An official website of the United States government
18-179-SAN
Friday, February 02, 2018
Employment decreased 1.1 percent in Alaska’s only large county, Anchorage Borough, 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 Richard Holden noted that in June 2017, Anchorage Borough’s employment totaled 151,400 and accounted for 44.7 percent of total employment within the state.
Nationally, employment advanced 1.7 percent from June 2016 to June 2017 as 318 of the 346 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, Texas, had the largest employment gain in the country, up 7.3 percent. Lucas, Ohio, had the largest over-the-year decrease among these counties with a loss of 1.9 percent.
The average weekly wage in Anchorage Borough was $1,064 in the second quarter of 2017, an increase of 1.0 percent from the second quarter of 2016. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 3.2 percent over the year to $1,020 in the second quarter of 2017. (See table 1.)
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 28 boroughs in Alaska with employment below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,794 to $541 during the second quarter of 2017. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changesAnchorage Borough’s 1.0-percent wage gain from the second quarter of 2016 to the second quarter 2017 placed 300th among the nation’s 346 largest counties. (See table 1.) Nationwide, 325 of the 346 largest counties had over-the-year wage increases. New Hanover, N.C., had the largest wage gain in the nation (11.9 percent). San Mateo, Calif., and Midland, Texas were second with wage increases of 11.4 percent each. Rounding out the top five were Kitsap, Wash. (11.0 percent) and Clackamas, Ore. (10.0 percent).
Of the 346 largest U.S. counties, 19 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. McLean, Ill., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-20.4 percent), followed by Union, N.J. (-3.7 percent); Warren, Ohio (-3.6 percent); Somerset, N.J. (-3.4 percent); Fairfield, Conn. (-1.9 percent); and Washington, Ore. (-1.9 percent).
Large county average weekly wagesAnchorage Borough’s $1,064 average weekly wage placed in the top 25 percent in the nation, ranking 78th in the second quarter of 2017. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 97 of the 346 large U.S. 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).
Among the largest U.S. counties, more than two-thirds (249) had average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2017. The lowest weekly wage was in Cameron, Texas ($615), followed by Horry, S.C. ($622), and the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($632) and Webb ($667).
Average weekly wages in Alaska’s smaller countiesAlaska consists of 16 smaller boroughs, 11 census areas, and 1 municipality, each of which is considered a county level equivalent. Twenty-four of the 28 counties in Alaska with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,020. The exceptions were Valdez-Cordova Census Area ($1,025), Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ($1,228), Northwest Artic Borough ($1,272), and North Slope Borough ($1,794). The Kusilvak Census Area reported the lowest weekly wage among the smaller counties, averaging $541. (See table 2.)
When all 29 counties in Alaska were considered, 5 had wages below $700. Eight counties had average weekly wages ranging from $700 to $799, seven had wages from $800 to $899, three had wages from $900 to $999, and six had wages above $1,000. (See chart 1.)
Additional statistics and other informationQCEW 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.
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 sit.
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.
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 | -- |
Alaska | 338.4 | -0.7 | -- | 1,005 | 16 | -0.5 | 51 |
Anchorage, Alaska | 151.4 | -1.1 | 342 | 1,064 | 78 | 1.0 | 300 |
Footnotes: | |||||||
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. |
Area | Employment June 2017 | Average weekly wage(1) |
---|---|---|
United States(2) | 145,186,369 | $1,020 |
Alaska | 338,394 | 1,005 |
Aleutian East Borough | 2,327 | 891 |
Aleutian West Census Area | 3,295 | 988 |
Anchorage Borough | 151,385 | 1,064 |
Bethel Census Area | 7,491 | 775 |
Bristol Bay Borough | 2,418 | 748 |
Denali Borough | 3,813 | 729 |
Dillingham Census Area | 3,391 | 774 |
Fairbanks North Star Borough | 36,907 | 967 |
Haines Borough | 1,222 | 647 |
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 1,062 | 667 |
Juneau Borough | 18,231 | 960 |
Kenai Peninsula Borough | 22,024 | 885 |
Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 8,375 | 850 |
Kodiak Island Borough | 6,310 | 817 |
Kusilvak Census Area | 2,425 | 541 |
Lake and Peninsula Borough | 1,181 | 681 |
Mantanuska-Susitna Borough | 24,031 | 812 |
Nome Census Area | 3,856 | 1,005 |
North Slope Borough | 12,122 | 1,794 |
Northwest Arctic Borough | 2,895 | 1,272 |
Petersburg Census Area | 1,354 | 775 |
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 2,490 | 804 |
Sitka Borough | 4,413 | 844 |
Skagway Municipality | 1,555 | 635 |
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 2,571 | 1,228 |
Valdez-Cordova Census Area | 5,814 | 1,025 |
Wrangell City and Borough | 899 | 717 |
Yakutat Borough | 275 | 770 |
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 2,214 | 734 |
Footnotes | ||
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary. |
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: | ||||||
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, February 02, 2018