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Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Employment increased in both of Arizona’s large counties from June 2018 to June 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 employment rose 3.1 percent in Maricopa County and 1.0 percent in Pima County. (See table 1.)
Employment nationwide advanced 1.1 percent during the 12-month period as 279 of the 355 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Adams, CO, had the largest percentage increase in the country, up 5.3 percent over the year. Bay, FL, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 6.4 percent.
Between the two large counties in Arizona, employment was higher in Maricopa (2,010,900) in June 2019. Pima County had an employment level of 370,600. Together, Arizona’s two large counties accounted for 83.8 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.4 percent of total U.S. employment.
The average weekly wage in Maricopa County was $1,056 in the second quarter of 2019, an increase of 3.8 percent from the second quarter of 2018. (See table 1.) Average weekly wages in Pima County were $917, a gain of 3.7 percent over the year. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.8 percent from a year ago to $1,095 in the second quarter of 2019.
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 13 counties in Arizona with employment below 75,000. Twelve of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changesMaricopa County’s 3.8-percent rise in average weekly wages from the second quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019 ranked 133rd among the nation’s 355 largest counties. Pima County’s 3.7-percent wage gain ranked 148th. (See table 1.)
Nationally, 347 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year wage increases. Benton, AR, had the largest percentage wage increase in the nation, up 16.3 percent. San Francisco, CA, had the second largest increase at 15.5 percent.
Nationwide, eight large counties registered wage declines during the period. McLean, IL, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 5.8 percent.
Large county average weekly wagesMaricopa County’s $1,056 average weekly wage ranked 127th among the 355 large U.S. counties. The average weekly wage in Pima County, at $917, ranked 252nd. (See table 1.)
More than 70 percent of the largest U.S. counties (260) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2019. At $649 a week, Horry County, SC, had the lowest average weekly wage among the 355 large counties. The next three lowest-paying large counties were in Texas: Hidalgo ($657), Cameron ($659), and Webb ($697).
Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average in 93 of the 355 largest counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,612. San Francisco, CA, was second with an average weekly wage of $2,430, followed by San Mateo, CA ($2,373) and New York, NY ($2,109). Average wages in the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, CA, were more than four times the average wage in the lowest-ranked county, Horry, SC ($649).
Average weekly wages in Arizona’s smaller countiesAmong the 13 smaller counties in Arizona with employment below 75,000, 12 reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,095. The exception was Greenlee County with an average weekly wage of $1,370. Among the remaining smaller counties, Santa Cruz had the highest weekly wages ($909), while La Paz had the lowest ($746). (See table 2.)
When all 15 counties in Arizona were considered, 4 had average wages under $800 per week, 7 had wages from $800 to $899, 2 had wages from $900 to $999, and 2 had wages of $1,000 or more. (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, which was published in September 2019, 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 Online are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employmentand-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.
The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 20, 2020.
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 (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: (800) 877-8339.
Area | Employment | Average weekly wage (1) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 2019 (thousands) | Percent change, June 2018-19 (2) | National ranking by percent change (3) | Average weekly wage | National ranking by level (3) | Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 (2) | National ranking by percent change (3) | |
United States (4) | 149,089.2 | 1.1 | -- | $1,095 | -- | 3.8 | -- |
Arizona | 2,843.3 | 2.6 | -- | 1,010 | 23 | 3.8 | 16 |
Maricopa, AZ. | 2,010.9 | 3.1 | 17 | 1,056 | 127 | 3.8 | 133 |
Pima, AZ. | 370.6 | 1.0 | 160 | 917 | 252 | 3.7 | 148 |
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 2019 | Average Weekly Wage(1) |
---|---|---|
United States(2) | 149,089,158 | $1,095 |
Arizona | 2,843,296 | 1,010 |
Apache | 17,680 | 898 |
Cochise | 33,840 | 889 |
Coconino | 63,560 | 823 |
Gila | 15,200 | 822 |
Graham | 9,176 | 856 |
Greenlee | 5,148 | 1,370 |
La Paz | 6,161 | 746 |
Maricopa | 2,010,894 | 1,056 |
Mohave | 51,034 | 757 |
Navajo | 27,177 | 776 |
Pima | 370,638 | 917 |
Pinal | 61,880 | 853 |
Santa Cruz | 13,694 | 909 |
Yavapai | 64,899 | 778 |
Yuma | 59,403 | 802 |
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 2019 (thousands) | Percent change, June 2018-19 | Average weekly wage | National ranking by level | Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 | National ranking by percent change | |
United States (2) | 149,089.2 | 1.1 | $1,095 | -- | 3.8 | -- |
Alabama | 1,993.7 | 1.1 | 911 | 36 | 3.4 | 28 |
Alaska | 338.9 | 0.7 | 1,078 | 15 | 3.6 | 26 |
Arizona | 2,843.3 | 2.6 | 1,010 | 23 | 3.8 | 16 |
Arkansas | 1,222.5 | 0.6 | 862 | 47 | 4.6 | 4 |
California | 17,717.4 | 1.5 | 1,325 | 4 | 4.7 | 3 |
Colorado | 2,765.7 | 2.2 | 1,128 | 9 | 4.9 | 2 |
Connecticut | 1,690.8 | -0.8 | 1,266 | 6 | 3.9 | 11 |
Delaware | 458.0 | 0.8 | 1,057 | 17 | 3.4 | 28 |
District of Columbia | 780.4 | 0.5 | 1,778 | 1 | 3.8 | 16 |
Florida | 8,722.9 | 1.8 | 968 | 26 | 3.9 | 11 |
Georgia | 4,507.1 | 1.7 | 1,016 | 22 | 3.9 | 11 |
Hawaii | 652.2 | -1.2 | 992 | 24 | 3.7 | 22 |
Idaho | 765.1 | 2.6 | 820 | 50 | 3.3 | 33 |
Illinois | 6,074.7 | 0.3 | 1,122 | 10 | 2.4 | 47 |
Indiana | 3,089.8 | 0.5 | 910 | 38 | 3.1 | 39 |
Iowa | 1,584.7 | 0.1 | 902 | 40 | 2.5 | 45 |
Kansas | 1,403.0 | 0.6 | 905 | 39 | 2.8 | 42 |
Kentucky | 1,909.7 | 0.3 | 911 | 36 | 3.3 | 33 |
Louisiana | 1,920.2 | -0.2 | 923 | 35 | 2.4 | 47 |
Maine | 639.6 | 0.4 | 874 | 45 | 3.7 | 22 |
Maryland | 2,733.6 | 0.7 | 1,178 | 8 | 3.3 | 33 |
Massachusetts | 3,690.1 | 0.9 | 1,377 | 2 | 4.3 | 5 |
Michigan | 4,419.7 | 0.1 | 1,018 | 21 | 2.4 | 47 |
Minnesota | 2,952.6 | 0.8 | 1,101 | 13 | 2.6 | 44 |
Mississippi | 1,135.9 | 0.4 | 767 | 51 | 2.0 | 51 |
Missouri | 2,836.7 | 0.3 | 948 | 30 | 2.5 | 45 |
Montana | 483.1 | 1.0 | 843 | 48 | 3.3 | 33 |
Nebraska | 991.5 | 0.1 | 889 | 42 | 3.5 | 27 |
Nevada | 1,408.8 | 2.6 | 961 | 29 | 3.2 | 38 |
New Hampshire | 676.1 | 0.8 | 1,090 | 14 | 4.0 | 10 |
New Jersey | 4,182.5 | 0.7 | 1,236 | 7 | 3.0 | 41 |
New Mexico | 834.0 | 1.0 | 888 | 44 | 4.3 | 5 |
New York | 9,682.8 | 1.0 | 1,347 | 3 | 3.9 | 11 |
North Carolina | 4,527.3 | 2.0 | 970 | 25 | 3.9 | 11 |
North Dakota | 431.8 | 1.3 | 1,026 | 20 | 4.1 | 7 |
Ohio | 5,486.7 | 0.4 | 965 | 27 | 3.4 | 28 |
Oklahoma | 1,618.5 | 0.5 | 900 | 41 | 3.1 | 39 |
Oregon | 1,976.5 | 1.3 | 1,036 | 18 | 3.8 | 16 |
Pennsylvania | 5,972.1 | 0.8 | 1,070 | 16 | 3.8 | 16 |
Rhode Island | 494.5 | 0.7 | 1,034 | 19 | 3.4 | 28 |
South Carolina | 2,144.2 | 1.3 | 867 | 46 | 3.7 | 22 |
South Dakota | 441.8 | 0.4 | 838 | 49 | 3.8 | 16 |
Tennessee | 3,047.8 | 1.8 | 964 | 28 | 3.3 | 33 |
Texas | 12,585.6 | 2.0 | 1,102 | 12 | 3.8 | 16 |
Utah | 1,526.1 | 3.0 | 936 | 32 | 4.1 | 7 |
Vermont | 314.0 | 0.0 | 929 | 34 | 2.7 | 43 |
Virginia | 3,981.6 | 1.0 | 1,113 | 11 | 3.7 | 22 |
Washington | 3,500.6 | 1.8 | 1,288 | 5 | 5.9 | 1 |
West Virginia | 700.4 | -0.6 | 889 | 42 | 2.4 | 47 |
Wisconsin | 2,945.3 | 0.3 | 940 | 31 | 4.1 | 7 |
Wyoming | 287.6 | 1.7 | 932 | 33 | 3.4 | 28 |
Puerto Rico | 867.7 | 1.5 | 531 | (3) | -1.8 | (3) |
Virgin Islands | 37.0 | 10.0 | 919 | (3) | 8.8 | (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: Tuesday, January 28, 2020