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 177^th among the nation’s largest counties. Advancing at a slower pace, wages in Harrison County increased 1.2 percent over the year, ranking 239^th. (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 212^th and Harrison County’s average weekly wage ranked 328^th. (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.