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, 74^th) and Escambia (3.2 percent, 91^st). (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, 336^th), Pasco ($650, 335^th), Lake ($656, 332^nd), Osceola ($656, 332^nd), and Volusia ($664, 330^th)–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.