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Friday, October 18, 2019
Idaho’s only large county, Ada, had an employment increase of 2.9 percent from March 2018 to March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the rate of employment growth in Ada County was faster-paced than the national increase of 1.4 percent. (See table 1.)
Employment increased in 298 of the 355 largest U.S. counties from March 2018 to March 2019. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage increase, up 5.8 percent over the year. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 5.9 percent.
Employment in Ada County was 248,700 in March 2019, accounting for one-third of the total employment in Idaho. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.5 percent of total U.S. employment.
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 43 counties in Idaho with employment below 75,000. Average weekly wages were below the national average in 42 of the 43 smaller counties in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changesFrom the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019, the average weekly wage in Ada County increased 2.5 percent, ranking it 176th among the 355 largest U.S. counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 2.8 percent. (See table 1.)
Nationally, 325 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Francisco, CA, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 10.2 percent from the first quarter of 2018.
Among the largest U.S. counties, 28 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a decline of 7.6 percent
Large county average weekly wagesAda County’s $967 average weekly wage ranked in the bottom half of the 355 largest U.S. counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019.
Nationally, 92 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019. New York, NY, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $3,153, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,759), and Santa Clara, CA ($2,758).
Among the largest U.S. counties, 263 reported average weekly wages below the national average. The lowest weekly wages were Cameron, TX ($648), followed by Horry, SC ($652) and Hidalgo, TX ($662).
Average weekly wages in Idaho’s smaller countiesAmong the 43 counties in Idaho with employment below 75,000, only Butte County ($1,792) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,184. Boise County reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state, averaging $481 in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)
When all 44 counties in Idaho were considered, 5 reported average weekly wages under $600, 17 reported wages from $600 to $699, 15 had wages from $700 to $799, 3 had wages from $800 to $899, and 4 had wages at $900 or above. (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 2018 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 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2018 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.
The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
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.
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) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 2019 (thousands) | Percent change, March 2018-19 (2) | National ranking by percent change (3) | Average weekly wage | National ranking by level (3) | Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 (2) | National ranking by percent change (3) | |
United States (4) | 146,497.6 | 1.4 | -- | $1,184 | -- | 2.8 | -- |
Idaho | 732.3 | 2.7 | -- | 828 | 50 | 2.3 | 34 |
Ada, Idaho | 248.7 | 2.9 | 30 | 967 | 216 | 2.5 | 176 |
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 March 2019 | Average Weekly Wage(1) |
---|---|---|
United States(2) | 146,497,599 | $1,184 |
Idaho | 732,325 | 828 |
Ada | 248,654 | 967 |
Adams | 889 | 737 |
Bannock | 33,812 | 701 |
Bear Lake | 1,631 | 566 |
Benewah | 3,338 | 779 |
Bingham | 15,068 | 686 |
Blaine | 12,689 | 804 |
Boise | 1,789 | 481 |
Bonner | 13,979 | 691 |
Bonneville | 52,311 | 767 |
Boundary | 3,434 | 753 |
Butte | 8,039 | 1,792 |
Camas | 377 | 952 |
Canyon | 69,607 | 703 |
Caribou | 3,524 | 1,039 |
Cassia | 11,169 | 703 |
Clark | 323 | 879 |
Clearwater | 2,489 | 699 |
Custer | 1,250 | 635 |
Elmore | 6,928 | 647 |
Franklin | 3,548 | 585 |
Fremont | 2,726 | 684 |
Gem | 3,717 | 645 |
Gooding | 5,660 | 748 |
Idaho | 4,153 | 685 |
Jefferson | 6,816 | 622 |
Jerome | 10,353 | 731 |
Kootenai | 60,864 | 762 |
Latah | 13,684 | 695 |
Lemhi | 2,320 | 716 |
Lewis | 1,636 | 602 |
Lincoln | 1,623 | 716 |
Madison | 15,512 | 583 |
Minidoka | 8,006 | 713 |
Nez Perce | 20,682 | 815 |
Oneida | 1,164 | 530 |
Owyhee | 3,060 | 651 |
Payette | 6,323 | 708 |
Power | 3,223 | 774 |
Shoshone | 4,539 | 673 |
Teton | 3,116 | 695 |
Twin Falls | 39,252 | 685 |
Valley | 4,641 | 696 |
Washington | 2,623 | 624 |
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) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 2019 (thousands) | Percent change, March 2018-19 | Average weekly wage | National ranking by level | Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 | National ranking by percent change | |
United States (2) | 146,497.6 | 1.4 | $1,184 | -- | 2.8 | -- |
Alabama | 1,978.0 | 1.6 | 944 | 38 | 2.5 | 32 |
Alaska | 312.4 | 0.3 | 1,108 | 18 | 3.3 | 9 |
Arizona | 2,895.1 | 2.5 | 1,056 | 22 | 3.0 | 21 |
Arkansas | 1,218.5 | 0.7 | 896 | 45 | 2.2 | 38 |
California | 17,436.4 | 1.8 | 1,401 | 5 | 3.8 | 4 |
Colorado | 2,690.3 | 1.9 | 1,231 | 9 | 4.8 | 2 |
Connecticut | 1,650.6 | 0.0 | 1,487 | 4 | 2.3 | 34 |
Delaware | 444.1 | 1.3 | 1,199 | 13 | -0.1 | 51 |
District of Columbia | 773.5 | 0.5 | 1,921 | 1 | 0.2 | 49 |
Florida | 8,894.3 | 2.1 | 1,015 | 26 | 2.7 | 25 |
Georgia | 4,488.6 | 2.1 | 1,121 | 17 | 2.6 | 28 |
Hawaii | 658.1 | -0.4 | 1,006 | 27 | 3.4 | 8 |
Idaho | 732.3 | 2.7 | 828 | 50 | 2.3 | 34 |
Illinois | 5,912.0 | 0.1 | 1,275 | 8 | 2.7 | 25 |
Indiana | 3,059.1 | 1.2 | 963 | 33 | 0.9 | 48 |
Iowa | 1,527.1 | 0.1 | 942 | 39 | 2.3 | 34 |
Kansas | 1,379.3 | 0.6 | 940 | 40 | 3.2 | 12 |
Kentucky | 1,882.6 | 0.6 | 920 | 41 | 2.2 | 38 |
Louisiana | 1,916.8 | -0.1 | 954 | 34 | 2.5 | 32 |
Maine | 599.8 | 1.2 | 919 | 42 | 3.1 | 16 |
Maryland | 2,670.3 | 0.9 | 1,228 | 10 | 1.7 | 45 |
Massachusetts | 3,558.1 | 1.1 | 1,561 | 3 | 3.5 | 7 |
Michigan | 4,307.4 | 0.6 | 1,078 | 20 | 0.1 | 50 |
Minnesota | 2,840.8 | 0.5 | 1,203 | 12 | 2.3 | 34 |
Mississippi | 1,129.8 | 0.4 | 779 | 51 | 1.8 | 43 |
Missouri | 2,788.4 | 0.5 | 986 | 31 | 2.6 | 28 |
Montana | 458.8 | 0.9 | 844 | 49 | 3.1 | 16 |
Nebraska | 965.6 | 0.1 | 917 | 43 | 2.2 | 38 |
Nevada | 1,392.2 | 3.0 | 992 | 29 | 1.5 | 47 |
New Hampshire | 656.2 | 1.2 | 1,156 | 15 | 3.1 | 16 |
New Jersey | 4,040.2 | 1.3 | 1,399 | 6 | 1.7 | 45 |
New Mexico | 825.4 | 1.3 | 890 | 47 | 3.2 | 12 |
New York | 9,453.5 | 1.5 | 1,639 | 2 | 2.6 | 28 |
North Carolina | 4,458.5 | 2.0 | 1,054 | 23 | 3.2 | 12 |
North Dakota | 414.3 | 1.5 | 1,021 | 25 | 3.3 | 9 |
Ohio | 5,363.2 | 0.7 | 1,035 | 24 | 3.0 | 21 |
Oklahoma | 1,617.0 | 1.1 | 953 | 35 | 4.3 | 3 |
Oregon | 1,921.9 | 1.3 | 1,060 | 21 | 3.3 | 9 |
Pennsylvania | 5,850.3 | 1.1 | 1,146 | 16 | 2.8 | 24 |
Rhode Island | 474.7 | 0.8 | 1,104 | 19 | 1.8 | 43 |
South Carolina | 2,110.0 | 2.0 | 901 | 44 | 3.0 | 21 |
South Dakota | 419.0 | 0.4 | 865 | 48 | 2.7 | 25 |
Tennessee | 3,004.2 | 2.0 | 996 | 28 | 1.9 | 42 |
Texas | 12,455.6 | 2.2 | 1,204 | 11 | 3.1 | 16 |
Utah | 1,501.4 | 3.0 | 978 | 32 | 3.1 | 16 |
Vermont | 309.1 | 0.4 | 950 | 36 | 3.7 | 5 |
Virginia | 3,896.9 | 1.2 | 1,186 | 14 | 2.1 | 41 |
Washington | 3,371.1 | 1.8 | 1,368 | 7 | 4.9 | 1 |
West Virginia | 687.1 | 0.3 | 896 | 45 | 3.2 | 12 |
Wisconsin | 2,838.9 | 0.1 | 992 | 29 | 2.6 | 28 |
Wyoming | 269.0 | 1.9 | 948 | 37 | 3.7 | 5 |
Puerto Rico | 875.8 | 2.2 | 553 | (3) | -2.1 | (3) |
Virgin Islands | 36.6 | 9.6 | 966 | (3) | -1.0 | (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, October 18, 2019