Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

15-1143-DAL
Thursday, June 25, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (972) 850-4800

County Employment and Wages in Arkansas – Fourth Quarter 2014

Employment increased in the three largest Arkansas counties from December 2013 to December 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with 2013 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the rates of job growth in two of the large Arkansas counties exceeded the national average. Benton County’s 5.5-percent job gain ranked ninth nationwide and Washington County’s 3.5-percent gain ranked 66th. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 2.2 percent from December 2013 to December 2014 with 319 of the 339 largest U.S. counties registering increases. Weld, Colo., and Midland, Texas, recorded the largest percentage increases in the country, each up 8.0 percent over the year. Atlantic, N.J., registered the largest percentage employment decline among large counties, down 5.0 percent.

Among the three largest counties in Arkansas, employment was highest in Pulaski County (245,900) in December 2014. Benton and Washington Counties had employment levels of 108,300 and 98,100, respectively. Together, the three largest Arkansas counties accounted for 38.3 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 72.1 percent of total U.S. employment.

From the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014, Benton County’s 9.9-percent increase in average weekly wages ranked first among the 339 large U.S. counties. (See table 1.) Benton also recorded the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties at $996 per week. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.5 percent from a year ago to $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 72 counties in Arkansas with employment levels below 75,000. Wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average in December 2014. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

The three largest Arkansas counties recorded wage growth rates that exceeded the 3.5-percent national average increase from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014. (See table 1.) As noted, Benton County’s 9.9-percent rise in average weekly wages ranked first among the nation’s 339 largest counties. Within Benton, an average weekly wage gain of 16.2 percent in professional and business services made the largest contribution to the county’s increase in average weekly wages. In Washington County, average weekly wages were up 4.3 percent over the year, ranking 87th, and Pulaski’s 3.7-percent wage gain ranked 143rd.

Nationally, 332 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases from the fourth quarter of 2013. Following Benton County’s 9.9-percent average weekly wage increase, were the counties of Washington, Pa. (9.2 percent), Midland, Texas (9.0 percent), Brazoria, Texas (8.9 percent), and Douglas, Colo. (8.8 percent).

Among the large U.S. counties, seven experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. San Mateo, Calif., had the largest percentage decline in average weekly wages with a loss of 20.4 percent over the year. Olmsted, Minn., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 5.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013, followed by Morris, N.J. (-2.9 percent), and Rockland, N.Y. (-1.3 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Despite registering above average over-the-year wage increases, the weekly wage levels in the state’s three large counties were below the national average ($1,035) in the fourth quarter of 2014. Benton County's average weekly wage of $996 ranked 128th among the 339 large U.S. counties. Pulaski ($936) ranked 175th and Washington ($896) ranked 212th nationally.

Seventy-two percent of the largest U.S. counties (244) reported weekly wages below the national average of $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014. Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($610), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($621) and Hidalgo ($641).

Nationally, 95 large counties registered weekly wages above the U.S. average. San Mateo, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,166. New York, N.Y., was second at $2,138, followed by Santa Clara, Calif., at $2,114. Average wages in the highest-ranked county, San Mateo, Calif., were more than three times the average wage in the lowest-ranked county, Horry, S.C. ($610).

Average weekly wages in Arkansas’s smaller counties

All 72 of Arkansas’s smaller counties – those with employment below 75,000 – reported weekly wages below the national average of $1,035 in the fourth quarter of 2014. Among these counties, Calhoun ($994) and Van Buren ($864) posted the highest weekly wages, while Newton reported the lowest ($477). (See table 2.)

When all 75 counties in Arkansas were considered, 7 reported average weekly wages under $550, 28 reported wages from $550 to $649, 25 had wages from $650 to $749, 7 had wages from $750 to $849, and 8 averaged $850 or more per week. (See chart 1.) Higher-paying counties were located around the metropolitan areas of Blytheville, Fayetteville, Little Rock, and along the southern border of the state. Lower-paying counties were generally concentrated in the northern portion of the state.

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 2013 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 2014 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2013 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2013/home.htm. The 2014 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2015.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2015 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 17, 2015.


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 9.2 million employer reports cover 134.0 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 (see Technical Note below) 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 Arkansas, fourth quarter 2014
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (1)
December 2014 (thousands) Percent change, December 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, fourth quarter 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

139,204.8 2.2 -- $1,035 -- 3.5 --

Arkansas

1,180.5 2.2 -- 807 47 4.5 5

Benton, Ark.

108.3 5.5 9 996 128 9.9 1

Pulaski, Ark.

245.9 0.7 272 936 175 3.7 143

Washington, Ark.

98.1 3.5 66 896 212 4.3 87

(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 Arkansas, fourth quarter 2014
Area Employment
December
2014
Average
Weekly
Wage (1)

United States (2)

139,204,840 $1,035

Arkansas

1,180,489 807

Arkansas

10,245 778

Ashley

6,896 789

Baxter

14,675 713

Benton

108,310 996

Boone

13,788 733

Bradley

3,748 602

Calhoun

2,617 994

Carroll

10,449 564

Chicot

3,330 621

Clark

9,212 624

Clay

3,574 580

Cleburne

6,681 639

Cleveland

1,051 592

Columbia

8,478 794

Conway

7,143 715

Craighead

47,082 738

Crawford

19,287 693

Crittenden

16,353 664

Cross

5,064 650

Dallas

2,710 569

Desha

4,585 667

Drew

6,550 630

Faulkner

40,950 775

Franklin

4,371 715

Fulton

1,926 514

Garland

35,742 684

Grant

4,000 723

Greene

15,353 697

Hempstead

7,894 677

Hot Spring

8,517 678

Howard

6,292 631

Independence

14,781 690

Izard

3,162 582

Jackson

5,210 695

Jefferson

29,151 798

Johnson

8,566 621

Lafayette

1,280 710

Lawrence

4,202 579

Lee

1,994 660

Lincoln

2,976 642

Little River

3,580 863

Logan

5,494 633

Lonoke

13,711 652

Madison

3,262 603

Marion

3,872 610

Miller

13,334 752

Mississippi

18,929 850

Monroe

2,199 577

Montgomery

1,396 518

Nevada

2,405 635

Newton

1,126 477

Ouachita

7,090 650

Perry

1,260 596

Phillips

5,752 645

Pike

2,397 563

Poinsett

5,123 685

Polk

6,182 588

Pope

27,156 711

Prairie

1,621 681

Pulaski

245,853 936

Randolph

4,666 540

Saline

22,564 678

Scott

3,150 561

Searcy

1,614 493

Sebastian

65,911 797

Sevier

4,894 587

Sharp

3,836 541

St. Francis

8,010 631

Stone

2,478 536

Union

18,220 861

Van Buren

3,930 864

Washington

98,102 896

White

24,881 717

Woodruff

1,894 634

Yell

6,550 583

(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: Covered employment and wages 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, fourth quarter 2014
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2014 (thousands) Percent change, December 2013-14 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, fourth quarter 2013-14 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

139,204.8 2.2 $1,035 -- 3.5 --

Alabama

1,891.4 1.3 881 35 3.5 31

Alaska

317.6 0.8 1,063 13 4.0 20

Arizona

2,630.8 2.2 926 25 2.3 47

Arkansas

1,180.5 2.2 807 47 4.5 5

California

16,068.5 2.6 1,209 6 2.9 41

Colorado

2,478.0 3.9 1,066 12 4.1 17

Connecticut

1,681.2 1.2 1,278 4 2.7 45

Delaware

433.0 2.9 1,049 16 1.5 51

District of Columbia

736.9 0.9 1,696 1 3.7 28

Florida

8,009.6 3.5 911 28 3.1 40

Georgia

4,131.9 3.7 958 21 3.8 25

Hawaii

638.3 0.7 908 29 4.2 15

Idaho

650.7 2.5 782 50 4.0 20

Illinois

5,844.1 1.4 1,089 8 2.8 42

Indiana

2,946.5 1.7 846 41 3.9 22

Iowa

1,527.6 1.1 870 38 4.3 11

Kansas

1,377.2 1.3 855 39 2.6 46

Kentucky

1,852.2 1.8 836 43 4.1 17

Louisiana

1,954.0 2.1 923 26 3.8 25

Maine

592.7 0.9 826 44 5.1 4

Maryland

2,590.3 1.3 1,113 7 3.5 31

Massachusetts

3,415.6 2.2 1,315 3 4.5 5

Michigan

4,158.9 2.1 984 20 3.3 37

Minnesota

2,762.9 1.4 1,024 17 3.6 30

Mississippi

1,118.6 1.0 747 51 2.3 47

Missouri

2,709.8 1.5 891 32 3.4 34

Montana

442.2 0.5 794 48 4.5 5

Nebraska

958.1 1.4 837 42 5.2 3

Nevada

1,229.6 4.2 899 30 1.6 50

New Hampshire

638.0 1.4 1,081 10 6.3 2

New Jersey

3,933.6 1.3 1,211 5 2.0 49

New Mexico

808.4 1.3 850 40 4.4 10

New York

9,067.6 2.0 1,321 2 4.3 11

North Carolina

4,141.8 2.4 890 33 3.4 34

North Dakota

454.8 4.5 1,050 15 7.1 1

Ohio

5,264.3 1.6 922 27 3.9 22

Oklahoma

1,614.3 2.1 876 36 2.8 42

Oregon

1,755.4 3.2 928 23 3.8 25

Pennsylvania

5,716.5 1.2 1,013 18 3.7 28

Rhode Island

471.5 1.9 1,003 19 4.5 5

South Carolina

1,931.4 2.9 817 46 3.2 39

South Dakota

412.5 1.3 791 49 4.2 15

Tennessee

2,822.1 2.4 927 24 3.5 31

Texas

11,662.7 3.7 1,070 11 4.3 11

Utah

1,324.2 3.0 872 37 4.3 11

Vermont

311.0 0.7 882 34 4.1 17

Virginia

3,691.4 0.6 1,057 14 2.8 42

Washington

3,069.7 3.2 1,082 9 4.5 5

West Virginia

712.0 0.1 818 45 3.3 37

Wisconsin

2,789.3 1.3 894 31 3.4 34

Wyoming

283.6 1.5 952 22 3.9 22

Puerto Rico

944.2 -1.5 556 (3) 0.7 (3)

Virgin Islands

38.5 -0.3 746 (3) -1.2 (3)

(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 Arkansas, fourth quarter 2014

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, June 25, 2015