Employment rose in the three largest counties in Arkansas from December 2021 to December 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Benton County (+4.3 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. Benton’s rate of job gain ranked 21^st among the 355 large U.S. counties. (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 Arkansas, December 2022

County	Percent change, December 2022
Benton	4.3
Washington	3.6
Pulaski	2.3

National employment increased 2.6 percent over the year, with 325 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 7.9 percent. Elkhart, IN, and Hendricks, IN, both experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 1.7 percent each.

Among the three largest counties in Arkansas, employment was highest in Pulaski County (256,500) in December 2022. Within Pulaski County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the three largest Arkansas counties accounted for 40.4 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 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 72 counties in Arkansas with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of the 72 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,385 in the fourth quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Washington County was the only large county in Arkansas to report an average weekly wage loss from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the fourth quarter of 2022, declining 5.5 percent.  (See chart 2.) Benton County and Pulaski County had gains of 0.4 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Arkansas, fourth quarter 2022

County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2022
Washington	-5.5
Pulaski	0.2
Benton	0.4

Nationwide, wages decreased by 2.3 percent over the year. Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 240 had over-the-year wage decreases. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage decrease (-22.6 percent). Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase (+6.1 percent).

Weekly wages in the three largest counties in Arkansas were below the national average of $1,385 in the fourth quarter of 2022. Benton County’s average weekly wage of $1,259 ranked 163^rd among the 355 large U.S counties, followed by Pulaski County ($1,197, 204^th). Washington County’s average weekly wage of $1,163 ranked 230^th.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 86 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2022. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,329. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 269 counties. At $827 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Among the 72 smaller counties in Arkansas—those with employment below 75,000— Mississippi County ($1,261) reported the highest average weekly wage in the state, followed by Union County ($1,251). Montgomery County ($693) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 75 counties in Arkansas were considered, 19 reported average weekly wages of less than $800, 25 registered wages from $800 to $899, 21 had wages from $900 to $999, and 10 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher. (See chart 3.) The counties with the highest average weekly wages were mainly concentrated around the larger metropolitan areas of Fort Smith and Little Rock, as well as the smaller areas of Blytheville and Fayetteville, and along the southern border of the state. The lowest-paying counties, with wages below $800, were concentrated mainly in the west central and north central parts of the state.

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/.

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.