Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

14-2316-ATL
Wednesday, January 14, 2015

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

County Employment and Wages in Mississippi — Second Quarter 2014

Employment increased in one of Mississippi’s two large counties from June 2013 to June 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are those with 2013 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Harrison County employment rose 0.8 percent during the 12-month period. Hinds County registered a 0.9-percent decline. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from June 2013 to June 2014 as 305 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., had the largest increase, with a gain of 8.9 percent over the year. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 1.6 percent.

Among Mississippi’s two largest counties, employment was higher in Hinds (118,900) in June 2014. Together, Hinds and Harrison Counties accounted for 18.4 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 71.8 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 137.8 million in June 2014.

From the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2014, Hinds County recorded a gain of 1.7 percent in average weekly wages, the largest rate of increase among the two large counties in Mississippi. (See table 1.) Hinds County also recorded the highest average weekly wage among these large counties at $826 per week. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $940, a 2.1 percent increase from a year ago.

Employment and wages levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 80 counties in Mississippi with employment below 75,000. In all but one of these smaller counties, wage levels were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Hinds County’s 1.7 percent rise in average weekly wages from the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2014 ranked 177th among the nation’s largest counties. Advancing at a slower pace, wages in Harrison County increased 1.2 percent over the year, ranking 239th. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 312 of the 339 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas had the largest wage increase among the largest U.S. counties (9.0 percent). Douglas, Colo., was second with a wage increase of 8.8 percent, followed by the counties of Hillsborough, N.H. (7.4 percent), and Collier, Fla. (6.8 percent).

Of the 339 largest counties, 22 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Williamson, Texas, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 2.7 percent. Westchester, N.Y., had the second largest wage decline (-1.6 percent), followed by lake, Ind. (-1.4 percent) and Bibb, Ga. (-1.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in both Hinds County ($826) and Harrison County ($685) were below the U.S. average of $940 and placed in the bottom half of the national ranking in the second quarter of 2014. The average weekly wage in Hinds County ranked 212th and Harrison County’s average weekly wage ranked 328th. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average ($940) in 109 of the 339 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,886. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,740, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,732).

Two-thirds of the largest U.S. counties (230) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2014. The lowest wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($548), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($585) and Hidalgo ($608). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,886).

Average weekly wages in Mississippi’s smaller counties

Among the 80 smaller counties in Mississippi – those with employment below 75,000 – Kemper ($1,132) was the sole county to report average weekly wages above the $940 national average. Issaquena County reported the lowest weekly wage among all the counties in the state, averaging $426 in the second quarter of 2014.

When all 82 counties in Mississippi were considered, 37 reported average weekly wages below $600, 18 had wages from $600 and $649, 14 had wages from $650 and $699, 4 had wages from $700-749 and 9 had wages at or above $750. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW 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 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 contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2014 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.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2014 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 19, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


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 137.8 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.

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.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 2 largest counties in Mississippi, second quarter 2014
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (1)
June 2014 (thousands) Percent change, June 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, second quarter 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

137,776.4 2.0 -- $940 -- 2.1 --

Mississippi

1,101.1 0.5 -- 705 50 2.0 27

Harrison, Miss.

84.0 0.8 261 685 328 1.2 239

Hinds, Miss.

118.9 -0.9 333 826 212 1.7 177

Footnotes:
(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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
 

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Mississippi, 2nd quarter 2014
Area Employment June 2014 Average Weekly Wage (1)

United States (2)

137,776,364 $940

Mississippi

1,101,140 705

Adams

11,018 656

Alcorn

13,201 634

Amite

1,694 634

Attala

4,605 558

Benton

1,321 588

Bolivar

11,771 601

Calhoun

3,382 527

Carroll

1,100 549

Chickasaw

5,566 592

Choctaw

1,886 740

Claiborne

3,116 897

Clarke

2,976 590

Clay

4,891 659

Coahoma

8,265 624

Copiah

7,132 631

Covington

5,249 580

De Soto

48,946 631

Forrest

37,412 701

Franklin

1,674 649

George

5,303 612

Greene

2,004 560

Grenada

10,133 602

Hancock

13,129 881

Harrison

84,033 685

Hinds

118,936 826

Holmes

3,567 559

Humphreys

2,325 480

Issaquena

216 426

Itawamba

6,009 607

Jackson

49,279 920

Jasper

3,991 689

Jefferson

1,243 556

Jefferson Davis

1,627 578

Jones

28,629 687

Kemper

3,735 1,132

Lafayette

19,771 707

Lamar

17,684 523

Lauderdale

33,512 679

Lawrence

2,431 820

Leake

5,004 541

Lee

50,425 683

Leflore

14,004 596

Lincoln

11,245 650

Lowndes

23,888 743

Madison

49,474 852

Marion

7,571 619

Marshall

5,863 635

Monroe

9,577 686

Montgomery

2,457 526

Neshoba

13,068 630

Newton

5,953 581

Noxubee

2,441 530

Oktibbeha

19,062 657

Panola

10,652 633

Pearl River

9,786 594

Perry

2,086 698

Pike

14,643 578

Pontotoc

11,752 596

Prentiss

7,130 561

Quitman

1,118 503

Rankin

59,208 697

Scott

13,144 580

Sharkey

1,252 515

Simpson

7,399 518

Smith

2,758 688

Stone

3,933 602

Sunflower

8,735 549

Tallahatchie

2,997 530

Tate

5,238 587

Tippah

6,053 580

Tishomingo

5,567 587

Tunica

10,609 564

Union

9,885 786

Walthall

2,519 561

Warren

20,425 750

Washington

17,458 613

Wayne

4,851 647

Webster

1,969 556

Wilkinson

1,694 548

Winston

4,445 631

Yalobusha

2,923 583

Yazoo

6,381 678

Footnotes:
(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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
 

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, second quarter 2014
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
June 2014 (thousands) Percent change, June 2013-14 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, second quarter 2013-14 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

137,776.4 2.0 $940 -- 2.1 --

Alabama

1,872.9 0.7 806 36 1.6 38

Alaska

344.9 0.5 1,014 8 4.6 2

Arizona

2,486.0 1.9 888 21 1.3 43

Arkansas

1,168.1 1.5 745 47 1.5 41

California

15,905.6 2.8 1,072 6 2.4 15

Colorado

2,439.3 3.4 960 14 2.9 8

Connecticut

1,676.6 0.6 1,155 3 2.5 13

Delaware

429.0 2.5 976 11 1.2 44

District of Columbia

732.6 1.0 1,569 1 -0.5 51

Florida

7,628.6 3.1 839 28 2.1 23

Georgia

4,036.3 3.1 882 22 1.7 35

Hawaii

624.6 1.1 845 26 2.7 10

Idaho

659.2 2.5 697 51 2.2 22

Illinois

5,836.9 1.5 988 10 1.9 32

Indiana

2,916.9 1.8 784 42 1.2 44

Iowa

1,547.8 1.6 780 43 3.0 7

Kansas

1,372.8 1.7 797 38 2.3 20

Kentucky

1,820.8 1.7 798 37 2.0 27

Louisiana

1,921.6 1.4 843 27 2.4 15

Maine

610.4 0.8 746 46 2.1 23

Maryland

2,594.4 0.9 1,020 7 1.6 38

Massachusetts

3,407.0 1.4 1,158 2 2.4 15

Michigan

4,164.7 2.3 897 20 2.3 20

Minnesota

2,782.0 1.3 947 16 1.9 32

Mississippi

1,101.1 0.5 705 50 2.0 27

Missouri

2,703.2 1.3 818 31 1.9 32

Montana

453.4 1.1 734 48 2.4 15

Nebraska

956.2 1.4 756 45 2.7 10

Nevada

1,210.1 3.4 833 30 0.6 50

New Hampshire

637.2 1.2 955 15 4.3 3

New Jersey

3,944.8 0.8 1,097 5 1.2 44

New Mexico

801.0 0.6 794 40 1.7 35

New York

8,965.2 1.8 1,146 4 2.4 15

North Carolina

4,080.7 2.4 818 31 1.2 44

North Dakota

453.0 4.4 936 17 5.5 1

Ohio

5,233.8 1.4 846 25 2.1 23

Oklahoma

1,578.0 1.0 816 33 2.6 12

Oregon

1,748.4 2.4 874 23 2.9 8

Pennsylvania

5,719.8 1.0 933 18 1.6 38

Rhode Island

472.9 1.6 898 19 2.0 27

South Carolina

1,916.4 2.7 765 44 2.5 13

South Dakota

422.9 1.4 712 49 3.3 4

Tennessee

2,755.7 1.8 836 29 2.0 27

Texas

11,402.8 3.0 973 13 3.1 5

Utah

1,297.5 2.9 796 39 1.7 35

Vermont

307.0 1.0 813 35 0.7 49

Virginia

3,710.8 0.7 976 11 0.8 48

Washington

3,109.6 3.2 990 9 2.1 23

West Virginia

711.3 -0.3 792 41 1.4 42

Wisconsin

2,809.1 1.3 816 33 2.0 27

Wyoming

295.3 1.6 871 24 3.1 5

Puerto Rico

897.0 -2.0 504 (3) 0.6 (3)

Virgin Islands

37.8 -2.2 728 (3) 2.8 (3)

Footnotes:
(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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
 

 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Mississippi, second quarter 2014

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2015