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News Release Information

19-2133-ATL
Thursday, December 19, 2019

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

County Employment and Wages in Mississippi – Second Quarter 2019

Employment in Harrison County rose 0.9 percent from June 2018 to June 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Harrison County is one of the two large counties in Mississippi. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment decreased 0.2 percent over the year in Hinds County, the state’s other large county. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment rose 1.1 percent from June 2018 to June 2019 as 279 of the 355 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Adams, CO, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment, with a gain of 5.3 percent. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment, with a loss of 6.4 percent.

Among Mississippi’s two large counties, employment was higher in Hinds (120,000) in June 2019. Together, Hinds and Harrison Counties accounted for 18.3 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.4 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 149.1 million in June 2019.

Both of Mississippi’s large counties had over-the-year wage increases in the second quarter of 2019, with the larger percentage gain in Hinds County (2.0 percent). (See table 1.) Hinds County also had the higher average weekly wage at $879. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $1,095, a 3.8 percent increase over the year.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 80 counties in Mississippi with 2018 annual average employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,073 to $473. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Hinds and Harrison Counties’ average weekly wages rose 2.0 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively, from the second quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019. Hinds (303rd) and Harrison (316th) were in the bottom third of the national ranking for large county wage growth. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 347 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the second quarter of 2019. Benton, AR, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 16.3 percent, followed by San Francisco, CA (15.5 percent), and Bay, FL (9.2 percent).

Of the 355 largest U.S. counties, 8 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. McLean, IL, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-5.8 percent), followed by Shawnee, KS (-2.9 percent), and Lake, IL (-2.5 percent).  

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Hinds County ($879) and Harrison County ($747) were below the U.S. average of $1,095 and placed in the bottom quarter of the national ranking in the second quarter of 2019. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, average weekly wages were at or higher than the U.S. average in 95 of the 355 largest counties. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $2,612, followed by San Francisco CA ($2,430), and San Mateo, CA ($2,373).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 260 had average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2019. Horry, SC ($649) had the lowest weekly wage, followed by Hidalgo, TX ($657), and Cameron TX ($659).

Average weekly wages in Mississippi’s smaller counties

Among the 80 counties in Mississippi—those with 2018 annual employment levels below 75,000—Claiborne ($1,073) had the highest average weekly wage in the state. Issaquena County had the lowest average weekly wage in the state, averaging $473 in the second quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)

When all 82 counties in Mississippi were considered, 8 had average weekly wages below $599, 40 had wages from $600 to $699, 24 had wages from $700 to $799, and 10 had wages above $800. (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, which was published in September 2019, 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 third quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 20, 2020. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.


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 2 largest counties in Mississippi, second quarter 2019
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
June 2019 (thousands) Percent change, June 2018-19 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

149,089.2 1.1 -- $1,095 -- 3.8 --

Mississippi

1,135.9 0.4 -- 767 51 2.0 51

Harrison, Miss.

87.8 0.9 174 747 351 1.9 316

Hinds, Miss.

120.0 -0.2 298 879 291 2.0 303

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, second quarter 2019
Area Employment June 2019 Average weekly wage(1)

United States(2)

149,089,158 $1,095

Mississippi

1,135,850 767

Adams

10,747 669

Alcorn

14,245 684

Amite

1,877 723

Attala

4,614 639

Benton

927 681

Bolivar

10,863 704

Calhoun

3,262 587

Carroll

1,162 621

Chickasaw

5,233 668

Choctaw

2,302 778

Claiborne

3,407 1,073

Clarke

2,909 636

Clay

5,327 728

Coahoma

7,614 670

Copiah

6,840 646

Covington

5,605 689

De Soto

62,197 690

Forrest

40,080 766

Franklin

1,581 785

George

4,908 653

Greene

1,951 636

Grenada

10,849 663

Hancock

13,674 962

Harrison

87,769 747

Hinds

119,981 879

Holmes

3,337 642

Humphreys

2,255 549

Issaquena

185 473

Itawamba

5,857 693

Jackson

48,879 948

Jasper

4,129 780

Jefferson

964 653

Jefferson Davis

1,576 679

Jones

27,935 744

Kemper

1,838 936

Lafayette

23,952 726

Lamar

19,172 628

Lauderdale

32,595 724

Lawrence

2,396 791

Leake

5,280 603

Lee

54,801 767

Leflore

14,746 655

Lincoln

12,196 727

Lowndes

25,128 802

Madison

55,755 839

Marion

7,884 703

Marshall

7,497 779

Monroe

9,794 782

Montgomery

2,289 571

Neshoba

12,301 673

Newton

5,619 669

Noxubee

2,495 630

Oktibbeha

20,536 717

Panola

10,162 711

Pearl River

10,663 643

Perry

2,310 821

Pike

14,871 634

Pontotoc

12,601 671

Prentiss

7,534 650

Quitman

944 580

Rankin

64,177 785

Scott

13,407 681

Sharkey

1,145 560

Simpson

7,323 542

Smith

2,731 742

Stone

4,519 688

Sunflower

8,176 622

Tallahatchie

2,822 667

Tate

5,452 673

Tippah

6,462 658

Tishomingo

6,520 653

Tunica

7,511 616

Union

11,426 897

Walthall

2,308 579

Warren

19,527 839

Washington

16,375 652

Wayne

4,997 682

Webster

1,996 670

Wilkinson

1,651 606

Winston

5,113 723

Yalobusha

2,692 737

Yazoo

6,243 748

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 2019
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
June 2019 (thousands) Percent change, June 2018-19 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

149,089.2 1.1 $1,095 -- 3.8 --

Alabama

1,993.7 1.1 911 36 3.4 28

Alaska

338.9 0.7 1,078 15 3.6 26

Arizona

2,843.3 2.6 1,010 23 3.8 16

Arkansas

1,222.5 0.6 862 47 4.6 4

California

17,717.4 1.5 1,325 4 4.7 3

Colorado

2,765.7 2.2 1,128 9 4.9 2

Connecticut

1,690.8 -0.8 1,266 6 3.9 11

Delaware

458.0 0.8 1,057 17 3.4 28

District of Columbia

780.4 0.5 1,778 1 3.8 16

Florida

8,722.9 1.8 968 26 3.9 11

Georgia

4,507.1 1.7 1,016 22 3.9 11

Hawaii

652.2 -1.2 992 24 3.7 22

Idaho

765.1 2.6 820 50 3.3 33

Illinois

6,074.7 0.3 1,122 10 2.4 47

Indiana

3,089.8 0.5 910 38 3.1 39

Iowa

1,584.7 0.1 902 40 2.5 45

Kansas

1,403.0 0.6 905 39 2.8 42

Kentucky

1,909.7 0.3 911 36 3.3 33

Louisiana

1,920.2 -0.2 923 35 2.4 47

Maine

639.6 0.4 874 45 3.7 22

Maryland

2,733.6 0.7 1,178 8 3.3 33

Massachusetts

3,690.1 0.9 1,377 2 4.3 5

Michigan

4,419.7 0.1 1,018 21 2.4 47

Minnesota

2,952.6 0.8 1,101 13 2.6 44

Mississippi

1,135.9 0.4 767 51 2.0 51

Missouri

2,836.7 0.3 948 30 2.5 45

Montana

483.1 1.0 843 48 3.3 33

Nebraska

991.5 0.1 889 42 3.5 27

Nevada

1,408.8 2.6 961 29 3.2 38

New Hampshire

676.1 0.8 1,090 14 4.0 10

New Jersey

4,182.5 0.7 1,236 7 3.0 41

New Mexico

834.0 1.0 888 44 4.3 5

New York

9,682.8 1.0 1,347 3 3.9 11

North Carolina

4,527.3 2.0 970 25 3.9 11

North Dakota

431.8 1.3 1,026 20 4.1 7

Ohio

5,486.7 0.4 965 27 3.4 28

Oklahoma

1,618.5 0.5 900 41 3.1 39

Oregon

1,976.5 1.3 1,036 18 3.8 16

Pennsylvania

5,972.1 0.8 1,070 16 3.8 16

Rhode Island

494.5 0.7 1,034 19 3.4 28

South Carolina

2,144.2 1.3 867 46 3.7 22

South Dakota

441.8 0.4 838 49 3.8 16

Tennessee

3,047.8 1.8 964 28 3.3 33

Texas

12,585.6 2.0 1,102 12 3.8 16

Utah

1,526.1 3.0 936 32 4.1 7

Vermont

314.0 0.0 929 34 2.7 43

Virginia

3,981.6 1.0 1,113 11 3.7 22

Washington

3,500.6 1.8 1,288 5 5.9 1

West Virginia

700.4 -0.6 889 42 2.4 47

Wisconsin

2,945.3 0.3 940 31 4.1 7

Wyoming

287.6 1.7 932 33 3.4 28

Puerto Rico

867.7 1.5 531 (3) -1.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

37.0 10.0 919 (3) 8.8 (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.

  Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Mississippi, second quarter 2019

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, December 19, 2019