Rutherford County, Tenn., within the metropolitan Nashville area, had the largest over-the-year gain in average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2008, with an increase of 17.3 percent coming largely from manufacturing. The U.S. average weekly wage rose by 2.8 percent over the same time span.
Of the 334 largest counties in the United States (as measured by 2007 annual average employment) 139 had over-the-year percentage change in employment below the national average (-0.8 percent) in September 2008; 178 large counties experienced changes above the national average. The percent change in average weekly wages was higher than the national average (2.8 percent) in 155 of the largest U.S. counties but was below the national average in 168 counties. The employment and 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 reports submitted by every employer subject to unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The 9.2 million employer reports cover 135.2 million full- and part-time workers.
Large County Employment
In September 2008, national employment, as measured by the QCEW program, was 135.2 million, down by 0.8 percent from September 2007. The 334 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 71.2 percent of total U.S. employment and 76.8 percent of total wages. These 334 counties had a net job decline of 891,159 over the year, accounting for 84.4 percent of the overall U.S. employment decrease.
Employment declined in 207 counties from September 2007 to September 2008. The largest percentage decline in employment was in Elkhart, Ind. (-10.8 percent). Lee, Fla., had the next largest percentage decline (-8.1 percent), followed by the counties of Collier, Fla. (-7.4 percent), Sarasota, Fla. (-7.1 percent), and Marion, Fla. (-6.4 percent). The largest decline in employment levels occurred in Maricopa, Ariz. (-67,100), followed by the counties of Los Angeles, Calif. (-61,500), Orange, Calif. (-42,200), Riverside, Calif. (-35,500), and Miami-Dade, Fla. (-33,100). Combined employment losses in these five counties over the year totaled 239,400, or 23 percent of the employment decline for the U.S. as a whole.
Employment rose in 109 of the large counties from September 2007 to September 2008. Yakima County, Wash., had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (3.2 percent). Potter, Texas, had the next largest increase, 3.1 percent, followed by the counties of Montgomery, Texas (3.0 percent), Douglas, Colo. (2.9 percent), and Cass, N.D. (2.6 percent). The largest gains in the level of employment from September 2007 to September 2008 were recorded in the counties of Harris, Texas (26,500), King, Wash. (17,100), New York, N.Y. (14,800), Travis, Texas (9,400), and Washington, D.C. (9,300).
Large County Average Weekly Wages
The national average weekly wage in the third quarter of 2008 was $841. Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 108 of the largest 334 U.S. counties. New York, N.Y., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,552. Santa Clara, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,530, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,391), San Mateo, Calif. ($1,374), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,350). Over the year, the national average weekly wage rose by 2.8 percent. Among the largest counties, Rutherford, Tenn., led the nation in growth in average weekly wages with an increase of 17.3 percent from the third quarter of 2007. Yolo, Calif., was second with growth of 9.7 percent, followed by the counties of Madison, Ill. (9.2 percent), Suffolk, N.Y. (8.6 percent), and Calcasieu, La. (7.8 percent).
Average weekly wages are affected by the number of high-paying and low-paying jobs in an industry. The 2.8 percent over-the-year gain in average weekly wages for the nation is partially due to large employment declines in the construction and manufacturing industries, which posted the largest over-the-year percent declines in September employment. Average weekly wages for construction workers increased 5.1 percent as employment fell by more than 6 percent. Construction and manufacturing lost 518,400 and 499,200 jobs, respectively, over the year in September. Employment declines exceeded 3 percent in manufacturing as average weekly wages for these workers grew by 1.9 percent.
There were 226 counties with an average weekly wage below the national average in the third quarter of 2008. The lowest average weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($537), followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($538), Hidalgo, Texas ($549), Webb, Texas ($559), and Yakima, Wash. ($580). Twenty-one large counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. Clayton, Ga., had the largest decrease (-14.6 percent), followed by the counties of Santa Clara, Calif. and Duval, Fla. (-3.4 percent each), Gwinnett, Ga. (-3.1 percent), and Rock Island, Ill. (-2.6 percent).
Ten Largest U.S. Counties
Six of the 10 largest counties (based on 2007 annual average employment levels) experienced over-the-year percent declines in employment in September 2008. Maricopa, Ariz., experienced the largest decline in employment among the 10 largest counties with a 3.7 percent decrease. Within Maricopa, eight industry groups experienced employment declines, with construction experiencing the largest decline, -21.8 percent. Miami-Dade, Fla., had the next largest decline in employment, -3.2 percent, followed by Orange, Calif. (-2.8 percent). King, Wash., experienced the largest percent gain in employment (1.4 percent) among the 10 largest counties. Within King County, the largest gains in employment were in information (5.9 percent) and education and health services (5.2 percent). Harris, Texas, had the next largest increase in employment, 1.3 percent, followed by New York, N.Y. (0.6 percent).
Each of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw an over-the-year increase in average weekly wages. San Diego, Calif., had the fastest growth in wages among the 10 largest counties, with a gain of 3.8 percent. Within San Diego County, average weekly wages increased the most in the information industry (30.4 percent). Los Angeles, Calif., was second in wage growth with a gain of 3.1 percent, followed by Orange, Calif., and Harris, Texas (3.0 percent each). The smallest wage gain occurred in New York, N.Y. (0.5 percent), followed by Maricopa, Ariz. (1.8 percent), and Miami-Dade, Fla. (2.2 percent).
Largest County by State
September 2008 employment and the 2008 third quarter average weekly wage in the largest county in each state, which is based on 2007 annual average employment levels. (This table includes one county - Laramie, Wyo. - that had an employment level below 75,000 in 2007.) The employment levels in September 2008 ranged from approximately 4.14 million in Los Angeles County, Calif., to 44,200 in Laramie County, Wyo. The highest average weekly wage of these counties was in New York, N.Y. ($1,552), while the lowest average weekly wage was in Yellowstone, Mont. ($688).
