Employment rose in Oklahoma’s three large counties from June 2016 to June 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2016 annual average employment.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that employment increased at a 1.1-percent pace in Tulsa County, and edged up 0.4 and 0.2 percent, respectively, in the counties of Oklahoma and Cleveland. (See table 1.)

Employment nationwide advanced 1.7 percent during the 12-month period as 318 of the 346 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increase in the country, up 7.3 percent over the year. Lucas, Ohio, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the largest counties with a loss of 1.9 percent.

Among the three largest counties in Oklahoma, employment was highest in Oklahoma County (450,000) in June 2017. The counties of Tulsa and Cleveland had employment levels of 353,000 and 79,700, respectively. Together, the three largest Oklahoma counties accounted for 55.7 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 346 largest counties made up 72.7 percent of total U.S. employment.

All three large Oklahoma counties experienced average weekly wage gains from the second quarter of 2016 to the second quarter of 2017. Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties had the fastest rates of increase in average weekly wages, each up 2.5 percent. (See table 1.) Oklahoma County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties at $943. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.2 percent from a year ago to $1,020 in the second quarter of 2017.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 74 counties in Oklahoma with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average in June 2017. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

The 2.5-percent annual average weekly wage gains in Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties ranked 207^th among the nation’s 346 largest counties in the second quarter of 2017. Cleveland’s 0.9-percent gain ranked 303^rd. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 325 of the 346 largest counties had over-the-year wage increases. New Hanover, N.C., had the largest percentage wage increase in the nation, up 11.9 percent. San Mateo, Calif., and Midland, Texas, tied for the second largest increase, each at 11.4 percent.

Nationwide, 19 of the largest counties registered wage declines during the period. McLean, Ill., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-20.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in the state’s three large counties were below the national average of $1,020 in the second quarter of 2017. Average weekly wages in Oklahoma County ($943) and Tulsa County ($914) ranked 166^th and 186^th, respectively, near the middle of the national ranking. The average weekly wage in Cleveland County ($749) ranked 332^nd. (See table 1.)

More than 70 percent of the largest U.S. counties (249) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2017. Three of the four lowest-paying large counties in the U.S. were in Texas. Cameron, Texas ($615) had the lowest average weekly wage, followed by Horry, S.C. ($622), and the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($632) and Webb ($667).

Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average in 97 of the 346 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,392. San Mateo, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $2,093, followed by San Francisco, Calif. ($1,941) and New York, N.Y. ($1,907). Average wages in the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif., were almost four times the average wage in the lowest-ranked county, Cameron, Texas ($615).

Average weekly wages in Oklahoma's smaller counties

All 74 smaller counties in Oklahoma – those with employment below 75,000 – reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,020. Among these counties, Woodward posted the highest weekly wage, $906, followed by Grant and Washington, each at $896. Johnson County reported the lowest average wage in the state at $521 per week. (See table 2.)

When all 77 counties in Oklahoma were considered, 20 reported average weekly wages of less than $650, 25 registered wages from $650 to $749, 26 had wages from $750 to $849, and 6 had average weekly wages of $850 or more. (See chart 1.) The higher-paying counties were located in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas, as well as the smaller areas of Elk City, Enid, and Woodward. The lower-paying counties, those with weekly wages under $650, were concentrated in the southeastern 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 2016 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 2017 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2016/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2017 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 8, 2018.

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 9.9 million employer reports cover 145.2 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 Oklahoma, second quarter 2017

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2017 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2016-17 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2016-17 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	145,186.4	1.7	--	$1,020	--	3.2	--
Oklahoma	1,583.8	0.8	--	845	41	2.5	35
Cleveland, Okla.	79.7	0.2	311	749	332	0.9	303
Oklahoma, Okla.	450.0	0.4	294	943	166	2.5	207
Tulsa, Okla.	353.0	1.1	222	914	186	2.5	207
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 Oklahoma, second quarter 2017

Area	Employment June 2017	Average weekly wage(1)
United States(2)	145,186,369	$1,020
Oklahoma	1,583,759	845
Adair	4,632	653
Alfalfa	1,494	825
Atoka	3,424	613
Beaver	1,716	781
Beckham	10,150	868
Blaine	3,179	766
Bryan	18,236	724
Caddo	7,514	751
Canadian	33,637	798
Carter	24,127	780
Cherokee	15,319	658
Choctaw	4,124	611
Cimarron	719	605
Cleveland	79,708	749
Coal	1,109	616
Comanche	42,611	707
Cotton	1,486	596
Craig	5,357	666
Creek	18,271	811
Custer	12,426	752
Delaware	9,260	622
Dewey	1,445	813
Ellis	1,172	739
Garfield	24,751	818
Garvin	9,591	843
Grady	11,938	714
Grant	1,462	896
Greer	1,130	608
Harmon	689	620
Harper	1,060	683
Haskell	3,315	576
Hughes	2,898	582
Jackson	9,587	736
Jefferson	1,000	667
Johnston	4,161	521
Kay	18,027	766
Kingfisher	6,477	843
Kiowa	2,060	634
Latimer	2,565	775
LeFlore	11,870	759
Lincoln	6,551	681
Logan	7,705	650
Love	6,252	573
Major	2,439	740
Marshall	4,102	704
Mayes	12,157	806
McClain	9,100	693
McCurtain	11,197	671
McIntosh	3,814	585
Murray	5,829	647
Muskogee	29,356	775
Noble	4,760	812
Nowata	1,708	640
Okfuskee	2,265	579
Oklahoma	449,977	943
Okmulgee	9,510	692
Osage	6,617	691
Ottawa	12,205	632
Pawnee	3,536	695
Payne	32,105	731
Pittsburg	16,022	833
Pontotoc	18,247	760
Pottawatomie	22,788	668
Pushmataha	2,655	589
Roger Mills	824	761
Rogers	26,288	806
Seminole	6,933	701
Sequoyah	9,019	542
Stephens	13,920	778
Texas	9,793	759
Tillman	1,770	695
Tulsa	353,024	914
Wagoner	9,080	763
Washington	19,544	896
Washita	2,006	735
Woods	3,506	813
Woodward	8,692	906
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: 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, second quarter 2017

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2017 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2016-17	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2016-17	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	145,186.4	1.7	$1,020	--	3.2	--
Alabama	1,946.4	1.2	858	38	2.8	31
Alaska	338.4	-0.7	1,005	16	-0.5	51
Arizona	2,699.6	2.9	943	23	2.5	35
Arkansas	1,206.0	0.7	810	47	3.2	22
California	17,150.9	2.2	1,210	5	4.7	3
Colorado	2,638.8	2.5	1,042	11	4.2	5
Connecticut	1,701.2	0.6	1,216	4	0.4	50
Delaware	446.6	0.6	1,012	15	2.2	43
District of Columbia	766.5	1.0	1,675	1	3.3	19
Florida	8,390.6	2.8	905	27	2.5	35
Georgia	4,357.8	2.1	956	21	2.9	27
Hawaii	653.0	1.0	935	24	3.5	13
Idaho	723.5	3.4	765	50	3.4	16
Illinois	6,006.6	0.9	1,062	9	2.4	39
Indiana	3,041.0	1.5	859	37	3.7	9
Iowa	1,571.4	0.4	853	39	3.3	19
Kansas	1,377.8	-0.1	849	40	2.4	39
Kentucky	1,889.4	0.8	862	35	2.9	27
Louisiana	1,907.7	0.0	869	34	2.0	46
Maine	629.1	0.9	814	46	2.5	35
Maryland	2,694.8	1.4	1,103	8	3.1	23
Massachusetts	3,604.5	1.6	1,278	2	3.6	11
Michigan	4,365.3	1.6	969	19	2.9	27
Minnesota	2,902.1	2.0	1,037	12	3.9	6
Mississippi	1,128.9	0.7	732	51	0.8	49
Missouri	2,818.7	1.2	889	30	3.0	25
Montana	473.6	1.3	797	48	3.9	6
Nebraska	984.0	0.4	833	43	3.5	13
Nevada	1,333.5	3.4	900	29	2.9	27
New Hampshire	665.4	1.6	1,015	14	1.2	48
New Jersey	4,123.5	1.8	1,173	6	2.3	41
New Mexico	815.4	0.7	823	45	1.5	47
New York	9,417.4	1.6	1,237	3	2.2	43
North Carolina	4,361.4	1.8	902	28	4.3	4
North Dakota	422.7	-0.2	953	22	5.0	2
Ohio	5,422.8	1.2	912	25	3.3	19
Oklahoma	1,583.8	0.8	845	41	2.5	35
Oregon	1,912.6	2.2	967	20	3.8	8
Pennsylvania	5,859.4	1.3	1,000	17	3.0	25
Rhode Island	487.3	1.0	980	18	2.6	33
South Carolina	2,053.9	2.0	834	42	3.6	11
South Dakota	435.5	0.6	785	49	3.4	16
Tennessee	2,948.1	1.8	906	26	3.5	13
Texas	12,059.6	2.1	1,027	13	2.7	32
Utah	1,440.3	3.4	862	35	2.6	33
Vermont	314.2	1.0	870	33	2.1	45
Virginia	3,886.6	1.5	1,047	10	3.7	9
Washington	3,352.5	2.2	1,141	7	5.6	1
West Virginia	690.9	-0.3	828	44	3.4	16
Wisconsin	2,905.3	1.1	876	31	2.3	41
Wyoming	280.2	-0.7	875	32	3.1	23
Puerto Rico	873.6	-1.0	515	(3)	1.2	(3)
Virgin Islands	38.6	0.4	762	(3)	2.6	(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.