Employment increased in 2 of Kentucky’s 3 large counties from March 2018 to March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the employment gain in Boone, KY, at 2.5 percent, was above the national average. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.4 percent from March 2018 to March 2019 as 298 of the 355 largest U.S. counties had increases. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment, with a gain of 5.8 percent. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment, with a loss of 5.9 percent.

Among the three largest counties in Kentucky, employment was highest in Jefferson (466,400) in March 2019. Together, Kentucky’s large counties accounted for 39.9 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.5 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 146.5 million in March 2019.

Each of Kentucky’s three large counties had over-the-year wage increases in the first quarter of 2019, with the largest gain in Fayette County (2.8 percent). Jefferson County ($1,140) had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 2.8 percent over the year to $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 117 counties in Kentucky with 2018 average annual employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,479 to $546. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

In the first quarter of 2019, over-the-year weekly wage gains were at or above 2.0 percent for each of Kentucky’s large counties. Fayette County was the only large county in Kentucky to have an over-the-year weekly wage gain place in the top half of the national ranking (2.8 percent; 153^rd). (See table 1.)

Nationally, 325 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage gain at 10.2 percent, followed by Bay, FL (9.3 percent).

Of the 355 largest counties, 28 experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-7.6 percent), followed by Olmsted, MN (-5.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in each of Kentucky’s three large counties were below the U.S. average of $1,184. The average weekly wage in Jefferson County ($1,140, 111^th) placed in the top third of the national ranking. Average weekly wages in Fayette County ($952, 235^th), and Boone County ($922, 269^th) placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($1,184) in 92 of the 355 largest counties in the first quarter of 2019. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,153, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,759), and Santa Clara, CA ($2,758).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 263 had average weekly wages below the national average in the first quarter of 2019. Cameron, TX, reported the lowest wage ($648), followed by Horry, SC ($652), and Hidalgo, TX ($662).

Average weekly wages in Kentucky’s smaller counties

Among the 117 counties in Kentucky—those with 2018 annual employment levels below 75,000—only Hancock ($1,479) and Carroll ($1,233) had average weekly wages above the national average of $1,184. Nicholas County had the lowest wage in the state, averaging $546 in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)

When all 120 counties in Kentucky were considered, 12 reported average weekly wages below $600, 46 had average weekly wages from $600 to $699, 25 had wages from $700 to $799, 22 had wages from $800 to $899, and 15 had 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 2018 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 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from the 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 4, 2019.

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 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 3 largest counties in Kentucky, first quarter 2019

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	146,497.6	1.4	--	$1,184	--	2.8	--
Kentucky	1,882.6	0.6	--	920	41	2.2	38
Boone, KY	93.7	2.5	43	922	269	2.0	227
Fayette, KY	191.5	0.0	299	952	235	2.8	153
Jefferson, KY	466.4	0.5	241	1,140	111	2.1	218
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 3. Covered employment and wages by state, first quarter 2019

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	March 2019 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2018-19	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2018-19	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	146,497.6	1.4	$1,184	--	2.8	--
Alabama	1,978.0	1.6	944	38	2.5	32
Alaska	312.4	0.3	1,108	18	3.3	9
Arizona	2,895.1	2.5	1,056	22	3.0	21
Arkansas	1,218.5	0.7	896	45	2.2	38
California	17,436.4	1.8	1,401	5	3.8	4
Colorado	2,690.3	1.9	1,231	9	4.8	2
Connecticut	1,650.6	0.0	1,487	4	2.3	34
Delaware	444.1	1.3	1,199	13	-0.1	51
District of Columbia	773.5	0.5	1,921	1	0.2	49
Florida	8,894.3	2.1	1,015	26	2.7	25
Georgia	4,488.6	2.1	1,121	17	2.6	28
Hawaii	658.1	-0.4	1,006	27	3.4	8
Idaho	732.3	2.7	828	50	2.3	34
Illinois	5,912.0	0.1	1,275	8	2.7	25
Indiana	3,059.1	1.2	963	33	0.9	48
Iowa	1,527.1	0.1	942	39	2.3	34
Kansas	1,379.3	0.6	940	40	3.2	12
Kentucky	1,882.6	0.6	920	41	2.2	38
Louisiana	1,916.8	-0.1	954	34	2.5	32
Maine	599.8	1.2	919	42	3.1	16
Maryland	2,670.3	0.9	1,228	10	1.7	45
Massachusetts	3,558.1	1.1	1,561	3	3.5	7
Michigan	4,307.4	0.6	1,078	20	0.1	50
Minnesota	2,840.8	0.5	1,203	12	2.3	34
Mississippi	1,129.8	0.4	779	51	1.8	43
Missouri	2,788.4	0.5	986	31	2.6	28
Montana	458.8	0.9	844	49	3.1	16
Nebraska	965.6	0.1	917	43	2.2	38
Nevada	1,392.2	3.0	992	29	1.5	47
New Hampshire	656.2	1.2	1,156	15	3.1	16
New Jersey	4,040.2	1.3	1,399	6	1.7	45
New Mexico	825.4	1.3	890	47	3.2	12
New York	9,453.5	1.5	1,639	2	2.6	28
North Carolina	4,458.5	2.0	1,054	23	3.2	12
North Dakota	414.3	1.5	1,021	25	3.3	9
Ohio	5,363.2	0.7	1,035	24	3.0	21
Oklahoma	1,617.0	1.1	953	35	4.3	3
Oregon	1,921.9	1.3	1,060	21	3.3	9
Pennsylvania	5,850.3	1.1	1,146	16	2.8	24
Rhode Island	474.7	0.8	1,104	19	1.8	43
South Carolina	2,110.0	2.0	901	44	3.0	21
South Dakota	419.0	0.4	865	48	2.7	25
Tennessee	3,004.2	2.0	996	28	1.9	42
Texas	12,455.6	2.2	1,204	11	3.1	16
Utah	1,501.4	3.0	978	32	3.1	16
Vermont	309.1	0.4	950	36	3.7	5
Virginia	3,896.9	1.2	1,186	14	2.1	41
Washington	3,371.1	1.8	1,368	7	4.9	1
West Virginia	687.1	0.3	896	45	3.2	12
Wisconsin	2,838.9	0.1	992	29	2.6	28
Wyoming	269.0	1.9	948	37	3.7	5
Puerto Rico	875.8	2.2	553	(3)	-2.1	(3)
Virgin Islands	36.6	9.6	966	(3)	-1.0	(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.