All seven of Oregon’s large counties had employment gains from December 2017 to December 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with 2017 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that four of the large counties in Oregon had rates of job growth above the 1.5-percent national average. Deschutes County had the largest increase in employment at 2.8 percent, followed by Marion County at 2.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Employment increased in 296 of the 349 largest U.S. counties from December 2017 to December 2018. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage increase, with a gain of 10.0 percent over the year. York, SC, had the next-largest percentage increase (5.1 percent), followed by the counties of Atlantic, NJ (4.6 percent) and Utah, UT (4.5 percent). Employment declined in 47 large counties during this period. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-5.6 percent), followed by Kanawha, WV, and Johnson, IA (-1.5 percent each).

Among the large counties in Oregon, Multnomah had the highest employment (519,700) in December 2018. Together, the seven large counties accounted for 76.2 percent of Oregon’s total employment. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 73.2 percent of total U.S. employment.

From the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018, average weekly wages increased in all seven of Oregon’s large counties. Multnomah County’s 5.4-percent increase in average weekly wages was the highest among Oregon’s large counties. Nationally, average weekly wages increased 3.2 percent over the year, to $1,144 in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 counties with employment below 75,000 in Oregon. Wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

As noted, all of Oregon’s large counties had over-the-year wage increases in the fourth quarter of  2018. Multnomah County’s 5.4-percent wage increase ranked 37^th among the 349 large U.S. counties. Three other large Oregon counties ranked in the top 100 nationwide.

Among the 349 largest U.S. counties, 332 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Tippecanoe, IN, had the largest fourth quarter over-the-year wage gain at 15.1 percent, followed by Williamson, TN (13.1 percent) and Olmstead, MN (13.0 percent).

Of the 349 largest counties, 15 experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly wages.   Washington, PA, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-6.6 percent), followed by Elkhart, IN (-5.0 percent); Muscogee, GA, (-3.7 percent); and Douglas, CO (-3.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Washington County ($1,312, 46^th) and Multnomah County ($1,208, 68^th) placed in the top third among the 349 largest U.S. counties. Average weekly wages in the state’s remaining five large counties ranged from $1,073 to $843 in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Nationwide, weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average of $1,144 in 94 of the 349 largest counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position among the highest-paid large counties in the nation with an average weekly wage of $2,670. San Francisco, CA, was second at $2,452, followed by San Mateo, CA, ($2,410); New York, NY, ($2,400); and Suffolk, MA ($2,055).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 255 had weekly wages below the national average in the fourth quarter of 2018. Hidalgo, TX had the lowest wage at $680, followed by Horry, SC, and Cameron, TX at $685 each.

Average weekly wages in Oregon’s smaller counties

All of the 29 counties in Oregon with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,144. Benton County had the highest wage ($1,075), followed by Morrow ($1,065). Wheeler County had the lowest weekly wage in the state, averaging $609 in the fourth quarter of 2018. (See table 2.)

When all 36 counties in Oregon were considered, 1 county had average weekly wages of $699 or lower, 17 reported wages from $700 to $799, 10 had wages from $800 to $899, 3 had wages from $900 to $999, and 5 had wages at $1,000 or higher. (See chart 1.)

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 2017 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2018, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2018 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2017 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2017/home.htm. The 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2019.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. The County Employment and Wages full data update for first quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 4, 2019.

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.

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.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 7 largest counties in Oregon, fourth quarter 2018

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	December 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	148,061.8	1.5	--	$1,144	--	3.2	--
Oregon	1,935.8	1.7	--	1,052	22	3.7	18
Clackamas, Ore.	167.3	1.1	167	1,073	144	4.7	62
Deschutes, Ore.	83.7	2.8	32	916	281	4.4	74
Jackson, Ore.	90.2	0.9	185	843	326	1.3	301
Lane, Ore.	157.7	0.7	215	884	305	2.6	210
Marion, Ore.	156.9	2.6	41	940	257	4.4	74
Multnomah, Ore.	519.7	1.8	100	1,208	68	5.4	37
Washington, Ore.	300.3	1.8	100	1,312	46	0.4	325
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: 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 employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Oregon, fourth quarter 2018

Area	Employment December 2018	Average Weekly Wage(1)
United States(2)	148,061,773	$1,144
Oregon	1,935,786	1,052
Baker	5,588	726
Benton	38,188	1,075
Clackamas	167,260	1,073
Clatsop	18,496	747
Columbia	11,705	785
Coos	23,158	791
Crook	5,904	901
Curry	6,487	706
Deschutes	83,681	916
Douglas	38,826	816
Gilliam	833	869
Grant	2,427	776
Harney	2,431	731
Hood River	13,922	826
Jackson	90,220	843
Jefferson	6,811	790
Josephine	27,688	746
Klamath	23,086	781
Lake	2,489	772
Lane	157,749	884
Lincoln	18,117	776
Linn	47,954	854
Malheur	12,719	725
Marion	156,904	940
Morrow	6,000	1,065
Multnomah	519,736	1,208
Polk	20,485	763
Sherman	858	898
Tillamook	9,599	777
Umatilla	30,114	805
Union	10,197	785
Wallowa	2,461	739
Wasco	10,953	810
Washington	300,300	1,312
Wheeler	284	609
Yamhill	36,389	860
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.
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2018

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	December 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2017-18	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2017-18	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	148,061.8	1.5	$1,144	--	3.2	--
Alabama	1,986.6	1.6	957	36	3.1	33
Alaska	308.3	0.4	1,103	16	4.9	7
Arizona	2,921.1	3.0	1,017	24	4.1	11
Arkansas	1,227.0	0.8	869	50	2.4	43
California	17,556.7	1.7	1,392	4	3.3	26
Colorado	2,713.7	2.2	1,180	10	4.1	11
Connecticut	1,697.9	0.5	1,334	5	1.3	49
Delaware	451.2	1.1	1,107	15	2.4	43
District of Columbia	775.1	0.6	1,943	1	7.3	2
Florida	8,902.7	2.1	1,006	27	3.1	33
Georgia	4,499.8	1.8	1,053	21	2.4	43
Hawaii	669.3	0.6	1,016	25	3.3	26
Idaho	734.4	3.2	890	47	3.6	20
Illinois	6,026.0	0.3	1,189	9	3.3	26
Indiana	3,086.2	0.9	941	38	2.8	37
Iowa	1,558.4	0.5	966	35	3.0	35
Kansas	1,402.2	0.8	927	41	3.7	18
Kentucky	1,914.0	0.3	924	42	3.2	30
Louisiana	1,934.1	0.7	968	34	3.8	15
Maine	618.4	1.3	906	44	2.5	41
Maryland	2,702.5	0.8	1,228	8	1.7	48
Massachusetts	3,620.3	1.0	1,457	2	3.3	26
Michigan	4,366.5	1.0	1,077	19	1.3	49
Minnesota	2,902.3	0.9	1,140	14	3.6	20
Mississippi	1,144.3	0.2	793	51	2.5	41
Missouri	2,821.3	0.5	980	31	3.6	20
Montana	468.8	1.6	888	48	5.2	5
Nebraska	983.0	0.2	930	40	3.2	30
Nevada	1,397.4	3.3	1,006	27	5.3	4
New Hampshire	666.0	0.7	1,158	12	2.3	46
New Jersey	4,125.6	0.8	1,298	6	2.7	38
New Mexico	830.2	1.5	905	45	4.6	9
New York	9,613.2	1.5	1,445	3	1.0	51
North Carolina	4,458.9	1.6	1,013	26	5.1	6
North Dakota	422.3	1.5	1,057	20	4.7	8
Ohio	5,442.9	0.5	1,006	27	3.4	24
Oklahoma	1,632.3	1.5	932	39	4.1	11
Oregon	1,935.8	1.7	1,052	22	3.7	18
Pennsylvania	5,932.5	1.0	1,103	16	2.6	39
Rhode Island	487.2	0.8	1,085	18	2.6	39
South Carolina	2,119.6	2.8	893	46	1.9	47
South Dakota	428.4	1.2	885	49	3.4	24
Tennessee	3,039.8	1.8	1,030	23	3.0	35
Texas	12,531.7	2.5	1,148	13	3.5	23
Utah	1,511.5	3.2	972	33	3.8	15
Vermont	314.2	-0.4	954	37	3.2	30
Virginia	3,927.2	1.1	1,164	11	3.8	15
Washington	3,384.2	2.4	1,292	7	6.3	3
West Virginia	704.2	1.5	917	43	8.3	1
Wisconsin	2,892.3	0.6	989	30	4.0	14
Wyoming	272.1	1.8	978	32	4.4	10
Puerto Rico	896.4	0.8	576	(3)	0.9	(3)
Virgin Islands	34.5	0.5	925	(3)	2.3	(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: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.