties with employment levels below 75,000 in Tennessee. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,100 to $446. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

As noted, average weekly wages rose in five of Tennessee’s large counties from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014. Shelby’s 3.9-percent wage increase ranked 79^th among the nation’s 339 large counties; Davidson’s 3.3-percent gain ranked 117^th. (See table 1.)

Among the 339 largest U.S. counties, 323 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2014. Chester, Pa., had the largest increase among the largest U.S. counties (13.9 percent), followed by the counties of New York, N.Y. (12.0 percent), San Mateo, Calif. (9.6 percent), Forsyth, N.C. (9.6 percent), and San Francisco, Calif. (9.3 percent).

Nationwide, 15 large counties experienced average weekly wage declines. Benton, Ark., experienced the largest over-the-year decline with a loss of 3.2 percent. Cumberland N.C., had the second largest decrease (-2.0 percent), followed by the counties of Dutchess, N.Y. (-1.6 percent), Ocean, N.J. (-1.3 percent), and McLean, Ill. (-1.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 3 of Tennessee’s 6 largest counties placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 339 largest counties in the first quarter of 2014. The highest-paid counties—Williamson and Davidson —were above the U.S. average of $1,027 and ranked in the top 100 nationwide at 48^th and 87^th, respectively. Shelby County with an average weekly wage of $1,017 ranked 101^st. Average weekly wages in the remaining three large counties placed in the bottom half of the national ranking. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, there were 95 large counties with an average weekly wage above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2014. New York, N.Y., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $2,749, followed by Santa Clara, Calif., at $2,074. Rounding out the top five were San Mateo, Calif. ($2,058), Somerset, N.J. ($2,048), and San Francisco, Calif., ($1,944).

Nationally, average weekly wages were lower than average in 244 of the 339 largest counties. Horry, S.C. ($571), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($581), Hidalgo, Texas ($597), Lake, Fla. ($639), and Webb, Texas ($650).

Average weekly wages in Tennessee’s smaller counties

Among the 89 counties in Tennessee with employment below 75,000, only Roane County ($1,100) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,027. Grundy County reported the lowest average weekly in the state, averaging $446 in the first quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

When all 95 counties in Tennessee were considered, 32 reported average weekly wages under $600, 34 reported wages from $600 to $699, 15 had wages from $700 to $799, and 14 had wages at $800 or above. (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 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 2013 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2014, 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 2013 are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2013/home.htm.

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 9.4 million employer reports cover 134.6 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 employment and wages in the United States and the 6 largest counties in Tennessee, first quarter 2014

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (1)
	March 2014 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2013-14 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2013-14 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	134,555.0	1.7	--	$1,027	--	3.8	--
Tennessee	2,718.2	1.7	--	874	27	2.2	38
Davidson, Tenn.	448.5	3.0	64	1,041	87	3.3	117
Hamilton, Tenn.	184.1	0.2	275	863	205	2.3	187
Knox, Tenn.	220.6	1.0	195	837	230	0.8	296
Rutherford, Tenn.	110.6	3.9	31	837	230	2.3	187
Shelby, Tenn.	470.1	-0.4	303	1,017	101	3.9	79
Williamson, Tenn.	105.1	4.0	27	1,189	48	-0.9	333
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly 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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Tennessee, first quarter 2014

Area	Employment March 2014	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	134,554,959	$1,027
Tennessee	2,718,237	874
Anderson	38,616	983
Bedford	17,942	683
Benton	3,849	537
Bledsoe	2,125	547
Blount	43,739	810
Bradley	39,983	719
Campbell	8,608	587
Cannon	2,091	531
Carroll	7,360	609
Carter	10,391	569
Cheatham	7,469	757
Chester	3,394	575
Claiborne	8,334	589
Clay	1,442	505
Cocke	7,330	593
Coffee	24,841	796
Crockett	3,515	730
Cumberland	16,767	589
Davidson	448,491	1,041
Decatur	3,584	657
De Kalb	5,185	606
Dickson	15,187	644
Dyer	14,914	678
Fayette	7,333	741
Fentress	4,640	573
Franklin	11,120	621
Gibson	13,151	608
Giles	9,571	654
Grainger	3,303	555
Greene	24,231	664
Grundy	2,093	446
Hamblen	28,934	693
Hamilton	184,129	863
Hancock	814	497
Hardeman	6,606	658
Hardin	7,726	740
Hawkins	12,094	662
Haywood	4,760	703
Henderson	7,793	607
Henry	10,520	629
Hickman	3,527	587
Houston	1,519	534
Humphreys	5,399	884
Jackson	1,438	588
Jefferson	12,229	683
Johnson	3,844	657
Knox	220,612	837
Lake	1,932	554
Lauderdale	6,246	610
Lawrence	9,694	600
Lewis	2,422	521
Lincoln	9,215	607
Loudon	13,442	718
McMinn	16,631	719
McNairy	5,484	549
Macon	4,356	624
Madison	54,818	715
Marion	6,899	615
Marshall	8,084	644
Maury	29,789	803
Meigs	1,990	607
Monroe	12,978	645
Montgomery	47,547	644
Moore	1,765	731
Morgan	3,035	644
Obion	9,841	639
Overton	4,342	615
Perry	1,741	521
Pickett	941	519
Polk	2,140	545
Putnam	32,661	670
Rhea	10,804	740
Roane	17,093	1,100
Robertson	20,637	670
Rutherford	110,607	837
Scott	5,158	552
Sequatchie	2,582	516
Sevier	39,309	507
Shelby	470,104	1,017
Smith	4,878	697
Stewart	2,512	942
Sullivan	68,617	989
Sumner	47,325	703
Tipton	10,336	621
Trousdale	1,421	561
Unicoi	4,781	838
Union	2,188	539
Van Buren	681	556
Warren	12,998	670
Washington	58,569	714
Wayne	3,766	549
Weakley	10,538	568
White	6,521	588
Williamson	105,142	1,189
Wilson	34,690	721
(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: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, first quarter 2014

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2014 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2013-14	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2013-14	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	134,555.0	1.7	$1,027	--	3.8	--
Alabama	1,849.5	0.6	825	38	1.6	50
Alaska	319.1	0.3	1,023	15	3.5	17
Arizona	2,540.8	1.9	918	22	3.1	26
Arkansas	1,152.6	0.3	784	46	2.5	37
California	15,572.9	2.8	1,165	6	4.5	5
Colorado	2,370.1	3.1	1,046	13	4.2	9
Connecticut	1,627.2	0.5	1,362	3	3.3	24
Delaware	412.5	2.0	1,110	7	3.9	13
District of Columbia	727.3	1.2	1,701	1	5.3	3
Florida	7,752.4	2.9	868	28	3.0	28
Georgia	3,974.8	2.6	972	18	3.4	18
Hawaii	624.9	1.2	857	32	1.9	42
Idaho	631.5	3.3	722	50	3.9	13
Illinois	5,651.2	0.9	1,104	8	4.2	9
Indiana	2,842.5	1.2	845	35	1.7	48
Iowa	1,485.4	1.5	824	39	3.0	28
Kansas	1,343.0	1.7	840	36	4.1	11
Kentucky	1,784.1	1.1	811	40	2.7	33
Louisiana	1,909.8	1.2	868	28	2.6	35
Maine	565.9	0.7	786	45	1.9	42
Maryland	2,512.8	0.1	1,086	9	1.8	47
Massachusetts	3,272.2	1.3	1,300	4	5.3	3
Michigan	4,013.5	1.7	950	20	3.1	26
Minnesota	2,652.3	0.8	1,036	14	3.4	18
Mississippi	1,096.8	0.6	707	51	1.7	48
Missouri	2,634.6	1.0	866	31	2.9	30
Montana	429.9	0.7	730	49	3.3	24
Nebraska	930.7	1.7	797	42	2.6	35
Nevada	1,183.5	3.4	867	30	2.7	33
New Hampshire	614.2	1.3	970	19	3.4	18
New Jersey	3,794.3	0.6	1,263	5	2.2	38
New Mexico	787.0	0.2	793	43	1.9	42
New York	8,699.5	1.6	1,460	2	7.3	1
North Carolina	4,003.2	1.7	914	23	3.4	18
North Dakota	428.9	3.3	944	21	6.7	2
Ohio	5,071.5	1.3	909	24	2.8	32
Oklahoma	1,565.2	0.7	854	34	3.9	13
Oregon	1,688.5	2.8	893	25	3.4	18
Pennsylvania	5,560.9	0.3	1,007	16	4.1	11
Rhode Island	449.7	1.1	996	17	4.4	8
South Carolina	1,873.6	2.7	787	44	1.9	42
South Dakota	400.2	1.4	741	48	4.5	5
Tennessee	2,718.2	1.7	874	27	2.2	38
Texas	11,220.6	2.6	1,062	11	4.5	5
Utah	1,270.8	3.1	831	37	3.4	18
Vermont	301.1	0.5	807	41	1.9	42
Virginia	3,613.2	0.0	1,050	12	2.2	38
Washington	2,966.3	2.6	1,068	10	3.8	16
West Virginia	694.6	-0.9	779	47	1.4	51
Wisconsin	2,694.5	1.0	856	33	2.9	30
Wyoming	275.4	1.0	877	26	2.1	41
Puerto Rico	914.9	-1.8	521	(3)	1.4	(3)
Virgin Islands	38.3	-3.6	744	(3)	2.6	(3)
(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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.