Large County Employment
In September 2010, national employment, as measured by the QCEW program, was 128.4 million, up by 0.2 percent, or 310,800 workers, from September 2009. The 326 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 70.6 percent of total U.S. employment and 76.1 percent of total wages. These 326 counties had a net job growth of 80,826 over the year, accounting for 26.0 percent of the overall U.S. employment increase.
Elkhart, Ind., had the largest percentage increase in employment among the largest U.S. counties. The top five counties with the greatest increases in employment level (New York, N.Y.; Harris, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Dallas, Texas; and Hennepin, Minn.) had a combined over-the-year gain of 85,500, or 27.5 percent of the employment increase for the U.S.
Employment declined in 149 of the large counties from September 2009 to September 2010. Sacramento, Calif., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-3.7 percent) in the nation. At the supersector level, public administration within state government was the largest contributor to the decrease in employment with a loss of 7.1 percent. San Joaquin, Calif., experienced the second largest employment decrease, followed by Marion, Fla., East Baton Rouge, La., and Pinellas, Fla.
Large County Average Weekly Wages
Average weekly wages for the nation increased by 3.4 percent over the year in the third quarter of 2010. Among the 326 largest counties, 319 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Rock Island, Ill., had the largest wage gain among the largest U.S. counties.
Of the 326 largest counties, only one, Sacramento, Calif., experienced an average weekly wage decline with a loss of 2.2 percent over the year. Large declines in total wages (-19.1 percent) within state government contributed significantly to the county’s overall average weekly wage loss. Orleans, La., had the smallest overall increase among the counties, followed by San Luis Obispo, Calif., Prince Georges, Md., and Marion, Ore.
Ten Largest U.S. Counties
Six of the 10 largest counties experienced over-the-year percent increases in employment in September 2010. New York, N.Y., experienced the largest gain in employment among the 10 largest counties with a 1.2 percent increase. Within New York, professional and business services had the largest over-the-year increase among all private industry groups with a gain of 8,396 workers (1.9 percent). Los Angeles, Calif., experienced the largest decline in employment among the 10 largest counties.
All of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw an over-the-year increase in average weekly wages. New York, N.Y., and King, Wash., experienced the largest increase in average weekly wages among the 10 largest counties with a gain of 4.7 percent each. Within New York, the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage growth occurred in financial activities, where total wages increased by $832.0 million over the year (6.7 percent). In King County, information had the largest impact on average weekly wage growth with an increase of $227.6 million over the year (6.5 percent). Miami-Dade, Fla., had the smallest wage increase among the 10 largest counties.
