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.