Employment rose in all six large counties in Oregon from December 2012 to December 2013, 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 2012 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that employment increases ranged from 4.3 percent in Marion County to 0.7 percent in Clackamas County.

Nationally, employment increased 1.8 percent from December 2012 to December 2013 as 292 of the 334 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Weld, Colo., recorded the largest percentage increase in the country, up 6.0 percent over the year. St. Clair, Ill., registered the largest percentage employment decline, down 3.1 percent.

Among the large counties in Oregon, Multnomah County reported the largest employment (461,100) in December 2013. Together, the six large counties accounted for 72.0 percent of Oregon’s total employment. Nationwide, the largest 334 counties made up 71.7 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 136.1 million in December 2013.

From the fourth quarter of 2012 to the fourth quarter of 2013, Washington County recorded the largest rate of increase in average weekly wages among Oregon’s largest counties, registering a gain of 5.9 percent. Washington County also recorded the highest average weekly wage among the six large Oregon counties at $1,163 per week. Nationally, the average weekly wage was unchanged over the year, remaining at $1,000 in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 30 counties with employment below 75,000 in Oregon. Wage levels in all these counties were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All 6 of Oregon’s large counties recorded over-the-year wage gains that ranked in the top 50 nationwide in the fourth quarter of 2013. Apart from Washington County’s 5.9-percent gain, the remaining five counties posted wage gains between 2.4 and 2.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 185 large counties experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Santa Cruz, Calif., had the largest wage gain (6.5 percent). Ada, Idaho, had the second largest increase (6.4 percent), followed by Washington, Ore. (5.9 percent).

Among the 334 largest U.S. counties, 140 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2013. Douglas, Colo., had the largest average weekly wage decline with a loss of 29.7 percent, followed by the counties of San Mateo, Calif. (-15.8 percent), and Virginia Beach City, Va. (-10.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Washington County ($1,163, 45th), Multnomah County ($1,006, 93rd), and Clackamas County ($914, 159th) placed in the top half of the national ranking among the 334 largest counties nationwide. Average weekly wages in the state’s remaining three large counties ranged from $778 to $722 in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 98 of the largest 334 U.S. counties. San Mateo, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with a wage of $2,724. New York, N.Y., was second at $2,041, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,972).

There were 235 counties with an average weekly wage below the national average in the fourth quarter of 2013. The lowest average weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($587), followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($598); and Hidalgo, Texas ($620).

Average weekly wages in Oregon’s smaller counties

All 30 smaller counties in Oregon, those with employment below 75,000, had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,000. Benton reported the highest weekly wage ($916) followed by Morrow ($831). Wheeler County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state, averaging $493 in the fourth quarter of 2013. (See table 2.)

When all 36 counties in Oregon were considered, 1 county reported average weekly wages under $600, 19 reported wages from $600 to $699, 11 reported wages from $700 to $799, 1 reported wages from $800 to $899, and 4 reported wages above $900.

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 2012 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 2013 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2012 are now available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2012/home.htm. The 2013 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2014.

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 9.3 million employer reports cover 136.1 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: 1-800-877-8339.
 

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 6 largest counties in Oregon, fourth quarter 2013

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (1)
	December 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2012-13 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2012-13 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	136,129.4	1.8	--	$1,000	--	0.0	--
Oregon	1,699.6	2.5	--	894	25	2.6	3
Clackamas, Ore.	143.8	0.7	230	914	159	2.1	43
Jackson, Ore.	79.9	2.0	122	722	320	2.0	47
Lane, Ore.	141.1	1.3	175	772	299	2.3	36
Marion, Ore.	135.8	4.3	17	778	294	2.4	31
Multnomah, Ore.	461.1	2.8	76	1,006	93	2.0	47
Washington, Ore.	262.6	3.7	34	1,163	45	5.9	3
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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

 

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Oregon, fourth quarter 2013

Area	Employment December 2013	Average Weekly Wage (1)
United States (2)	136,129,407	$1,000
Oregon	1,699,640	894
Baker	4,958	633
Benton	34,684	916
Clackamas	143,821	914
Clatsop	16,405	651
Columbia	9,925	675
Coos	21,742	659
Crook	5,815	765
Curry	6,003	632
Deschutes	64,247	762
Douglas	34,817	703
Gilliam	731	753
Grant	2,271	641
Harney	2,125	634
Hood River	12,468	632
Jackson	79,866	722
Jefferson	6,010	697
Josephine	22,725	627
Klamath	21,408	668
Lake	2,348	680
Lane	141,066	772
Lincoln	16,944	633
Linn	41,395	741
Malheur	12,272	639
Marion	135,777	778
Morrow	4,760	831
Multnomah	461,119	1,006
Polk	17,599	642
Sherman	742	794
Tillamook	8,292	650
Umatilla	28,541	688
Union	9,621	658
Wallowa	2,268	605
Wasco	10,138	704
Washington	262,627	1,163
Wheeler	307	493
Yamhill	32,057	731
(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.
Data are preliminary.
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2013

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	December 2013 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2012-13	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2012-13	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	136,129.4	1.8	$1,000	--	0.0	--
Alabama	1,866.5	1.0	851	34	-0.5	39
Alaska	315.1	0.0	1,022	14	1.6	7
Arizona	2,571.0	2.4	906	23	-0.5	39
Arkansas	1,154.3	-0.5	771	47	0.4	22
California	15,650.3	2.8	1,175	6	-0.9	43
Colorado	2,383.9	3.1	1,023	13	-0.9	43
Connecticut	1,661.2	0.3	1,238	4	-1.3	49
Delaware	419.6	1.8	1,035	9	-0.6	41
District of Columbia	727.3	0.6	1,638	1	-3.9	51
Florida	7,739.5	2.7	883	29	0.2	27
Georgia	3,986.9	2.5	924	21	-0.1	32
Hawaii	632.9	1.7	871	30	0.3	25
Idaho	634.5	2.6	754	50	3.0	2
Illinois	5,758.9	1.0	1,060	8	0.2	27
Indiana	2,896.9	1.6	814	40	-0.2	35
Iowa	1,510.9	1.4	834	38	1.6	7
Kansas	1,359.5	1.6	832	39	-0.4	38
Kentucky	1,818.0	1.2	804	42	0.2	27
Louisiana	1,911.6	0.9	889	26	0.5	20
Maine	586.8	0.8	786	46	1.7	5
Maryland	2,555.1	0.4	1,076	7	-0.9	43
Massachusetts	3,332.9	1.5	1,258	3	0.8	17
Michigan	4,072.4	2.0	952	20	-0.2	35
Minnesota	2,720.6	1.7	988	16	0.3	25
Mississippi	1,108.1	1.1	729	51	1.3	11
Missouri	2,670.4	1.1	861	32	-0.2	35
Montana	440.0	1.3	760	48	0.4	22
Nebraska	944.3	1.4	796	43	-0.1	32
Nevada	1,180.5	3.0	884	28	0.7	18
New Hampshire	629.3	1.4	1,017	15	-0.8	42
New Jersey	3,887.5	1.2	1,186	5	1.1	14
New Mexico	796.2	-0.1	814	40	1.4	10
New York	8,888.6	1.7	1,266	2	-1.1	48
North Carolina	4,045.5	1.9	860	33	0.7	18
North Dakota	435.0	3.3	980	17	3.8	1
Ohio	5,175.4	1.4	887	27	0.0	30
Oklahoma	1,581.3	0.6	851	34	-0.1	32
Oregon	1,699.6	2.5	894	25	2.6	3
Pennsylvania	5,650.3	0.4	976	18	0.4	22
Rhode Island	462.7	1.4	960	19	1.5	9
South Carolina	1,875.8	2.3	793	44	1.0	15
South Dakota	407.1	1.3	759	49	1.3	11
Tennessee	2,758.3	1.8	895	24	-0.9	43
Texas	11,246.3	2.6	1,027	12	0.0	30
Utah	1,284.7	3.1	836	37	-0.9	43
Vermont	308.5	0.6	848	36	2.3	4
Virginia	3,670.0	0.1	1,028	11	-1.3	49
Washington	2,976.0	2.5	1,034	10	1.7	5
West Virginia	710.1	-0.6	792	45	0.5	20
Wisconsin	2,751.8	1.0	865	31	1.2	13
Wyoming	279.2	0.6	917	22	1.0	15
Puerto Rico	958.3	-2.3	551	(3)	0.2	(3)
Virgin Islands	38.5	-3.6	754	(3)	2.4	(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: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.