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News Release Information

16-598-ATL
Friday, March 18, 2016

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

County Employment and Wages in Florida – Third Quarter 2015

Employment increased in all 23 of Florida’s large counties from September 2014 to September 2015, 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 2014 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment increases ranged from 5.5 percent in Lee County to 0.2 percent in Leon County. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.9 percent from September 2014 to September 2015 as 312 of the 342 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Williamson, Tenn., recorded the largest percentage increase, up 6.5 percent over the year. Ector, Texas, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a loss of 8.3 percent.

Among the 23 largest counties in Florida, employment was highest in Miami-Dade County (1,076,100) in September 2015, while Okaloosa County had the smallest employment level (80,200). Together, Florida’s large counties accounted for 86.1 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made up 72.2 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 140.4 million in September 2015.

All of Florida’s 23 large counties posted over-the-year wage increases in September 2015. The counties of Miami-Dade and Palm Beach had the highest average weekly wages among the state’s largest counties at $924 each, followed by Hillsborough County ($914) and Duval County ($909). Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.6 percent over the year to $974 in the third quarter of 2015. (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 2015.  (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in each of the 23 largest counties in Florida from the third quarter of 2014 to the third quarter of 2015. The wage gains in four of the state’s large counties placed in the top tenth of the national ranking—Volusia (5.0 percent, 11th), Manatee (4.8 percent, 13th), Okaloosa (4.7 percent, 19th) and Pasco (4.5 percent, 25th). (See table 1.)

Nationally, 319 of the 342 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Rockland, N.Y., had the largest wage gain, up 24.9 percent from the third quarter of 2014. Lake, Ill., was second with a wage increase of 11.7 percent, followed by Onondaga, N.Y. (6.5 percent), Washington, Ore. (6.4 percent), and the counties of Marin and Santa Cruz, Calif. (6.1 percent each).

Of the 342 largest counties, 20 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 6.7 percent. Ector, Texas, had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages (-4.9 percent), followed by Lafayette, La. (-3.2 percent); Stark, Ohio (-2.1 percent); and Gregg, Texas (-1.5 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in five of Florida’s large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking in the third quarter of 2015. However, none of these counties had an average weekly wage above the national average of $974. In contrast, the four large counties with the lowest average weekly wages in the state–Marion ($658, 338th), Osceola ($671, 337th), Pasco ($676, 336th), and Lake ($680, 334th)–ranked among the 10 lowest in the United States.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($974) in 100 of the 342 largest counties in the third quarter of 2015. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $2,090, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,894), New York, N.Y. ($1,829), San Francisco, Calif. ($1,712), and Washington, D.C. ($1,667).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 242 had weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2015. Horry County, S.C. ($598), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($615); Hidalgo, Texas ($624); Marion, Fla. and Webb, Texas ($658 each).

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 $974. Among these counties, Martin County had the highest average weekly wage at $744. Lafayette County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $548 in the third quarter of 2015. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Florida were considered, 9 reported average weekly wages below $600, 30 had wages from $600-$699, 16 had wages from $700-$799, 8 had wages from $800 to $899, and 4 reported wages 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 2014 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 2015 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2014 are now available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2014/home.htm. The 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2016.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 8, 2016.


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 9.6 million employer reports cover 140.4 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 2015
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2015 (thousands)Percent change, September 2014-15 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, third quarter 2014-15 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

140,442.21.9--$974--2.6--

Florida

8,023.23.5--852313.110

Alachua, Fla.

124.41.91628052712.0228

Brevard, Fla.

193.91.91628731942.5165

Broward, Fla.

759.72.41288981713.382

Collier, Fla.

128.74.0328152571.2286

Duval, Fla.

474.03.6499091672.0228

Escambia, Fla.

126.61.52047603133.572

Hillsborough, Fla.

641.63.6499141582.0228

Lake, Fla.

90.24.0326803343.760

Lee, Fla.

236.25.557663073.1104

Leon, Fla.

142.40.23077952792.4178

Manatee, Fla.

111.94.4187403224.813

Marion, Fla.

96.41.32176583382.0228

Miami-Dade, Fla.

1,076.12.81049241483.947

Okaloosa, Fla.

80.22.11458162544.719

Orange, Fla.

765.84.0328542114.137

Osceola, Fla.

85.15.466713372.8138

Palm Beach, Fla.

559.33.6499241482.2204

Pasco, Fla.

109.23.1896763364.525

Pinellas, Fla.

407.82.81048462182.3193

Polk, Fla.

203.53.7457403221.5265

Sarasota, Fla.

158.13.6497772963.291

Seminole, Fla.

174.93.6498032733.291

Volusia, Fla.

160.73.0956973325.011

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, third quarter 2015
AreaEmployment September 2015Average Weekly Wage (1)

United States (2)

140,442,224$974

Florida

8,023,168852

Alachua

124,380805

Baker

7,188582

Bay

76,507716

Bradford

6,512660

Brevard

193,914873

Broward

759,706898

Calhoun

2,832565

Charlotte

44,068654

Citrus

31,624663

Clay

48,049665

Collier

128,730815

Columbia

23,845675

De Soto

8,101648

Dixie

2,671590

Duval

474,022909

Escambia

126,563760

Flagler

21,205605

Franklin

3,328565

Gadsden

12,731620

Gilchrist

3,373587

Glades

1,403718

Gulf

3,690636

Hamilton

3,169707

Hardee

6,667652

Hendry

10,226667

Hernando

39,926614

Highlands

25,645619

Hillsborough

641,631914

Holmes

3,197553

Indian River

47,317717

Jackson

14,261616

Jefferson

2,462608

Lafayette

1,463548

Lake

90,198680

Lee

236,226766

Leon

142,415795

Levy

8,526561

Liberty

1,877623

Madison

4,291605

Manatee

111,889740

Marion

96,414658

Martin

61,935744

Miami-Dade

1,076,121924

Monroe

39,855725

Nassau

19,976740

Okaloosa

80,210816

Okeechobee

10,724671

Orange

765,825854

Osceola

85,147671

Palm Beach

559,308924

Pasco

109,208676

Pinellas

407,841846

Polk

203,516740

Putnam

16,125672

St. Johns

66,854731

St. Lucie

70,246724

Santa Rosa

34,874624

Sarasota

158,111777

Seminole

174,893803

Sumter

26,016698

Suwannee

11,282579

Taylor

6,620703

Union

3,646618

Volusia

160,736697

Wakulla

5,405612

Walton

23,121641

Washington

5,620612

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 2015
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
September 2015 (thousands)Percent change, September 2014-15Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, third quarter 2014-15National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

140,442.21.9$974--2.6--

Alabama

1,893.61.2830341.840

Alaska

346.40.41,04192.234

Arizona

2,613.92.9889241.542

Arkansas

1,193.41.9756482.622

California

16,474.43.01,13453.46

Colorado

2,513.02.91,006122.430

Connecticut

1,668.30.21,14742.038

Delaware

436.32.1963150.348

District of Columbia

743.61.41,66712.333

Florida

8,023.23.5852313.110

Georgia

4,171.12.8916222.819

Hawaii

635.41.4896233.110

Idaho

680.33.3736502.137

Illinois

5,888.61.31,020103.93

Indiana

2,971.71.6818392.430

Iowa

1,535.90.4823383.014

Kansas

1,370.90.6809411.840

Kentucky

1,852.51.4804422.918

Louisiana

1,926.3-0.2858300.747

Maine

609.70.7779463.37

Maryland

2,607.81.31,06782.430

Massachusetts

3,446.91.41,19723.014

Michigan

4,203.01.6921202.720

Minnesota

2,800.71.4990142.622

Mississippi

1,118.91.2706511.343

Missouri

2,737.91.9846322.234

Montana

457.91.9759473.74

Nebraska

964.01.4811404.22

Nevada

1,254.53.2862292.527

New Hampshire

642.81.5952182.720

New Jersey

3,933.91.41,11662.622

New Mexico

809.20.6798431.343

New York

9,065.41.81,18033.110

North Carolina

4,194.12.5863283.014

North Dakota

438.0-3.895617-2.351

Ohio

5,282.71.2878251.939

Oklahoma

1,598.00.2825370.049

Oregon

1,812.83.0924194.41

Pennsylvania

5,722.10.8961162.527

Rhode Island

477.41.2919212.622

South Carolina

1,959.72.9788442.622

South Dakota

419.50.9756483.110

Tennessee

2,850.62.7864273.28

Texas

11,681.02.1999131.145

Utah

1,353.93.7829353.28

Vermont

308.20.5829353.014

Virginia

3,759.72.51,014112.527

Washington

3,187.62.51,11172.234

West Virginia

702.4-1.1785450.946

Wisconsin

2,815.70.9834333.55

Wyoming

287.4-1.586626-1.150

Puerto Rico

891.1-0.7512(3)1.4(3)

Virgin Islands

36.8-2.1738(3)2.1(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.


 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, March 18, 2016