Of the 325 largest counties in the United States, as measured by 2005 annual average employment, 130 had over-the-year percentage growth in employment above the national average (1.5 percent) in September 2006, and 187 experienced changes below the national average. The percent change in average weekly wages was higher than the national average (0.9 percent) in 133 of the largest U.S. counties, but was below the national average in 184 counties.
Large County Employment
In September 2006, national employment, as measured by the QCEW program, was 135.0 million, up by 1.5 percent from September 2005. The 325 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 70.7 percent of total U.S. covered employment and 76.5 percent of total covered wages. These 325 counties had a net job gain of 1,328,166 over the year, accounting for 66.0 percent of the overall U.S. employment increase. Employment rose in 256 of the large counties from September 2005 to September 2006. Jefferson County,La., had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (22.4 percent). Snohomish, Wash., had the next largest increase, 8.2 percent, followed by the counties of Collin, Texas (7.2 percent), Harrison, Miss. (6.8 percent), and Montgomery, Texas (5.7 percent). The large employment gains in Jefferson County reflected significant recovery from the substantial job losses in September 2005, which were related to Hurricane Katrina. Strong employment growth in Harrison County, which also was impacted by this hurricane, showed that the county had begun to rebound from job losses in 2005.
Employment declined in 62 counties from September 2005 to September 2006. The largest percentage decline in employment was in Orleans County, La. (-12.3 percent). Employment losses in Orleans County reflected the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Trumbull, Ohio, had the next largest employment decline (-4.5 percent), followed by the counties of Macomb, Mich. (-4.0 percent), Oakland, Mich. (-3.5 percent), and Rock Island, Ill. (-3.0 percent).
The largest gains in the level of employment from September 2005 to September 2006 were recorded in the counties of Harris, Texas (79,400), Maricopa, Ariz. (76,200), New York, N.Y. (42,000), King, Wash. (40,600), and Clark, Nev. (39,100).
The largest declines in employment levels occurred in Oakland, Mich.(-25,200), followed by the counties of Orleans, La. (-21,600), Wayne,
Mich. (-20,500), Macomb, Mich. (-13,400), and Kent, Mich. (-5,500).
Large County Average Weekly Wages
The national average weekly wage in the third quarter of 2006 was $784. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 111 of the largest 325 U.S. counties. New York County, N.Y., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,421. Santa Clara, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,414, followed by Arlington, Va. ($1,323), Washington, D.C. ($1,307), and San Mateo, Calif. ($1,278).
There were 212 counties with an average weekly wage below the national average in the third quarter of 2006. The lowest average weekly wages were reported in Cameron County, Texas ($493), followed by the counties of Hidalgo, Texas ($514), Horry, S.C. ($517), Webb, Texas ($525), and Yakima, Wash. ($537).
Over the year, the national average weekly wage rose by 0.9 percent. Among the largest counties, Kent, R.I., led the nation in growth in average weekly wages, with an increase of 18.4 percent from the third quarter of 2005. Orleans, La., was second with growth of 16.2 percent, followed by the counties of Trumbull, Ohio (12.3 percent), and Jefferson, La., and Jefferson, Texas (10.5 percent each). The high average weekly wage growth rate for Orleans County was related to the disproportionate job losses in lower-paid industries due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina. That is, the loss of low paid jobs due to the storm boosted average wages in Orleans County.
One hundred and twelve counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. Passaic, N.J., had the largest decrease, -10.2 percent, followed by the counties of Williamson, Texas (-5.7 percent), Fort Bend, Texas (-5.0 percent), Loudoun, Va. (-4.2 percent), and Ventura, Calif. (-4.0 percent).
Ten Largest U.S. Counties
Each of the 10 largest counties (based on 2005 annual average employment levels) reported increases in employment from September 2005 to September 2006. Maricopa County, Ariz., experienced the largest percent increase in employment among the largest counties with a 4.4 percent increase. Within Maricopa County, employment rose in every industry group except information. The largest gains were in education and health services (6.2 percent), followed by construction (5.9 percent). Harris, Texas, had the next largest increase in employment, 4.2 percent, followed by King, Wash. (3.6 percent). The smallest percent increase in employment occurred in Miami-Dade, Fla. (0.6 percent), followed by Cook, Ill., and Los Angeles, Calif. (0.7 percent each).
Eight of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. King County, Wash., had the fastest growth in wages among the 10 largest counties, with a gain of 4.7 percent. Within King County, Wash., average weekly wages increased the most in information (19.4 percent), followed by natural resources and mining (17.4 percent). Dallas, Texas, was second in wage growth with a gain of 2.2 percent, followed by Harris, Texas (2.0 percent). The smallest wage gains among the 10 largest counties occurred in New York, N.Y. (0.3 percent). San Diego, Calif. (-0.7 percent) and Orange, Calif. (-1.1 percent) experienced declines in average weekly wages.
