Employment increased in four of Alabama’s six largest counties from June 2013 to June 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 2.8 percent in Tuscaloosa County to 0.2 percent in Jefferson County. During this same period, employment declined in Madison and Montgomery Counties, down 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively. (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., recorded the largest percentage increase in the country, up 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 the six largest counties in Alabama, employment was highest in Jefferson (340,700) in June 2014, while Shelby had the smallest employment (78,900). Together, Alabama’s large counties accounted for 52.7 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.

All six of Alabama’s large counties posted over-the-year wage increases with Shelby County (2.0 percent) experiencing the largest increase. Madison County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s six largest counties at $1,047. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.1 percent over the year to $940 in the second quarter of 2014. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 61 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000. Among these, Washington ($1,001) and Dale ($975) 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 all of Alabama’s large counties from the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2014. Shelby’s 2.0-percent wage increase ranked 143rd and Montgomery’s 1.8-percent gain ranked 167th among the nation’s 339 largest counties. Average weekly wage growth in Alabama’s four other large counties placed in the bottom half of the national ranking. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 312 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Midland, Texas, had the largest wage gain, up 9.0 percent from the second quarter of 2013. Douglas, Colo, was second with a wage increase of 8.8 percent, followed by Hillsborough, N.H. (7.4 percent), and Collier, Fla. (6.8 percent).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 22 experienced over-the-year wage decreases. Williamson, Texas, had the largest wage decrease with a loss of 2.7 percent. Westchester N.Y., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 1.6 percent from the second quarter 2013, followed by Lake, Ind. (-1.4 percent), and Bibb, Ga. (-1.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 3 of Alabama’s 6 largest counties placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 339 largest counties in the second quarter of 2014. Madison County ($1,047, ranked 58^th)had the highest average weekly wage in the state, followed by Jefferson ($931) and Shelby ($878), ranked 115^th and 159^th), respectively. Average weekly wages in the remaining three counties placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($940) in 109 of the 339 largest counties in the second quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,886, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,740) and 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 Alabama’s smaller counties

Among the 61 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000, Washington ($1,001) and Dale ($975) were the only two counties to report a weekly wage above the national average of $940. Perry County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $555 in the second quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Alabama were considered, 11 reported average weekly wages under $600, 32 reported wages from $600-$699, 13 had wages from $700-$799, and 11 had wages at or 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 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.