Among Mississippi’s two largest counties, employment in Harrison increased 2.1 percent from March 2022 to March 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2022.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that employment in Hinds County declined 1.3 percent over the year. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Mississippi, March 2023

County	Percent change, March 2023
Harrison	2.1
Hinds	-1.3

National employment increased 2.5 percent over the year, with 325 of the 360 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 8.5 percent. Elkhart, IN, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 4.6 percent.

Among Mississippi’s two large counties, employment was highest in Hinds County (109,700) in March 2023. Within Hinds County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, Hinds and Harrison Counties accounted for 17.1 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 360 largest counties made up 73.0 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 80 counties in Mississippi with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 80 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023. (See table 2.)

Average weekly wages increased in both of Mississippi’s large counties from the first quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. (See chart 2.) Hinds County (+7.1 percent) had a rate of wage gain that was above the national rate of 6.6 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Mississippi, first quarter 2023

County	Percent change, first quarter 2023
Hinds	7.1
Harrison	5.9

Among the 360 largest counties in the United States, 353 had over-the-year wage increases. Clayton, GA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+24.3 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-6.3 percent).

Average weekly wages in Hinds County ($1,103) and Harrison County ($918) were below the U.S. average of $1,465 in the first quarter of 2023.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 87 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2023. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,922. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 273 counties. At $782 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Among the 80 smaller counties in Mississippi—those with employment below 75,000—Claiborne ($1,408) reported the highest average weekly wage. Issaquena County ($606) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 82 counties in Mississippi were considered, 15 reported average weekly wages of less than $750, 18 had wages from $750 to $799, 14 had wages from $800 to $849, 15 had wages from $850 to $899, and 20 had average weekly wages of $900 or higher. (See map 1.)

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. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The County Employment and Wages full data update for the second quarter 2023 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

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.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.