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News Release Information

16-104-ATL
Friday, January 15, 2016

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

County Employment and Wages in Mississippi – Second Quarter 2015

Employment increased in one of Mississippi’s two large counties from June 2014 to June 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with 2014 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Hinds County employment rose 2.0 percent during the 12-month period. Harrison County registered a 0.2-percent decline. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from June 2014 to June 2015 as 319 of the 342 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Utah, Utah, had the largest increase, with a gain of 7.5 percent over the year. Ector, Texas, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 4.2 percent.

Among Mississippi’s two largest counties, employment was higher in Hinds (120,600) in June 2015, followed by Harrison (83,900). Together, Hinds and Harrison Counties accounted for 18.3 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made up 72.1 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 140.6 million in June 2015.

From the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015, Harrison County recorded a gain of 0.9 percent in average weekly wages, the largest rate of increase among the two large counties in Mississippi. (See table 1.) Hinds County had the highest average weekly wage of these two large counties at $831. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $968, a 3.0 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 (Kemper), wage levels were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Harrison and Hinds County’s average weekly wages rose 0.9 and 0.8 percent, respectively, from the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015. These advances ranked both Harrison (305th) and Hinds (307th) in the bottom quarter of the national rankings for large county wage growth. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 323 of the 342 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Ventura, Calif. had the largest wage increase among the largest U.S. counties (15.2 percent). Santa Clara, Calif., was second with a wage increase of 11.3 percent, followed by the counties of Forsyth, N.C. (10.9 percent), Riverside, Calif. (8.7 percent), and San Francisco, Calif. (8.6 percent).

Of the 342 largest counties, 16 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Olmsted, Minn., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages, with a loss of 5.2 percent. Ector, Texas, had the second largest wage decline of 5.1 percent, followed by Midland, Texas (-3.2 percent), Hillsborough, N.H. (-2.6 percent), and Lorain, Ohio (-2.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in both Hinds County ($831) and Harrison County ($688) were below the U.S. average of $968 and placed in the bottom third of the national ranking in the second quarter of 2015. The average weekly wage in Hinds County ranked 230th and Harrison County’s average weekly wage ranked 331st. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average ($968) in 102 of the 342 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $2,109. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,863, followed by New York, N.Y. ($1,842).

Seventy percent of the largest U.S. counties (240) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2015. The lowest wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($568), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($586) and Hidalgo ($614). 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. ($2,109).

Average weekly wages in Mississippi’s smaller counties

Among the 80 smaller counties in Mississippi – those with employment below 75,000 – Kemper ($1,007) was the only county to report average weekly wages above the $968 national average. Issaquena County reported the lowest weekly wage among all the counties in the state, averaging $426 in the second quarter of 2015. (See table 2.)

When all 82 counties in Mississippi were considered, 30 reported average weekly wages below $600, 24 had wages from $600 to $649, 11 had wages from $650 to $699, 9 had wages from $700 to 749, and 8 had wages 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 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 County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 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 9.6 million employer reports cover 140.6 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 2 largest counties in Mississippi, second quarter 2015
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2015 (thousands)Percent change, June 2014-15 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, second quarter 2014-15 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

140,594.92.0--$968--3.0--

Mississippi

1,114.71.1--709510.648

Harrison, Miss.

83.9-0.23236883310.9305

Hinds, Miss.

120.62.01608312300.8307

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 Mississippi, 2nd quarter 2015
AreaEmployment June 2015Average Weekly Wage (1)

United States (2)

140,594,927$968

Mississippi

1,114,673709

Adams

10,826606

Alcorn

13,950636

Amite

1,695606

Attala

4,540557

Benton

906634

Bolivar

11,705658

Calhoun

3,248555

Carroll

1,151551

Chickasaw

5,496585

Choctaw

2,243722

Claiborne

3,444898

Clarke

2,981612

Clay

5,177637

Coahoma

8,173627

Copiah

7,050638

Covington

5,168605

De Soto

51,903634

Forrest

37,837718

Franklin

1,687674

George

4,957601

Greene

2,005582

Grenada

10,393612

Hancock

13,261871

Harrison

83,876688

Hinds

120,625831

Holmes

3,746565

Humphreys

2,265519

Issaquena

207426

Itawamba

6,307634

Jackson

48,133891

Jasper

3,921686

Jefferson

1,206574

Jefferson Davis

1,576635

Jones

28,543678

Kemper

2,4741,007

Lafayette

20,683705

Lamar

18,226540

Lauderdale

33,312668

Lawrence

2,496843

Leake

5,128552

Lee

52,012708

Leflore

14,333599

Lincoln

11,679660

Lowndes

24,326738

Madison

52,752836

Marion

7,607628

Marshall

6,042669

Monroe

9,732692

Montgomery

2,475546

Neshoba

12,442618

Newton

5,888591

Noxubee

2,468532

Oktibbeha

19,633670

Panola

10,997637

Pearl River

9,833608

Perry

2,069736

Pike

14,876582

Pontotoc

12,469615

Prentiss

7,109570

Quitman

1,087600

Rankin

60,284705

Scott

13,620592

Sharkey

1,189539

Simpson

6,977539

Smith

2,716728

Stone

3,959618

Sunflower

8,626560

Tallahatchie

3,035547

Tate

5,430592

Tippah

6,621595

Tishomingo

5,975591

Tunica

8,954566

Union

10,107810

Walthall

2,534553

Warren

20,417764

Washington

17,550619

Wayne

4,892639

Webster

1,977583

Wilkinson

1,802544

Winston

4,596624

Yalobusha

3,046595

Yazoo

6,482692

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

United States (2)

140,594.92.0$968--3.0--

Alabama

1,899.31.3819371.641

Alaska

346.60.41,02882.430

Arizona

2,549.92.5904211.839

Arkansas

1,184.61.7762472.135

California

16,338.92.81,13155.51

Colorado

2,517.13.2989133.013

Connecticut

1,693.10.91,17742.038

Delaware

439.12.2991121.542

District of Columbia

745.11.81,59911.839

Florida

7,907.73.6861282.623

Georgia

4,167.83.4903222.430

Hawaii

635.91.6876243.86

Idaho

678.52.9713502.333

Illinois

5,925.51.51,015102.623

Indiana

2,966.01.7811403.47

Iowa

1,561.20.9802432.818

Kansas

1,382.10.7819372.818

Kentucky

1,850.51.7822353.013

Louisiana

1,930.60.5850300.847

Maine

615.80.8768462.916

Maryland

2,631.31.41,04672.623

Massachusetts

3,488.32.11,21124.72

Michigan

4,225.01.5916202.135

Minnesota

2,826.31.5977153.28

Mississippi

1,114.71.1709510.648

Missouri

2,746.61.7842322.818

Montana

461.51.8754482.721

Nebraska

968.71.2787444.13

Nevada

1,248.13.2855292.623

New Hampshire

647.71.5967161.346

New Jersey

4,000.21.51,12662.623

New Mexico

808.40.8805411.444

New York

9,136.91.91,18033.19

North Carolina

4,185.62.6850303.94

North Dakota

445.0-1.8939180.350

Ohio

5,308.11.4865262.430

Oklahoma

1,591.50.6818390.549

Oregon

1,810.43.4899233.013

Pennsylvania

5,763.90.8958172.721

Rhode Island

480.01.5925192.916

South Carolina

1,963.52.5782452.135

South Dakota

428.61.3740493.94

Tennessee

2,832.12.8863273.19

Texas

11,689.42.4988141.542

Utah

1,345.93.9821363.19

Vermont

309.30.6831342.234

Virginia

3,767.21.71,000112.529

Washington

3,197.63.31,02693.19

West Virginia

706.5-0.8803421.444

Wisconsin

2,839.81.0836332.623

Wyoming

291.5-1.586925-0.151

Puerto Rico

884.6-1.4513(3)2.0(3)

Virgin Islands

37.90.1748(3)2.2(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, January 15, 2016