Employment increased in Washington’s 10 largest counties from September 2021 to September 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that employment increases ranged from 5.0 percent each in King and Whatcom Counties to 2.7 percent each in Kitsap and Snohomish Counties. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Washington, September 2022

County	Percent change, September 2022
King	5.0
Whatcom	5.0
Thurston	4.9
Clark	4.8
Benton	4.1
Pierce	3.8
Spokane	3.5
Yakima	3.1
Kitsap	2.7
Snohomish	2.7

National employment increased 4.3 percent over the year, with 346 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orleans, LA, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 10.7 percent.  Deschutes, OR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.4 percent.

Among the 10 largest counties in Washington, employment was highest in King County (1,470,700) in September 2022. Together, the 10 largest Washington counties accounted for 84.9 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 counties in Washington with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 29 smaller counties were below the national average in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

All 10 large Washington counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Kitsap County (+12.7 percent) had the largest increase among the eight counties with a weekly wage gain greater than the 6.7-percent national average, with gains in the other seven counties ranging from 10.0 percent in Whatcom to 7.0 percent in Yakima. The two counties with wage gains below the national average were Benton (+3.9 percent) and King (+2.3 percent).

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Washington, third quarter 2022

County	Percent change, third quarter 2022
Kitsap	12.7
Whatcom	10.0
Thurston	9.4
Spokane	9.0
Clark	8.9
Snohomish	8.8
Pierce	8.6
Yakima	7.0
Benton	3.9
King	2.3

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 345 had over-the-year wage increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.9 percent).  San Mateo, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-19.6 percent).

Average weekly wages in two of Washington’s largest counties placed in the top fifth of the national ranking. King County ($2,244, 5^th) and Snohomish County ($1,422, 61^st) had weekly wages that exceeded the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. Yakima County ($935, 348^th) had the lowest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2022. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,061. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $812 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

All 29 counties in Washington with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,334. Among these counties, Cowlitz County had the highest average weekly wage at $1,245. Wahkiakum County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $831 in the third quarter of 2022.

When all 39 counties in Washington were considered, 12 had wages below $1,000. Twelve counties had average weekly wages ranging from $1,000 to $1,099, 7 had wages from $1,100 to $1,199, and 8 had wages at or above $1,200. (See chart 3.)

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. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.