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News Release Information

23-579-DAL
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

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

County Employment and Wages in Texas – Third Quarter 2022

Employment rose in 25 of the largest counties in Texas from September 2021 to September 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 Midland County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 10.0 percent.(See chart 1 and table 1.)


National employment increased 4.3 percent over the year, with 346 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orleans, LA, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 10.7 percent. Deschutes, OR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.4 percent.

Among the 26 largest counties in Texas, employment was highest in Harris County (2,366,100) in September 2022. Within Harris County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the 26 largest Texas counties accounted for 79.8 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 228 counties in Texas with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 213 of the 228 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Among Texas’ largest counties, 25 reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Twenty-three counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 6.7 percent. Midland County had the largest gain (+13.9 percent) in the state. Over-the-year wage gains among Texas’ other large counties ranged from 10.3 percent to 5.2 percent.


Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 345 had over-the-year wage increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.9 percent). San Mateo, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-19.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in 6 of the 26 largest counties in Texas were above the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in five of these counties ranked among the top 50 nationwide: Travis ($1,709, 18th), Midland ($1,668, 22nd), Dallas ($1,576, 29th), Collin ($1,538, 36th), and Harris ($1,522, 39th).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2022. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,061. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $812 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Texas' smaller counties

Among the 228 smaller counties in Texas—those with employment below 75,000—213 reported wages lower than the national average of $1,334. Among these smaller counties, Loving had the highest average weekly wage at $1,858. Menard County ($589) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 254 counties in Texas were considered, 41 reported average weekly wages of less than $849, 79 registered wages from $850 to $974, 62 had wages from $975 to $1,099, 38 had average weekly wages from $1,100 to $1,224, and 34 had weekly wages of $1,225 or higher. (See chart 3.) The higher-paying counties were mainly located in and around the metropolitan areas of Austin, Dallas, and Houston, as well as the far West Texas region.

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. 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 fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.
The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.


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 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.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 26 largest counties in Texas, third quarter 2022
Area Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
Third quarter
2022
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
third quarter
2021–22 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

11,608.9 151,239.6 4.3 -- $1,334 -- 6.7 --

Texas

805.5 13,371.1 5.9 -- 1,333 14 8.6 19

Bell

6.5 126.7 2.6 238 1,114 248 10.3 38

Bexar

45.5 904.3 4.4 96 1,181 193 7.8 167

Brazoria

6.7 118.8 5.9 34 1,241 154 8.0 148

Brazos

5.2 117.8 5.9 34 994 333 6.8 226

Cameron

7.1 152.9 4.8 66 813 354 7.1 202

Collin

33.7 510.5 7.3 9 1,538 36 5.2 297

Dallas

85.9 1,819.0 5.7 38 1,576 29 8.5 116

Denton

20.0 293.9 6.4 21 1,188 188 9.9 50

El Paso

16.8 320.8 2.7 226 922 349 9.2 85

Fort Bend

17.7 230.5 (5) - 1,108 251 7.2 196

Galveston

6.9 119.0 4.1 109 1,109 249 8.0 148

Harris

126.4 2,366.1 5.2 54 1,522 39 7.5 178

Hays

5.9 86.1 7.6 7 1,019 319 (5) -

Hidalgo

13.7 281.5 4.1 109 812 355 7.0 210

Jefferson

5.9 118.3 5.6 40 1,227 164 8.5 116

Lubbock

8.3 146.7 2.8 220 1,010 325 9.0 91

McLennan

5.9 121.9 3.5 150 1,062 301 8.6 112

Midland

6.3 109.7 10.0 2 1,668 22 13.9 1

Montgomery

14.7 213.4 6.9 13 1,249 149 7.2 196

Nueces

8.6 155.6 1.8 298 1,070 286 7.9 156

Potter

4.1 77.1 1.2 328 1,086 276 9.9 50

Smith

6.7 108.6 3.4 158 1,092 270 8.9 97

Tarrant

50.6 978.3 4.7 75 1,287 114 8.2 133

Travis

52.0 885.8 7.7 6 1,709 18 8.4 122

Webb

5.9 103.5 3.3 165 848 353 9.6 65

Williamson

15.2 208.9 6.5 18 1,358 79 5.5 286

(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from 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.
(5) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Texas, third quarter 2022
Area Establishments Employment September 2022 Average weekly wage (1)

United States (2)

11,608,876 151,239,638 $1,334

Texas

805,527 13,371,129 1,333

Anderson

1,764 20,268 1,149

Andrews

535 7,798 1,461

Angelina

1,990 35,921 901

Aransas

659 6,321 877

Archer

258 1,764 896

Armstrong

82 487 1,000

Atascosa

947 13,761 1,153

Austin

1,520 12,636 1,209

Bailey

244 2,407 892

Bandera

510 3,668 828

Bastrop

1,782 21,020 954

Baylor

191 1,596 865

Bee

565 8,235 853

Bell

6,468 126,743 1,114

Bexar

45,475 904,266 1,181

Blanco

475 3,819 1,203

Borden

80 481 1,208

Bosque

409 3,934 940

Bowie

2,483 41,264 946

Brazoria

6,720 118,815 1,241

Brazos

5,176 117,804 994

Brewster

459 4,164 918

Briscoe

83 345 937

Brooks

153 2,508 923

Brown

929 15,106 883

Burleson

453 4,739 1,005

Burnet

1,620 16,194 1,052

Caldwell

840 9,571 928

Calhoun

705 13,350 1,513

Callahan

335 2,883 1,018

Cameron

7,059 152,916 813

Camp

290 3,921 947

Carson

188 1,760 1,131

Cass

580 7,598 853

Castro

299 2,594 840

Chambers

839 19,229 1,348

Cherokee

922 14,438 879

Childress

243 2,855 1,106

Clay

182 1,542 848

Cochran

130 673 1,135

Coke

109 809 1,281

Coleman

247 2,185 845

Collin

33,692 510,453 1,538

Collingsworth

125 783 897

Colorado

655 7,390 982

Comal

4,887 69,578 1,029

Comanche

400 4,484 859

Concho

96 851 988

Cooke

1,104 15,008 1,077

Coryell

1,109 15,285 984

Cottle

181 874 1,098

Crane

113 1,333 1,382

Crockett

209 1,340 874

Crosby

190 1,161 849

Culberson

110 1,416 1,587

Dallam

415 4,558 1,017

Dallas

85,858 1,819,009 1,576

Dawson

511 4,151 1,024

Deaf Smith

487 8,410 1,065

Delta

123 1,003 911

Denton

20,041 293,891 1,188

DeWitt

613 7,418 1,039

Dickens

69 495 910

Dimmit

322 5,648 1,314

Donley

125 910 775

Duval

203 3,890 761

Eastland

537 5,977 988

Ector

4,258 76,068 1,385

Edwards

80 548 848

Ellis

3,799 59,663 1,049

El Paso

16,810 320,792 922

Erath

1,252 17,518 853

Falls

297 3,140 920

Fannin

637 8,160 980

Fayette

851 8,906 980

Fisher

123 995 896

Floyd

252 1,449 805

Foard

59 348 769

Fort Bend

17,691 230,512 1,108

Franklin

344 3,947 906

Freestone

389 4,582 942

Frio

411 6,857 1,108

Gaines

693 6,681 1,112

Galveston

6,913 118,982 1,109

Garza

180 1,620 965

Gillespie

1,217 12,014 927

Glasscock

138 650 1,034

Goliad

170 1,360 899

Gonzales

570 7,366 1,005

Gray

571 7,375 1,068

Grayson

3,228 48,170 1,067

Gregg

4,376 75,025 1,075

Grimes

572 7,518 1,159

Guadalupe

2,590 45,532 1,063

Hale

862 11,050 873

Hall

133 769 651

Hamilton

272 2,809 836

Hansford

236 2,308 1,046

Hardeman

131 1,480 905

Hardin

1,010 11,983 985

Harris

126,377 2,366,122 1,522

Harrison

1,479 22,830 1,127

Hartley

164 2,508 950

Haskell

225 2,034 865

Hays

5,873 86,080 1,019

Hemphill

201 1,526 1,081

Henderson

1,624 18,890 862

Hidalgo

13,735 281,544 812

Hill

817 11,450 1,007

Hockley

618 8,992 1,205

Hood

1,668 17,376 978

Hopkins

948 13,576 967

Houston

1,044 7,350 1,136

Howard

943 12,448 1,167

Hudspeth

89 1,345 1,331

Hunt

1,747 29,755 1,100

Hutchinson

470 7,843 1,298

Irion

83 764 1,472

Jack

259 2,537 1,151

Jackson

422 5,636 1,043

Jasper

669 9,775 877

Jeff Davis

92 893 744

Jefferson

5,896 118,258 1,227

Jim Hogg

132 1,610 898

Jim Wells

843 14,954 902

Johnson

3,917 54,324 1,051

Jones

353 3,098 907

Karnes

418 6,104 1,199

Kaufman

2,539 38,640 1,006

Kendall

1,857 19,392 1,097

Kenedy

30 243 1,013

Kent

33 511 822

Kerr

1,568 18,561 1,055

Kimble

178 1,227 785

King

28 412 1,389

Kinney

77 912 939

Kleberg

641 11,475 895

Knox

156 1,135 903

Lamar

1,346 22,367 988

Lamb

419 4,068 921

Lampasas

481 5,342 837

La Salle

198 3,385 1,313

Lavaca

505 5,909 894

Lee

461 6,272 1,011

Leon

433 4,785 1,137

Liberty

1,279 18,933 1,011

Limestone

400 8,009 1,049

Lipscomb

98 1,215 1,027

Live Oak

308 3,469 1,136

Llano

613 5,271 922

Loving

22 637 1,858

Lubbock

8,328 146,707 1,010

Lynn

207 1,775 1,220

McCulloch

289 2,432 889

McLennan

5,918 121,917 1,062

McMullen

87 601 1,297

Madison

314 4,425 926

Marion

168 1,970 783

Martin

232 2,327 1,259

Mason

188 1,100 762

Matagorda

839 11,318 1,218

Maverick

926 18,043 823

Medina

923 10,500 897

Menard

79 441 589

Midland

6,316 109,725 1,668

Milam

498 5,527 922

Mills

144 1,244 809

Mitchell

173 1,943 969

Montague

512 4,792 877

Montgomery

14,715 213,442 1,249

Moore

547 12,001 1,108

Morris

240 3,274 972

Motley

68 351 646

Nacogdoches

1,432 22,272 913

Navarro

1,022 16,874 949

Newton

140 1,205 862

Nolan

427 5,943 1,044

Nueces

8,588 155,649 1,070

Ochiltree

409 4,063 1,052

Oldham

100 888 906

Orange

1,442 23,160 1,149

Palo Pinto

752 8,107 886

Panola

560 8,038 1,090

Parker

3,557 39,581 1,058

Parmer

332 6,310 1,172

Pecos

464 9,588 1,589

Polk

955 12,151 970

Potter

4,071 77,110 1,086

Presidio

198 2,006 979

Rains

263 2,229 790

Randall

2,720 35,518 959

Reagan

158 1,740 1,434

Real

115 821 635

Red River

264 2,695 820

Reeves

473 6,931 1,539

Refugio

217 2,128 907

Roberts

49 230 1,098

Robertson

374 5,342 1,196

Rockwall

3,170 38,093 1,034

Runnels

282 2,916 834

Rusk

867 12,783 1,037

Sabine

236 2,609 869

San Augustine

162 1,989 1,065

San Jacinto

287 2,239 851

San Patricio

1,258 22,335 1,153

San Saba

217 1,551 812

Schleicher

86 750 968

Scurry

475 6,051 1,189

Shackelford

150 1,224 1,200

Shelby

620 8,685 953

Sherman

137 1,148 988

Smith

6,727 108,594 1,092

Somervell

254 3,575 1,304

Starr

625 14,647 734

Stephens

304 3,277 871

Sterling

91 453 816

Stonewall

75 755 1,110

Sutton

166 1,202 1,195

Swisher

190 1,902 773

Tarrant

50,586 978,258 1,287

Taylor

3,866 66,348 1,029

Terrell

48 306 967

Terry

374 3,093 918

Throckmorton

77 470 730

Titus

894 17,490 917

Tom Green

3,111 48,850 1,012

Travis

51,991 885,753 1,709

Trinity

238 2,353 758

Tyler

345 4,090 847

Upshur

575 7,804 900

Upton

131 2,520 1,467

Uvalde

709 9,480 833

Val Verde

957 18,877 858

Van Zandt

1,119 12,270 823

Victoria

2,441 37,609 1,047

Walker

1,139 25,190 951

Waller

1,085 23,159 1,102

Ward

402 5,412 1,421

Washington

1,059 15,286 964

Webb

5,943 103,501 848

Wharton

1,171 15,974 944

Wheeler

211 1,711 795

Wichita

3,431 53,511 946

Wilbarger

349 5,628 826

Willacy

318 4,392 883

Williamson

15,212 208,940 1,358

Wilson

887 9,158 933

Winkler

238 3,453 1,503

Wise

1,578 21,479 1,118

Wood

946 10,767 880

Yoakum

285 3,133 1,279

Young

626 6,730 998

Zapata

175 2,869 814

Zavala

172 2,464 1,083

(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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2022
State Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2022
(thousands)
Percent change,
September
2021–22
Third quarter
2022
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
third quarter
2021–22
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

11,608.9 151,239.6 4.3 $1,334 -- 6.7 --

Alabama

150.1 2,031.6 3.2 1,120 35 9.1 9

Alaska

24.9 325.2 2.5 1,304 15 8.2 29

Arizona

205.4 3,080.6 3.9 1,251 20 7.7 36

Arkansas

100.1 1,262.1 4.4 1,036 50 7.5 38

California

1,741.3 18,051.1 4.9 1,601 5 1.5 50

Colorado

247.1 2,813.9 3.3 1,432 8 8.5 22

Connecticut

140.6 1,652.8 2.8 1,491 6 6.5 42

Delaware

39.7 465.7 5.1 1,292 18 8.4 25

District of Columbia

49.0 756.6 2.7 2,134 1 4.5 48

Florida

860.6 9,417.2 5.6 1,220 23 9.0 11

Georgia

378.4 4,726.4 5.1 1,255 19 8.5 22

Hawaii

52.8 623.2 4.5 1,208 24 5.1 46

Idaho

86.7 834.7 3.8 1,063 45 11.5 1

Illinois

410.9 5,982.2 3.9 1,361 12 6.9 40

Indiana

188.3 3,140.6 3.9 1,123 34 8.6 19

Iowa

111.1 1,541.1 1.9 1,118 36 10.1 3

Kansas

95.6 1,401.3 3.7 1,085 41 8.8 15

Kentucky

142.9 1,941.5 3.8 1,082 43 9.4 6

Louisiana

150.7 1,866.3 4.5 1,103 39 8.2 29

Maine

62.2 637.7 2.5 1,117 37 8.4 25

Maryland

188.3 2,669.1 2.5 1,418 9 7.9 32

Massachusetts

292.6 3,628.8 3.6 1,651 3 3.6 49

Michigan

296.0 4,334.0 3.5 1,236 21 7.2 39

Minnesota

201.6 2,880.9 3.4 1,346 13 7.9 32

Mississippi

81.5 1,151.8 2.4 933 51 8.7 17

Missouri

236.9 2,849.2 3.2 1,149 31 8.9 14

Montana

61.2 505.5 3.9 1,059 46 10.0 4

Nebraska

80.5 989.2 2.4 1,117 37 9.9 5

Nevada

107.0 1,496.1 7.5 1,205 26 6.2 43

New Hampshire

63.8 677.3 3.4 1,365 11 1.2 51

New Jersey

320.9 4,176.5 5.0 1,461 7 5.6 44

New Mexico

70.9 838.1 3.5 1,087 40 9.1 9

New York

683.2 9,355.0 4.8 1,608 4 4.8 47

North Carolina

348.9 4,737.5 4.9 1,207 25 8.5 22

North Dakota

34.5 419.8 2.9 1,190 28 10.7 2

Ohio

328.9 5,402.7 2.9 1,187 29 8.1 31

Oklahoma

123.9 1,646.6 3.8 1,047 48 8.6 19

Oregon

179.5 1,932.6 1.1 1,301 16 6.6 41

Pennsylvania

390.7 5,913.7 3.8 1,296 17 7.6 37

Rhode Island

46.5 487.3 3.1 1,225 22 8.3 27

South Carolina

166.6 2,200.9 4.7 1,079 44 9.4 6

South Dakota

39.1 448.5 2.9 1,052 47 9.0 11

Tennessee

204.0 3,202.4 5.1 1,198 27 7.9 32

Texas

805.5 13,371.1 5.9 1,333 14 8.6 19

Utah

134.1 1,663.9 4.4 1,186 30 9.0 11

Vermont

30.8 300.6 2.4 1,142 32 7.9 32

Virginia

330.1 3,979.4 3.4 1,380 10 9.3 8

Washington

235.3 3,572.9 4.4 1,657 2 5.2 45

West Virginia

56.8 678.8 1.9 1,042 49 8.3 27

Wisconsin

200.7 2,899.1 2.8 1,140 33 8.7 17

Wyoming

29.9 278.2 2.3 1,083 42 8.8 15

Puerto Rico

50.0 924.6 3.9 616 (3) 8.5 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.7 34.3 -1.0 1,030 (3) 9.2 (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 3. Average weekly wages by county in Texas, third quarter 2022

(U.S. average = $1,334)

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023