Employment declined in all of Alabama’s seven largest counties from June 2019 to June 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2019.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment decreases ranged from 10.3 percent in Tuscaloosa County to 3.8 percent in Madison County. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment decreased 9.4 percent over the year, with all of the 357 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 34.2 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in Alabama, employment was highest in Jefferson County (328,800) in June 2020. Within Jefferson County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the seven largest Alabama counties accounted for 56.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 357 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 60 counties in Alabama with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 59 of the 60 smaller counties were below the national average in the second quarter of 2020. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All seven large Alabama counties reported average weekly wage gains from the second quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2020. (See chart 2.) Madison County (+8.8 percent) and Baldwin County (+8.6 percent) had rates of wage gains that were at or above the national rate of 8.6 percent. Over-the-year wage gains among Alabama’s other five large counties ranged from 6.3 percent to 3.2 percent.

Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 352 had over-the-year wage increases. The increases in average weekly wages largely reflect substantial employment loss among lower-paid industries. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest percentage wage increase (+22.5 percent). Five large counties had wage declines during the period. Ector, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-6.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Madison County’s average weekly wage ($1,255, 75^th) was the only large county in Alabama that was above the U.S. average of $1,188. Jefferson County ($1,115, 149^th) also had average weekly wages that ranked in the top half nationwide.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 101 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2020. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,045. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in 256 counties. At $698 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Alabama’s smaller counties

Among the 60 smaller counties in Alabama—those with employment below 75,000—Washington ($1,233) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,188. Perry County ($649) had the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 67 counties in Alabama were considered, 6 had average weekly wages below $700, 32 had wages from $700-$799, 16 had wages from $800-$899, and 13 had wages of $900 or higher. (See chart 3.)

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 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2021.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

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 individuals with sensory impairments 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 seven largest counties in Alabama, second quarter 2020

Area	Establishments, second quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		June 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2019–20 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Second quarter 2020	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2019–20 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	10,451.0	135,114.4	-9.4	--	$1,188	--	8.6	--
Alabama	131.2	1,868.7	-6.4	--	964	40	5.9	42
Baldwin	6.6	74.1	-6.7	88	782	353	8.6	156
Jefferson	19.3	328.8	-7.7	130	1,115	149	5.0	317
Madison	10.1	198.4	-3.8	19	1,255	75	8.8	144
Mobile	10.4	160.2	-6.7	88	961	266	6.3	275
Montgomery	6.4	121.7	-7.9	136	936	296	5.9	289
Shelby	5.9	80.0	-6.3	75	1,056	193	4.7	323
Tuscaloosa	4.6	86.9	-10.3	219	908	320	3.2	340
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, second quarter 2020

State	Establishments, second quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		June 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2019–20	Second quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2019–20	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	10,451.0	135,114.4	-9.4	$1,188	--	8.6	--
Alabama	131.2	1,868.7	-6.4	964	40	5.9	42
Alaska	22.7	296.2	-12.7	1,195	14	11.2	11
Arizona	170.7	2,708.4	-5.1	1,090	22	7.9	30
Arkansas	93.0	1,156.5	-5.5	924	47	7.3	33
California	1,633.1	15,911.2	-10.2	1,468	4	10.9	12
Colorado	216.4	2,545.9	-8.0	1,226	9	8.7	25
Connecticut	123.4	1,483.6	-12.3	1,407	6	11.3	9
Delaware	34.5	416.0	-9.3	1,156	17	9.0	22
District of Columbia	41.7	701.8	-10.0	1,987	1	11.7	7
Florida	738.0	8,113.8	-7.1	1,032	28	6.6	40
Georgia	307.2	4,196.0	-7.0	1,075	23	5.7	44
Hawaii	45.9	524.9	-20.1	1,108	21	12.0	6
Idaho	67.9	748.3	-2.3	882	50	7.6	32
Illinois	379.6	5,391.8	-11.3	1,218	10	8.6	26
Indiana	171.6	2,865.7	-7.3	960	41	5.6	45
Iowa	104.7	1,458.8	-8.0	978	36	8.4	27
Kansas	90.0	1,306.0	-7.0	969	38	7.1	34
Kentucky	125.4	1,754.0	-8.2	970	37	6.4	41
Louisiana	137.8	1,710.1	-11.0	985	34	6.7	39
Maine	53.8	572.5	-10.8	980	35	12.3	5
Maryland	175.8	2,430.3	-11.2	1,305	8	10.7	13
Massachusetts	263.1	3,178.8	-14.3	1,570	2	14.0	1
Michigan	268.5	3,850.9	-12.9	1,114	20	9.5	16
Minnesota	185.4	2,644.6	-10.5	1,200	13	9.0	22
Mississippi	73.8	1,063.1	-6.4	812	51	5.9	42
Missouri	215.9	2,622.2	-7.5	1,015	32	7.1	34
Montana	51.5	459.5	-4.9	919	48	9.1	19
Nebraska	72.9	932.3	-6.0	960	41	8.0	28
Nevada	85.9	1,191.6	-15.4	1,048	26	9.1	19
New Hampshire	54.8	605.4	-10.5	1,215	12	11.5	8
New Jersey	284.1	3,570.3	-14.6	1,376	7	11.3	9
New Mexico	62.4	757.0	-9.4	958	43	7.8	31
New York	652.0	8,142.6	-15.9	1,520	3	12.8	4
North Carolina	296.2	4,205.4	-6.9	1,038	27	6.9	37
North Dakota	32.4	390.1	-9.7	1,061	24	3.3	51
Ohio	302.3	5,049.8	-8.0	1,031	29	7.0	36
Oklahoma	112.1	1,521.3	-6.3	940	44	4.4	49
Oregon	160.9	1,789.3	-9.6	1,143	19	10.3	15
Pennsylvania	362.8	5,314.5	-11.1	1,170	16	9.2	18
Rhode Island	39.5	429.3	-13.2	1,172	15	13.1	3
South Carolina	144.4	1,991.0	-7.2	928	46	6.9	37
South Dakota	34.7	415.9	-5.9	912	49	9.0	22
Tennessee	171.1	2,847.2	-6.6	1,016	31	5.3	46
Texas	727.4	11,807.1	-6.3	1,156	17	5.0	47
Utah	111.6	1,474.8	-3.0	1,017	30	9.1	19
Vermont	26.1	271.8	-13.6	1,055	25	13.6	2
Virginia	283.3	3,635.2	-8.8	1,218	10	9.4	17
Washington	253.8	3,207.1	-8.4	1,424	5	10.6	14
West Virginia	51.3	634.9	-9.4	933	45	4.9	48
Wisconsin	179.2	2,690.0	-8.7	1,014	33	8.0	28
Wyoming	27.2	260.5	-9.6	965	39	3.7	50
Puerto Rico	46.1	798.7	-7.9	556	(3)	4.7	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.4	35.4	-7.0	1,016	(3)	6.9	(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.