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Friday, June 14, 2024
Employment rose in the three largest counties in Arkansas from December 2022 to December 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.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Washington County (+3.2 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. Washington’s rate of job gain ranked 22nd among the 360 large U.S. counties. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
National employment increased 1.5 percent over the year, with 318 of the 360 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Hays, TX, had the largest increase in employment (+5.0 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-6.9 percent).
Among the three largest counties in Arkansas, employment was highest in Pulaski County (261,800) in December 2023. Within Pulaski County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the three largest Arkansas counties accounted for 40.5 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 72 counties in Arkansas with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 72 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,435 in the fourth quarter of 2023. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changesBenton County and Pulaski County reported gains from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2023, 4.4 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively. (See chart 2.) Washington County was the only large county in Arkansas to report an average weekly wage loss (-2.9 percent).
Nationwide, wages increased by 3.6 percent over the year. Among the 360 largest counties in the United States, 348 had over-the-year wage increases. Snohomish, WA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+18.6 percent). Merrimack, NH, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-7.2 percent).
Large county average weekly wagesWeekly wages in all three of the largest counties in Arkansas were below the national average of $1,435 in the fourth quarter of 2023. Benton County’s average weekly wage of $1,319 ranked 156th among the 360 large U.S counties, followed by Pulaski County ($1,228, 218th). Washington County’s average weekly wage of $1,124 ranked 300th.
Among the largest U.S. counties, 85 reported average weekly wages at or above the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2023. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage ($3,699). Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 275 counties. Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage ($842).
Average weekly wages in Arkansas' smaller countiesAmong the 72 smaller counties in Arkansas—those with employment below 75,000— Calhoun County ($1,359) reported the highest average weekly wage in the state, followed by Mississippi County ($1,344). Montgomery County ($705) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.
When all 75 counties in Arkansas were considered, 13 reported average weekly wages of less than $800, 29 registered wages from $800 to $899, 19 had wages from $900 to $999, and 14 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher. (See map 1.)
QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release or visit the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.
The County Employment and Wages full data update for the first quarter 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
Area | Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands) |
Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 2023 (thousands) |
Percent change, December 2022–23 (2) |
National ranking by percent change (3) |
Fourth quarter 2023 ($) |
National ranking by level (3) |
Percent change, fourth quarter 2022–23 (2) |
National ranking by percent change (3) |
||
United States (4) |
12,090.1 | 154,848.1 | 1.5 | -- | 1,435 | -- | 3.6 | -- |
Arkansas |
103.2 | 1,294.0 | 1.4 | -- | 1,089 | 50 | 2.1 | 49 |
Benton |
8.2 | 141.0 | 1.3 | 181 | 1,319 | 156 | 4.4 | 78 |
Pulaski |
14.2 | 261.8 | 1.6 | 150 | 1,228 | 218 | 2.8 | 241 |
Washington |
6.9 | 121.0 | 3.2 | 22 | 1,124 | 300 | -2.9 | 354 |
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. |
||||||||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
Area | Establishments | Employment December 2023 | Average weekly wage ($) (1) |
---|---|---|---|
United States (2) |
12,090,132 | 154,848,113 | 1,435 |
Arkansas |
103,181 | 1,293,983 | 1,089 |
Arkansas |
922 | 10,296 | 998 |
Ashley |
503 | 5,737 | 1,017 |
Baxter |
1,303 | 16,061 | 884 |
Benton |
8,215 | 141,008 | 1,319 |
Boone |
981 | 14,679 | 929 |
Bradley |
327 | 3,712 | 824 |
Calhoun |
106 | 3,093 | 1,359 |
Carroll |
806 | 10,531 | 765 |
Chicot |
355 | 2,746 | 892 |
Clark |
668 | 8,725 | 864 |
Clay |
352 | 3,006 | 850 |
Cleburne |
639 | 6,509 | 813 |
Cleveland |
128 | 1,008 | 965 |
Columbia |
628 | 8,194 | 978 |
Conway |
505 | 6,764 | 950 |
Craighead |
3,030 | 54,822 | 1,030 |
Crawford |
1,272 | 19,484 | 929 |
Crittenden |
1,081 | 15,801 | 935 |
Cross |
465 | 4,714 | 803 |
Dallas |
221 | 2,608 | 829 |
Desha |
432 | 4,382 | 930 |
Drew |
516 | 6,559 | 838 |
Faulkner |
3,251 | 45,426 | 946 |
Franklin |
403 | 4,922 | 849 |
Fulton |
215 | 1,852 | 781 |
Garland |
3,228 | 38,193 | 890 |
Grant |
346 | 4,469 | 1,063 |
Greene |
942 | 15,957 | 932 |
Hempstead |
502 | 7,644 | 891 |
Hot Spring |
615 | 8,097 | 927 |
Howard |
345 | 6,253 | 804 |
Independence |
943 | 17,525 | 1,095 |
Izard |
267 | 3,006 | 821 |
Jackson |
420 | 5,046 | 957 |
Jefferson |
1,670 | 25,652 | 999 |
Johnson |
498 | 8,360 | 765 |
Lafayette |
161 | 979 | 778 |
Lawrence |
393 | 4,074 | 835 |
Lee |
213 | 1,677 | 877 |
Lincoln |
229 | 2,600 | 912 |
Little River |
230 | 3,044 | 1,082 |
Logan |
455 | 5,203 | 782 |
Lonoke |
1,400 | 15,141 | 832 |
Madison |
285 | 3,549 | 856 |
Marion |
298 | 3,295 | 802 |
Miller |
895 | 12,380 | 1,008 |
Mississippi |
1,004 | 18,567 | 1,344 |
Monroe |
231 | 1,819 | 816 |
Montgomery |
171 | 1,254 | 705 |
Nevada |
190 | 1,897 | 872 |
Newton |
120 | 976 | 721 |
Ouachita |
582 | 7,234 | 905 |
Perry |
146 | 1,035 | 803 |
Phillips |
581 | 4,512 | 840 |
Pike |
268 | 2,624 | 867 |
Poinsett |
464 | 5,242 | 1,024 |
Polk |
483 | 5,884 | 775 |
Pope |
1,783 | 27,311 | 945 |
Prairie |
226 | 1,593 | 841 |
Pulaski |
14,234 | 261,841 | 1,228 |
Randolph |
399 | 5,920 | 821 |
St. Francis |
581 | 6,729 | 949 |
Saline |
2,418 | 27,477 | 922 |
Scott |
186 | 3,217 | 717 |
Searcy |
165 | 1,384 | 718 |
Sebastian |
3,756 | 66,007 | 1,037 |
Sevier |
321 | 5,100 | 809 |
Sharp |
401 | 3,949 | 744 |
Stone |
290 | 2,706 | 732 |
Union |
1,180 | 16,635 | 1,090 |
Van Buren |
340 | 3,783 | 821 |
Washington |
6,908 | 121,027 | 1,124 |
White |
1,811 | 25,628 | 874 |
Woodruff |
181 | 1,942 | 930 |
Yell |
419 | 6,608 | 789 |
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. |
|||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
State | Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands) |
Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 2023 (thousands) |
Percent change, December 2022–23 |
Fourth quarter 2023 ($) |
National ranking by level |
Percent change, fourth quarter 2022–23 |
National ranking by percent change |
||
United States (2) |
12,090.1 | 154,848.1 | 1.5 | 1,435 | -- | 3.6 | -- |
Alabama |
159.1 | 2,101.1 | 2.0 | 1,207 | 35 | 4.2 | 15 |
Alaska |
25.2 | 311.6 | 2.4 | 1,372 | 16 | 5.5 | 2 |
Arizona |
226.4 | 3,231.4 | 2.2 | 1,322 | 21 | 3.8 | 21 |
Arkansas |
103.2 | 1,294.0 | 1.4 | 1,089 | 50 | 2.1 | 49 |
California |
1,792.2 | 18,111.4 | 0.2 | 1,759 | 4 | 4.8 | 9 |
Colorado |
263.2 | 2,930.1 | 2.5 | 1,516 | 9 | 3.0 | 38 |
Connecticut |
151.0 | 1,690.0 | 1.3 | 1,632 | 6 | 2.4 | 46 |
Delaware |
43.2 | 472.9 | 1.3 | 1,373 | 15 | 2.2 | 47 |
District of Columbia |
52.6 | 759.9 | 0.7 | 2,385 | 1 | 4.1 | 16 |
Florida |
904.4 | 9,870.1 | 2.5 | 1,328 | 20 | 3.4 | 32 |
Georgia |
391.7 | 4,866.4 | 1.3 | 1,331 | 19 | 3.5 | 30 |
Hawaii |
58.3 | 643.3 | 0.8 | 1,288 | 24 | 5.0 | 7 |
Idaho |
96.3 | 854.9 | 3.5 | 1,137 | 46 | 1.9 | 50 |
Illinois |
410.6 | 6,051.9 | 0.8 | 1,479 | 12 | 3.4 | 32 |
Indiana |
191.4 | 3,187.1 | 0.9 | 1,171 | 41 | 3.6 | 26 |
Iowa |
110.7 | 1,564.0 | 1.0 | 1,199 | 36 | 4.0 | 18 |
Kansas |
100.1 | 1,431.8 | 1.1 | 1,167 | 42 | 3.7 | 25 |
Kentucky |
154.0 | 2,004.4 | 1.8 | 1,146 | 45 | 4.1 | 16 |
Louisiana |
154.2 | 1,905.4 | 0.8 | 1,193 | 37 | 5.3 | 5 |
Maine |
64.8 | 636.8 | 1.4 | 1,209 | 34 | 3.8 | 21 |
Maryland |
193.8 | 2,730.4 | 2.3 | 1,509 | 10 | 3.1 | 36 |
Massachusetts |
292.9 | 3,655.4 | 0.8 | 1,805 | 2 | 0.7 | 51 |
Michigan |
330.9 | 4,407.8 | 1.2 | 1,316 | 22 | 3.3 | 34 |
Minnesota |
209.2 | 2,909.9 | 1.2 | 1,400 | 14 | 3.1 | 36 |
Mississippi |
89.1 | 1,170.9 | 0.7 | 983 | 51 | 3.8 | 21 |
Missouri |
253.9 | 2,906.3 | 1.6 | 1,222 | 33 | 4.3 | 14 |
Montana |
68.2 | 510.0 | 1.8 | 1,178 | 40 | 5.4 | 3 |
Nebraska |
76.8 | 1,018.5 | 2.0 | 1,187 | 39 | 2.9 | 40 |
Nevada |
108.5 | 1,556.7 | 3.6 | 1,271 | 28 | 2.2 | 47 |
New Hampshire |
67.1 | 689.2 | 1.4 | 1,527 | 8 | 2.8 | 41 |
New Jersey |
333.8 | 4,293.1 | 1.3 | 1,574 | 7 | 2.6 | 44 |
New Mexico |
68.6 | 868.3 | 2.3 | 1,165 | 43 | 4.9 | 8 |
New York |
699.7 | 9,627.1 | 1.7 | 1,783 | 3 | 2.8 | 41 |
North Carolina |
383.8 | 4,917.9 | 2.5 | 1,280 | 27 | 3.6 | 26 |
North Dakota |
36.1 | 427.0 | 2.7 | 1,267 | 29 | 5.2 | 6 |
Ohio |
333.9 | 5,514.5 | 1.1 | 1,245 | 31 | 3.6 | 26 |
Oklahoma |
132.6 | 1,697.1 | 1.9 | 1,123 | 49 | 4.7 | 11 |
Oregon |
206.1 | 1,985.5 | 1.0 | 1,338 | 18 | 2.8 | 41 |
Pennsylvania |
392.4 | 6,023.4 | 1.2 | 1,360 | 17 | 3.0 | 38 |
Rhode Island |
48.3 | 492.3 | 1.3 | 1,302 | 23 | 3.3 | 34 |
South Carolina |
180.8 | 2,278.0 | 2.6 | 1,153 | 44 | 3.8 | 21 |
South Dakota |
40.0 | 456.0 | 2.5 | 1,136 | 47 | 3.6 | 26 |
Tennessee |
225.9 | 3,276.9 | 1.6 | 1,285 | 25 | 2.5 | 45 |
Texas |
835.1 | 13,905.4 | 2.3 | 1,427 | 13 | 4.0 | 18 |
Utah |
139.0 | 1,713.5 | 2.1 | 1,285 | 25 | 4.5 | 13 |
Vermont |
32.6 | 310.3 | 1.5 | 1,250 | 30 | 3.5 | 30 |
Virginia |
316.7 | 4,089.8 | 1.7 | 1,482 | 11 | 4.7 | 11 |
Washington |
243.0 | 3,590.9 | 1.6 | 1,742 | 5 | 6.7 | 1 |
West Virginia |
59.9 | 693.5 | 1.2 | 1,126 | 48 | 5.4 | 3 |
Wisconsin |
208.0 | 2,936.6 | 1.0 | 1,233 | 32 | 3.9 | 20 |
Wyoming |
30.8 | 277.4 | 1.5 | 1,191 | 38 | 4.8 | 9 |
Puerto Rico |
54.4 | 975.7 | 0.0 | 688 | (3) | 3.3 | (3) |
Virgin Islands |
3.8 | 36.2 | 1.6 | 1,024 | (3) | 0.7 | (3) |
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. |
|||||||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
Last Modified Date: Friday, June 14, 2024