For Release: Thursday, April 09, 2015

15-494-ATL

SOUTHEAST INFORMATION OFFICE: Atlanta, Ga.
Technical information: (404) 893-4222 BLSInfoAtlanta@bls.gov www.bls.gov/regions/southeast
Media contact: (404) 893-4220

County Employment and Wages in Florida — Third Quarter 2014

Employment increased in all 23 of Florida’s large counties from September 2013 to September 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 6.1 percent in both Lee and Sarasota Counties to 0.1 percent in Okaloosa County. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from September 2013 to September 2014 as 306 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., recorded the largest percentage increase, up 8.8 percent over the year. Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 4.0 percent.

Among the 23 largest counties in Florida, employment was highest in Miami-Dade County (1,047,000) in September 2014, while Okaloosa County had the smallest employment level (78,200). Together, Florida’s large counties accounted for 86.3 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 137.7 million in September 2014.

All but 1 of Florida’s 23 large counties posted over-the-year wage increases, as Collier County (-3.9 percent) experienced a decrease. Palm Beach County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $903, followed by the counties of Hillsborough and Miami-Dade, $891 each. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.9 percent over the year to $949 in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 44 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2014.  (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in 22 of the 23 largest counties in Florida from the third quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2014. The wage gains in two of the state’s large counties placed in the top third of the national ranking–Alachua (3.4 percent, 74th) and Escambia (3.2 percent, 91st). (See table 1.)

Nationally, 328 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Olmsted, Minn., had the largest wage gain, up 11.1 percent from the third quarter of 2013. San Francisco, Calif., was second with a wage increase of 8.6 percent, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. (7.4 percent), and San Mateo, Calif. and Brazoria, Texas (7.1 percent each).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 10 experienced over-the-year wage decreases. Collier, Fla., had the largest wage decrease with a loss of 3.9 percent. Dane, Wis., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 2.2 percent from the third quarter 2013, followed by Williamson, Texas. (-0.8 percent), Hamilton, Ind. (-0.7 percent), and Shawnee, Kan. (-0.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in four of Florida’s large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking in the third quarter of 2014. However, none of these counties had an average weekly wage above the national average of $949. In contrast, the five large counties with the lowest average weekly wages in the state–Marion ($644, 336th), Pasco ($650, 335th), Lake ($656, 332nd), Osceola ($656, 332nd), and Volusia ($664, 330th)–ranked among the 10 lowest in the United States.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($949) in 99 of the 339 largest counties in the third quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $2,012, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,824), New York, N.Y. ($1,733), San Francisco, Calif. ($1,685), and Washington, D.C. ($1,631)

There were 237 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2014. Horry County, S.C. ($580), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($603), Hidalgo, Texas ($616), Marion, Fla. ($644), and Pasco, Fla. ($650).

Average weekly wages in Florida’s smaller counties

All 44 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $949. Among these counties, Nassau County had the highest average weekly wage at $772. Levy County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $561 in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Florida were considered, 4 reported average weekly wages under $600, 46 reported wages from $600-$749, 15 had wages from $750-$899, and 2 had wages at or above $900. (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 2014 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2015.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2014 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 17, 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 137.7 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 23 largest counties in Florida, third quarter 2014
Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 23 largest counties in Florida, third quarter 2014
AreaEmploymentAverage Weekly Wage (1)
September 2014 (thousands)Percent change, September 2013-14 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, third quarter 2013-14 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States (4)

137,724.12.0--$949--2.9--

Florida

7,748.43.3--826322.138

Alachua, Fla.

121.52.51077902603.474

Brevard, Fla.

190.01.71628511891.2291

Broward, Fla.

739.92.8868691742.2206

Collier, Fla.

123.94.324806243-3.9339

Duval, Fla.

456.51.31928901602.8129

Escambia, Fla.

124.92.11377333173.291

Hillsborough, Fla.

620.02.9838911562.6154

Lake, Fla.

86.22.8866563322.5165

Lee, Fla.

223.26.147433101.6274

Leon, Fla.

142.22.8867712801.7264

Manatee, Fla.

106.53.1737063251.0300

Marion, Fla.

94.93.2656443361.1293

Miami-Dade, Fla.

1,047.03.0778911562.2206

Okaloosa, Fla.

78.20.12997792712.8129

Orange, Fla.

735.73.6518212282.1223

Osceola, Fla.

80.93.0776563322.2206

Palm Beach, Fla.

538.43.9369031411.9244

Pasco, Fla.

105.74.2266503352.7140

Pinellas, Fla.

397.82.11378262162.5165

Polk, Fla.

196.21.91477303191.5282

Sarasota, Fla.

152.56.147542981.3290

Seminole, Fla.

169.04.1297772731.8257

Volusia, Fla.

156.22.61026643302.3194

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.

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 Florida, 3rd quarter 2014
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Florida, 3rd quarter 2014
AreaEmployment September 2014Average Weekly Wage (1)
 
 
 
- Continued

United States (2)

137,724,117$949

Florida

7,748,395826

Alachua

121,547790

Baker

6,855575

Bay

74,361694

Bradford

6,279637

Brevard

189,989851

Broward

739,850869

Calhoun

2,820548

Charlotte

41,960633

Citrus

31,219653

Clay

46,500657

Collier

123,894806

Columbia

22,632653

De Soto

8,008621

Dixie

2,536583

Duval

456,511890

Escambia

124,891733

Flagler

20,328584

Franklin

3,362553

Gadsden

12,683615

Gilchrist

3,156588

Glades

1,491684

Gulf

3,520613

Hamilton

3,065735

Hardee

6,492639

Hendry

10,436655

Hernando

38,100606

Highlands

25,818590

Hillsborough

619,973891

Holmes

3,256537

Indian River

46,339701

Jackson

14,065602

Jefferson

2,516581

Lafayette

1,517538

Lake

86,179656

Lee

223,194743

Leon

142,243771

Levy

8,226542

Liberty

1,997598

Madison

4,290585

Manatee

106,533706

Marion

94,928644

Martin

58,842725

Miami-Dade

1,046,970891

Monroe

37,804699

Nassau

19,986744

Okaloosa

78,194779

Okeechobee

10,399640

Orange

735,683821

Osceola

80,946656

Palm Beach

538,447903

Pasco

105,733650

Pinellas

397,809826

Polk

196,233730

Putnam

16,023651

St. Johns

63,699694

St. Lucie

68,645696

Santa Rosa

33,696605

Sarasota

152,531754

Seminole

168,986777

Sumter

25,105666

Suwannee

11,201569

Taylor

6,723695

Union

3,452620

Volusia

156,192664

Wakulla

5,224596

Walton

22,481624

Washington

5,480605

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: 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, third quarter 2014
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2014
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2014 (thousands)Percent change, September 2013-14Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, third quarter 2013-14National ranking by percent change
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- ContinuedNote: See footnotes at end of table.

United States (2)

137,724.12.0$949--2.9--

Alabama

1,871.21.3815342.530

Alaska

344.7-0.11,01993.019

Arizona

2,539.61.8876242.040

Arkansas

1,170.91.3737471.844

California

16,013.43.11,09553.77

Colorado

2,443.03.7982123.019

Connecticut

1,663.20.81,12441.449

Delaware

426.11.9961162.237

District of Columbia

732.90.81,63114.52

Florida

7,748.43.3826322.138

Georgia

4,059.03.4891212.823

Hawaii

625.10.9870253.94

Idaho

658.42.1721502.626

Illinois

5,807.41.2982122.530

Indiana

2,924.71.4799391.942

Iowa

1,528.81.1800383.610

Kansas

1,363.11.2794402.335

Kentucky

1,827.81.8781422.530

Louisiana

1,928.31.7852273.116

Maine

604.50.3754462.626

Maryland

2,574.51.11,04283.116

Massachusetts

3,386.71.81,16423.019

Michigan

4,141.01.7896192.433

Minnesota

2,757.91.1965152.922

Mississippi

1,105.00.5697511.350

Missouri

2,686.41.0828312.725

Montana

449.50.7732493.77

Nebraska

950.01.1779431.844

Nevada

1,215.84.0840280.551

New Hampshire

633.51.4927183.610

New Jersey

3,880.40.81,08761.747

New Mexico

804.01.1786412.626

New York

8,902.12.01,14533.215

North Carolina

4,085.51.9839292.823

North Dakota

455.94.3977146.11

Ohio

5,219.11.4863263.116

Oklahoma

1,592.31.0826323.610

Oregon

1,752.82.4887223.610

Pennsylvania

5,676.21.0937172.626

Rhode Island

471.81.4895201.844

South Carolina

1,902.72.4768452.433

South Dakota

415.81.7733483.77

Tennessee

2,775.52.4837302.138

Texas

11,433.63.1988113.86

Utah

1,304.73.1803371.548

Vermont

306.51.2805362.335

Virginia

3,667.90.6989102.040

Washington

3,112.83.21,08763.94

West Virginia

709.3-0.2778443.514

Wisconsin

2,783.11.1808351.942

Wyoming

291.31.7877234.43

Puerto Rico

896.7-1.5505(3)0.8(3)

Virgin Islands

37.5-1.0720(3)2.0(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.

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 Florida, third quarter 2014