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Technical information: (202) 691-6467

https://www.bls.gov/bdm/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-1323

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, August 30, 2007

NEW QUARTERLY DATA FROM BLS ON BUSINESS

EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS BY STATE

Data on Business Employment Dynamics (BED) by state were introduced today by the Bureau of Labor

Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. These data track the number of jobs gained from opening and

expanding establishments and the number of jobs lost at contracting and closing establishments each quarter

from September 1992 to December 2006 for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the

Virgin Islands. Beginning with data for first quarter 2007, state data will appear in the quarterly BED news

release.

Business Employment Dynamics by State

A summary of BED statistics by state is presented in tables 1 through 4. Tables 1 and 2 present the

levels and rates of private sector gross job gains and gross job losses for the state economies in the most

recent five quarters ending in fourth quarter 2006. Table 3 contains the rates of gross jobs gained and gross

jobs lost at opening, expanding, closing, and contracting establishments for the most recent quarter. Table 4

shows the rates of establishments gaining and losing jobs at opening, expanding, closing, and contracting

establishments in fourth quarter 2006. More detailed information and data on states’ gross job gains and

gross job losses are available at the Business Employment Dynamics Web page at https://www.bls.gov/bdm/.

This information includes data on the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by state, both

seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted, from September 1992 to December 2006—the most recent

published quarter. In addition, data on the number of establishments that opened or closed and expanded

or contracted each quarter are available by state on the Web site. Information about Business Employment

Dynamics data also can be found in the Technical Note of this release or may be obtained by e-mailing

BDMinfo@bls.gov.

What are Business Employment Dynamics?

The economy is in a constant state of change; individual businesses are starting, stopping, growing, and

declining. The BED data series are designed to illuminate these dynamic changes in business establishments

and employment over time through expansions, contractions, openings, and closings.

This new Business Employment Dynamics data series includes gross job gains and gross job losses at

the establishment level for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The

change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur

at all businesses in the economy. BED statistics track these changes in employment at private business

establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. Gross job gains are the

sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing units and the addition of new jobs at opening
2

units. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing units and the loss of jobs at

closing units. The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost is

the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for more information.)

Uses of the Data

State gross job gain and gross job loss statistics highlight the forces behind job growth. In addition

to being a measure of comparing the employment dynamics across states, the BED data can be used in

highlighting state labor markets over the course of the business cycle, as well as measuring the importance

of job changes at opening and closing establishments relative to changes at existing establishments.

Comparisons Between States

BED data at the state level can be used to help identify how one state’s rate of gross job gains or gross

job losses compares to another state’s. For example, from September 2006 to December 2006, Alaska had

the highest rate of gross job gains (10.9 percent) and gross job losses (11.4 percent). In contrast, Hawaii

and Connecticut had the lowest rate of gross job losses (5.3 percent each). (See tables 2 and 3.)

States’ Business Cycles

BED data highlight the business cycle properties of each state’s economy. For example, Wisconsin

began exhibiting net job losses earlier than other states with over-the-quarter gross job losses exceeding

gross job gains almost three quarters before the start of the 2001 recession. (See chart 1.)

Job Growth

Job growth is a function of all components of gross job gains and losses as shown in the BED data. For

example, Nevada has experienced significant job growth since the start of the BED series in 1992 with both

job gains and job losses increasing over that time period as illustrated in chart 2. Nevada’s growth has been

primarily driven by expansions at existing establishments, but the state also has witnessed a steady number of

openings that, on average, have exceeded jobs lost from closing establishments.
3

The net change in employment from Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data series

will not match the net change in employment from the monthly Current Employment Statistics

(CES) survey. The CES estimates are based on monthly surveys from a sample of establishments, while gross job gains and gross job losses are based on a quarterly census of

administrative records. In addition, the CES has a different coverage, excluding the agriculture

sector but including establishments not covered by the unemployment insurance program. The

net over-the-quarter changes derived by aggregating component series in the BED data may

be different from the net employment change estimated from the CES seasonally adjusted total

employment series. The intended use of the BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor

market flows that underlie the net changes in aggregate employment levels; data users who

want to track net changes in aggregate employment levels over time should refer to CES data.

BED data have a more limited scope than the Quarterly Census of Employment and

Wages (QCEW) data. The data in this release, in contrast to the QCEW data, exclude

government employees, private households (NAICS 814110), and establishments with zero

employment.

See the Technical Note for further information.

With the release of first quarter 2007 Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data in

November 2007, the BED program will implement a policy of revising the previous year’s not

seasonally adjusted data and the last 5 years of seasonally adjusted data. These revisions will

occur annually with the release of first quarter data.

At the same time, the BED program will start using the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic

data by industry.

Upcoming Changes to Business Employment Dynamics Data

Comparing Business Employment Dynamics Data with Current Employment

 Statistics and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Data
Technical Note

Source Count of UI administrative records Count of longitudinally-linked UI Sample survey: 400,000 establishsubmitted by 8.9 million establish- administrative records submitted by ments

ments 7.0 million private sector employers

Coverage UI and UCFE coverage, including UI coverage, excluding govern- Nonfarm wage and salary jobs:

all employers subject to state and ment, private households, and estab- UI coverage, excluding agriculture,

federal UI laws lishments with zero employment private households, and self-employed workers

Other employment, including railroads, religious organizations, and

other non-UI-covered jobs

Publication Quarterly Quarterly Monthly

frequency - 7 months after the end of each - 8 months after the end of each - Usually first Friday of following

quarter quarter month

Use of UI file Directly summarizes and pub- Links each new UI quarter to Uses UI file as a sampling frame

 lishes each new quarter of UI longitudinal database and directly and annually realigns (benchmarks)

 data

Principal Provides a quarterly and annual Provides quarterly employer dynam- Provides current monthly estimates

products universe count of estab- ics data on establishment open- of employment, hours, and earnings

lishments, employment, and ings, closings, expansions, and con- at the MSA, state, and national levwages at the county, MSA, tractions at the national level by el by industry

state, and national levels by NAICS supersectors and by size

detailed industry of firm

Future expansions will include data

Principal uses Major uses include: Major uses include: Major uses include:

- Detailed locality data - Business cycle analysis - Principal national economic

- Periodic universe counts for - Analysis of employer dynamics indicator

benchmarking sample survey underlying economic expansions - Official time series for

estimates and contractions employment change measures

- Sample frame for BLS - An analysis of employment ex- - Input into other major economic

establishment surveys pansion and contractions by size indicators

of firm

Program www.bls.gov/cew/ www.bls.gov/bdm/ www.bls.gov/ces/

Web sites

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Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures

 QCEW BED CES

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sample estimates to first quarter

UI levels

summarizes gross job gains

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a

product of a federal-state cooperative program known as

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), or the

ES-202 program. The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau

of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing quarterly state

unemployment insurance (UI) records. Most employers in the

U.S. are required to file quarterly reports on the employment

and wages of workers covered by UI laws, and to pay quarterly

UI taxes. The quarterly UI reports are sent by the State

Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to BLS and form the basis of the

Bureau’s establishment universe sampling frame. These

reports also are used to produce the quarterly QCEW data on

total employment and wages and the longitudinal BED data on

gross job gains and losses. Other important BLS uses of the

UI reports are in the Current Employment Statistics (CES)

program. (See table below for differences between QCEW, CES,

and BED.)

In the BED program, the quarterly UI records are linked

across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for each

establishment. The linkage process allows the tracking of net

employment changes at the establishment level, which in turn

allows the estimation of jobs gained at opening and expanding

establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting

establishments.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

The BLS publishes three different establishment-based

employment measures for any given quarter. Each of these

measures—QCEW, BED, and CES—makes use of the quarterly

and losses

at the county, MSA, and state level
UI employment reports in producing data; however, each

measure has a somewhat different universe coverage,

estimation procedure, and publication product.

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result

in somewhat different measures of over-the-quarter employment change. It is important to understand program

differences and the intended uses of the program products.

(See table on previous page.) Additional information on each

program can be obtained from the program Web sites shown

in the table.

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI

and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees

(UCFE) laws are compiled from quarterly contribution reports

submitted to the SWAs by employers. In addition to the

quarterly contribution reports, employers who operate multiple

establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called

the “Multiple Worksite Report,” which provides detailed

information on the location of their establishments. These

reports are based on place of employment rather than place of

residence. UI and UCFE coverage is broad and basically

comparable from state to state.

Major exclusions from UI coverage are self-employed

workers, religious organizations, most agricultural workers on

small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials

in most states, most employees of railroads, some domestic

workers, most student workers at schools, and employees of

certain small nonprofit organizations.

Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are

derived from longitudinal histories of over 7.0 million private

sector employer reports out of 8.9 million total reports of

employment and wages submitted by states to BLS in the

fourth quarter of 2006. Gross job gains and gross job losses

data in this release do not report estimates for government

employees or private households (NAICS 814110), and do not

include establishments with zero employment over three

quarters. In addition, data for Puerto Rico and the Virgin

Islands are not included in United States totals; however, these

data are published with state BED data. As an illustration, the

table below shows, in millions of establishments, the number

of establishments excluded from the gross job gains and gross

job losses data in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Unit of analysis

Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED

statistics by industry and firms are used in the tabulation of the

BED size-class statistics. An establishment is defined as an

economic unit that produces goods or services, usually at a

single physical location, and engages in one or predominantly

one activity. A firm is a legal business, either corporate or

otherwise, and may consist of several establishments. Firmlevel data are compiled based on an aggregation of

establishments under common ownership by a corporate

parent using employer tax identification numbers. The firmlevel aggregation, which is consistent with the role of

corporations as the economic decision makers, is used for the

measurement of the BED data elements by size class.

Because of the difference in the unit of analysis, total gross

job gains and gross job losses by size class are lower than total

gross job gains and gross job losses by industry, as some

establishment gains and losses within a firm are offset during

the aggregation process. However, the total net changes in

employment are the same for not seasonally adjusted data and

are similar for seasonally adjusted data.

Concepts and methodology

The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net

change in employment at the establishment or firm level. These

changes come about in one of four ways. A net increase in

employment can come from either opening units or expanding

units. A net decrease in employment can come from either

closing units or contracting units. Gross job gains include the

sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding units.

Gross job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in either closing

or contracting units. The net change in employment is the

difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

The formal definitions of employment changes are as

follows:

Openings. These are either units with positive third-month

employment for the first time in the current quarter, with no

links to the prior quarter, or with positive third-month

employment in the current quarter following zero employment

in the previous quarter.

Expansions. These are units with positive employment in

the third month in both the previous and current quarters, with

a net increase in employment over this period.

Closings. These are units with positive third-month

employment in the previous quarter, with no employment or

zero employment reported in the current quarter.

Contractions. These are units with positive employment in

the third month in both the previous and current quarters, with

a net decrease in employment over this period.

All establishment-level employment changes are measured

from the third month of each quarter. Not all establishments

 Number of active establishments included in

 state Business Employment Dynamics data

 Millions

 Total establishments QCEW program ................. 8.9

 Excluded: Public sector ................................. 0.3

Private households ....................... 0.6

Zero employment ......................... 1.0

 Total establishments included in state Business

 Employment Dynamics data .............. 7.0
and firms change their employment levels. Units with no

change in employment count towards estimates of total

employment, but not for levels of gross job gains and gross job

losses.

Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as rates

by dividing their levels by the average of employment in the

current and previous quarters. This provides a symmetric

growth rate. The rates are calculated for the components of

gross job gains and gross job losses and then summed to form

their respective totals. These rates can be added and

subtracted just as their levels can. For instance, the difference

between the gross job gains rate and the gross job losses rate

is the net growth rate.

Linkage methodology

Prior to the measurement of gross job gains and gross job

losses, QCEW records are linked across two quarters. The

linkage process matches establishments’ unique SWA

identification numbers (SWA-ID). Between 95 to 97 percent of

establishments identified as continuous from quarter to quarter

are matched by SWA-ID. The rest are linked in one of three

ways. The first method uses predecessor and successor

information, identified by the states, which relates records with

different SWA-IDs across quarters. Predecessor and successor

relations can come about for a variety of reasons, including a

change in ownership, a firm restructuring, or a UI account

restructuring. If a match cannot be attained in this manner, a

probability-based match is used. This match attempts to

identify two establishments with different SWA-IDs as

continuous. The match is based upon comparisons such as the

same name, address, and phone number. Third, an analyst

examines unmatched records individually and makes a possible

match.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data,

SWAs verify with employers and update, if necessary, the

industry, location, and ownership classification of all

establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establishment

classification codes resulting from the verification process are

introduced with the data reported for the first quarter of the

year. Changes resulting from improved employer reporting also

are introduced in the first quarter.

Sizing methodology

The method of dynamic sizing is used in calculations for the

BED size-class data series. Dynamic sizing allocates each firm’s

employment gain or loss during a quarter to each respective

size class in which the change occurred. For example, if a firm

grew from 2 employees in quarter 1 to 38 employees in quarter

2, then, of the 36-employee increase, 2 would be allocated to

the first size class, 5 to the size class 5 to 9, 10 to size class 10

to 19, and 19 to size class 20 to 49.

Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm-size estimates and

eliminates any systematic effects which may be caused by the

transitory and reverting changes in firms’ sizes over time.

Additionally, it allocates each job gain or loss to the actual size

class where it occurred.

Seasonal adjustment

Over the course of a year, the levels of employment and the

associated job flows undergo sharp fluctuations due to such

seasonal events as changes in the weather, reduced or

expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal

variation can be very large.

Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular

pattern each year, their influence can be eliminated by adjusting

these statistics from quarter to quarter. These adjustments

make nonseasonal developments, such as declines in economic

activity, easier to recognize. For example, the large number of

youths taking summer jobs is likely to obscure other changes

that have taken place in June relative to March, making it

difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen

or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing

school in previous years is known, the statistics for the current

year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. The

adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to

analyze changes in economic activity.

The employment data series for opening, expanding,

closing, and contracting units are independently seasonally

adjusted; net changes are calculated based on

the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

Similarly, for industry data, the establishment counts data

series for opening, expanding, closing, and contracting

establishments are independently adjusted, and the net

changes are calculated based on the difference between the

number of opening and closing establishments.

Additionally, establishment and employment levels are

independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the

seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment is

run using X-12 ARIMA. Seasonally adjusted data series for

the total private sector are calculated by summing the

seasonally adjusted data for all sectors, including the

unclassified sector, which is not published separately.

The employment data series for opening, expanding,

closing, and contracting units for each of the 50 states and the

District of Columbia are seasonally adjusted at the total private

level only. The sum of the state series for opening, expanding,

closing, and contracting units will not necessarily be equal to

the national total private series because of the independent

seasonal adjustment of these series.

The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the

BED component series will differ from the net employment

change estimated from the seasonally adjusted total private

employment series from the CES program. The intended use of

BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor market changes

that underlie the net employment change statistic. As such,

data users interested particularly in the net employment change

and not in the gross job flows underlying this change should
refer to CES data for over-the-quarter net employment

changes.

Reliability of the data

Since the data series on Business Employment Dynamics

are based on administrative rather than sample data, there are

no issues related to sampling error. Nonsampling error,

however, still exists. Nonsampling errors can occur for many

reasons, such as the employer submitting corrected

employment data after the end of the quarter or typographical

errors made by businesses when providing information. Such

errors, however, are likely to be distributed randomly

throughout the dataset.

Changes in administrative data sometimes create complications for the linkage process. This can result in overstating

openings and closings while understating expansions and

contractions. The BLS continues to refine methods for improving

the linkage process to alleviate the effects of these complications.

The BED data series are subject to periodic minor changes

based on corrections in QCEW records, updates on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal adjustment revisions.

Additional statistics and other information

Several other programs within BLS produce closely related

information. The QCEW program, also known as the ES-202

program, provides both quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly county employment and wages are

available upon request from the Division of Administrative

Statistics and Labor Turnover, Bureau of Labor Statistics,

U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212; telephone 202-691-6567; (https://www.bls.gov/cew/); (e-mail:

QCEWInfo@bls.gov).

The CES program produces monthly estimates of employment, its net change, and earnings by detailed industry.

These estimates are part of the Employment Situation report

put out monthly by BLS.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

program provides monthly measures of job openings, as well

as employee hires and separations.

Information in this release will be made available to

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone:

202-691-5200; TDD message referral number: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by state, seasonally adjusted

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

United States 1

 ............ 7,818,000 7,556,000 7,761,000 7,364,000 7,734,000 7,267,000 6,772,000 7,295,000 7,345,000 7,218,000

Alabama .................. 111,644 103,743 100,806 101,842 107,199 99,996 93,051 99,071 102,805 103,129

Alaska ..................... 25,128 26,162 28,732 21,653 25,408 27,131 22,015 22,458 26,469 26,404

Arizona .................. 165,669 172,185 166,623 171,540 160,222 146,300 128,605 152,171 152,364 163,933

Arkansas .................. 60,313 63,772 59,513 58,564 61,309 55,458 52,719 59,445 61,364 57,471

California .................. 1,006,738 930,835 946,640 894,866 974,871 869,549 908,131 900,747 901,248 885,374

Colorado .................. 147,317 137,874 149,885 143,632 150,585 135,592 127,746 132,040 144,690 139,283

Connecticut ............... 80,974 78,840 87,156 81,030 84,707 79,160 75,184 78,338 82,159 76,336

Delaware .................. 27,688 25,964 27,770 23,411 25,966 24,638 24,147 25,894 27,461 23,256

District of Columbia ... 25,030 25,992 28,808 27,070 24,618 25,238 23,472 26,600 25,675 27,014

Florida ..................... 509,472 483,408 521,985 491,734 499,579 494,868 412,651 486,924 487,935 523,909

Georgia .................. 249,734 254,688 257,521 245,828 263,741 239,806 221,469 234,320 255,702 252,821

Hawaii ..................... 28,317 27,755 28,682 27,677 26,988 25,041 25,239 25,417 26,656 26,636

Idaho ..................... 46,547 47,900 46,222 44,915 47,183 38,450 38,933 42,389 41,259 39,861

Illinois ..................... 290,919 283,849 307,144 278,479 292,645 288,195 265,395 260,487 285,939 279,570

Indiana ..................... 150,182 153,313 148,759 145,617 151,719 151,396 139,251 151,810 152,949 148,740

Iowa ........................ 77,877 78,411 77,936 73,598 77,767 74,249 70,942 71,426 73,492 72,309

Kansas ..................... 72,070 70,589 71,822 80,934 74,788 65,839 63,421 73,821 66,728 66,975

Kentucky .................. 96,228 100,764 86,808 90,598 105,213 95,092 83,274 93,863 95,723 90,001

Louisiana .................. 187,824 152,400 121,752 118,861 120,834 170,973 106,838 108,463 103,850 103,978

Maine ..................... 41,581 35,897 40,509 35,119 40,373 38,398 37,013 37,477 39,311 37,120

Maryland .................. 135,651 141,926 135,332 130,763 136,324 136,999 124,303 136,911 137,052 129,773

Massachusetts ............ 168,491 158,000 180,115 166,974 165,249 169,677 156,866 157,204 167,204 164,127

Michigan .................. 230,363 217,168 247,226 226,239 229,386 262,768 240,164 236,767 256,870 264,248

Minnesota ............... 159,995 150,999 156,515 140,806 147,906 148,263 138,180 155,152 169,663 149,422

Mississippi ............... 93,194 68,911 63,170 67,660 66,404 75,275 58,031 65,182 62,260 57,787

Missouri .................. 145,568 147,198 146,950 136,058 151,533 139,951 130,016 143,022 139,173 137,996

Montana .................. 30,785 32,366 30,250 27,174 32,835 26,952 26,295 27,742 29,635 26,749

Nebraska .................. 43,833 45,562 45,089 46,787 47,432 43,352 40,306 44,915 44,762 45,157

Nevada ..................... 82,079 83,069 79,460 73,302 80,243 67,146 64,914 72,452 76,030 76,563

New Hampshire ......... 39,517 38,966 40,865 36,945 39,549 39,618 36,492 38,734 40,465 37,576

New Jersey ............... 225,042 219,037 236,437 216,977 226,357 227,211 202,605 223,784 224,923 217,483

New Mexico ............ 47,360 50,697 55,640 45,774 48,583 40,199 40,418 45,389 44,522 44,936

New York ............... 473,818 447,791 492,781 445,715 489,582 455,908 451,192 452,166 451,960 438,190

North Carolina ............ 228,096 230,861 227,452 196,479 269,251 215,789 195,681 213,401 192,658 206,114

North Dakota ............ 18,089 21,278 19,912 19,691 19,081 17,319 17,404 19,482 17,698 18,043

Ohio ........................ 281,194 275,509 279,118 263,540 270,013 285,901 267,039 275,088 282,491 281,543

Oklahoma ............... 86,237 86,846 84,551 84,772 86,201 73,853 72,135 82,571 79,772 80,346

Oregon ..................... 111,489 107,162 102,507 102,169 106,566 93,880 95,805 96,836 94,415 97,204

Pennsylvania ............ 293,112 294,277 290,192 278,487 284,772 293,303 265,699 274,509 273,665 268,748

Rhode Island ............ 27,205 25,115 29,675 28,563 28,393 29,216 25,969 25,856 27,611 28,041

South Carolina ............ 112,344 112,541 109,383 120,372 109,548 113,207 96,302 111,868 103,775 96,229

South Dakota ............ 22,327 22,138 21,975 21,769 22,560 20,144 20,136 19,380 20,155 19,880

Tennessee ............... 146,663 146,443 147,865 142,108 152,248 137,984 126,859 149,756 142,001 133,789

Texas ..................... 558,177 554,875 552,450 540,271 562,174 471,141 449,775 501,655 466,145 468,078

Utah ........................ 75,396 83,940 78,096 76,714 79,503 64,986 63,802 65,139 68,215 64,509

Vermont .................. 19,901 16,976 19,307 16,913 18,920 17,369 18,362 17,745 18,754 18,062

Virginia .................. 192,174 194,549 194,709 178,522 191,491 188,614 168,124 189,246 192,144 178,887

Washington ............... 203,013 178,305 186,813 174,517 184,972 164,050 158,201 160,118 167,048 165,782

West Virginia ............ 40,633 43,159 37,829 37,494 40,524 37,306 35,462 39,055 39,650 36,510

Wisconsin ............... 142,101 142,881 149,177 137,886 144,841 143,637 134,807 140,667 144,676 143,326

Wyoming .................. 21,248 22,932 19,250 20,574 22,422 16,698 16,636 18,468 19,282 16,448

Puerto Rico ............... 52,544 47,883 46,996 48,181 54,849 42,535 54,181 55,272 52,155 51,298

Virgin Islands ............ 2,300 2,478 2,165 2,669 2,068 2,304 1,902 2,474 3,926 1,923

1 The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

State

Gross job gains 

(3 months ended)

Gross job losses

(3 months ended)
Table 2. Private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

United States .......................... 7.1 6.7 6.9 6.5 6.8 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.5 6.4

Alabama ............................. 7.1 6.6 6.4 6.5 6.8 6.4 5.9 6.2 6.5 6.5

Alaska ................................. 11.0 11.4 12.3 9.2 10.9 11.9 9.6 9.7 11.4 11.4

Arizona ............................... 7.7 7.9 7.5 7.7 7.1 6.8 5.8 6.9 6.8 7.3

Arkansas .............................. 6.2 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.3 5.7 5.4 6.1 6.3 5.9

California ........................... 7.9 7.2 7.3 6.9 7.5 6.8 7.0 7.0 7.0 6.8

Colorado .............................. 7.9 7.3 7.9 7.6 7.9 7.3 6.8 7.0 7.6 7.3

Connecticut ......................... 5.8 5.6 6.1 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.3 5.5 5.7 5.3

Delaware .............................. 7.6 7.1 7.6 6.4 7.1 6.8 6.6 7.1 7.5 6.4

District of Columbia ............... 5.8 5.9 6.6 6.1 5.6 5.8 5.4 6.0 5.9 6.2

Florida ................................. 7.5 7.1 7.6 7.1 7.3 7.3 6.0 7.0 7.1 7.6

Georgia .............................. 7.5 7.6 7.6 7.3 7.8 7.3 6.7 7.0 7.5 7.5

Hawaii ............................... 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.5 5.3 5.0 5.1 5.1 5.3 5.3

Idaho .................................... 9.0 9.1 8.7 8.4 8.7 7.5 7.4 8.0 7.7 7.4

Illinois ................................ 5.8 5.7 6.1 5.5 5.8 5.8 5.3 5.2 5.6 5.5

Indiana ............................... 6.0 6.1 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 5.6 6.0 6.1 5.9

Iowa .................................... 6.4 6.4 6.3 5.9 6.3 6.0 5.8 5.8 5.9 5.9

Kansas ................................. 6.7 6.6 6.6 7.4 6.9 6.2 5.9 6.9 6.2 6.1

Kentucky .............................. 6.6 6.8 5.8 6.1 7.1 6.5 5.6 6.3 6.5 6.1

Louisiana .............................. 13.2 10.5 8.2 8.0 8.1 12.1 7.3 7.3 7.0 7.0

Maine ................................ 8.4 7.2 8.1 7.0 8.2 7.8 7.5 7.5 7.9 7.4

Maryland ............................ 6.6 6.9 6.5 6.3 6.6 6.7 6.0 6.6 6.6 6.3

Massachusetts ....................... 6.2 5.7 6.5 6.0 5.9 6.2 5.7 5.6 6.0 6.0

Michigan ............................. 6.2 6.0 6.7 6.2 6.4 7.2 6.6 6.5 7.1 7.4

Minnesota ........................... 7.0 6.6 6.7 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.7 7.3 6.6

Mississippi ........................... 10.7 7.8 7.1 7.5 7.4 8.7 6.5 7.3 7.0 6.4

Missouri .............................. 6.4 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.6 6.3 5.7 6.2 6.1 6.1

Montana ............................... 9.1 9.4 8.7 7.8 9.4 8.0 7.7 7.9 8.6 7.6

Nebraska .............................. 5.9 6.1 6.0 6.3 6.4 5.9 5.4 6.0 6.0 6.0

Nevada ............................... 7.5 7.5 7.1 6.5 7.1 6.1 5.8 6.5 6.7 6.8

New Hampshire ..................... 7.3 7.3 7.5 6.8 7.3 7.4 6.7 7.2 7.5 6.9

New Jersey ........................... 6.7 6.6 7.0 6.5 6.8 6.8 6.0 6.7 6.7 6.5

New Mexico ........................ 7.9 8.3 8.9 7.3 7.7 6.6 6.6 7.3 7.1 7.1

New York ........................... 6.8 6.4 7.0 6.3 7.0 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.4 6.3

North Carolina ........................ 7.1 7.1 7.0 5.9 8.1 6.7 6.1 6.5 5.8 6.2

North Dakota ........................ 6.8 7.9 7.4 7.2 7.0 6.4 6.5 7.2 6.5 6.6

Ohio .................................... 6.1 6.0 6.1 5.7 6.0 6.2 5.8 6.0 6.2 6.2

Oklahoma ........................... 7.3 7.3 7.1 7.1 7.2 6.3 6.1 6.9 6.6 6.7

Oregon ................................. 7.9 7.5 7.2 7.1 7.3 6.6 6.8 6.8 6.6 6.7

Pennsylvania ........................ 6.0 6.0 5.9 5.7 5.8 6.0 5.4 5.6 5.6 5.5

Rhode Island ........................ 6.5 6.0 7.1 6.8 6.8 7.0 6.2 6.2 6.6 6.7

South Carolina ........................ 7.5 7.5 7.2 7.9 7.1 7.6 6.4 7.4 6.7 6.2

South Dakota ........................ 7.2 7.1 7.0 6.9 7.1 6.5 6.5 6.2 6.4 6.3

Tennessee ........................... 6.4 6.3 6.3 6.1 6.5 5.9 5.5 6.5 6.1 5.7

Texas ................................. 7.0 6.9 6.7 6.5 6.8 5.9 5.5 6.1 5.6 5.6

Utah .................................... 8.0 8.7 8.0 7.8 8.0 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.9 6.5

Vermont .............................. 7.9 6.7 7.7 6.8 7.5 7.0 7.3 7.0 7.5 7.2

Virginia .............................. 6.5 6.6 6.5 6.0 6.4 6.4 5.6 6.4 6.5 6.0

Washington ........................... 9.0 7.8 8.1 7.5 7.9 7.2 6.9 6.9 7.2 7.1

West Virginia ........................ 7.2 7.6 6.6 6.6 7.1 6.6 6.3 6.8 7.0 6.4

Wisconsin ........................... 6.0 6.0 6.3 5.8 6.0 6.1 5.7 5.9 6.0 6.0

Wyoming .............................. 10.8 11.3 9.3 9.9 10.6 8.5 8.1 8.9 9.3 7.8

Puerto Rico ........................... 6.9 6.3 6.2 6.4 7.4 5.6 7.2 7.3 6.9 6.9

Virgin Islands ........................ 7.1 7.5 6.6 8.3 6.3 7.1 5.8 7.5 12.2 5.8

NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

State

Gross job gains as a percent of employment 

(3 months ended)

Gross job losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended)
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, December 2006, seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

United States .......................... 0.4 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.4 5.2 1.2

Alabama ................................ .3 6.8 5.6 1.2 6.5 5.6 .9

Alaska ................................. -.5 10.9 8.9 2.0 11.4 9.4 2.0

Arizona ............................... -.2 7.1 5.7 1.4 7.3 5.8 1.5

Arkansas ................................ .4 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.9 5.0 .9

California ............................ .7 7.5 6.1 1.4 6.8 5.5 1.3

Colorado ............................... .6 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.3 6.0 1.3

Connecticut ......................... .6 5.9 5.2 .7 5.3 4.8 .5

Delaware .............................. .7 7.1 5.5 1.6 6.4 5.2 1.2

District of Columbia ............... -.6 5.6 4.7 .9 6.2 4.7 1.5

Florida ................................. -.3 7.3 5.5 1.8 7.6 5.9 1.7

Georgia ................................ .3 7.8 5.7 2.1 7.5 5.5 2.0

Hawaii .................................. .0 5.3 4.5 .8 5.3 4.3 1.0

Idaho .................................... 1.3 8.7 6.9 1.8 7.4 5.9 1.5

Illinois ................................. .3 5.8 4.8 1.0 5.5 4.6 .9

Indiana ................................ .1 6.0 5.0 1.0 5.9 5.0 .9

Iowa .................................... .4 6.3 5.3 1.0 5.9 5.0 .9

Kansas ................................. .8 6.9 5.6 1.3 6.1 4.9 1.2

Kentucky .............................. 1.0 7.1 5.6 1.5 6.1 5.0 1.1

Louisiana .............................. 1.1 8.1 6.6 1.5 7.0 5.8 1.2

Maine ................................. .8 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.4 5.8 1.6

Maryland .............................. .3 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.3 5.1 1.2

Massachusetts ........................ -.1 5.9 4.9 1.0 6.0 4.8 1.2

Michigan ............................. -1.0 6.4 5.0 1.4 7.4 5.9 1.5

Minnesota .............................. -.1 6.5 5.1 1.4 6.6 5.1 1.5

Mississippi ........................... 1.0 7.4 6.0 1.4 6.4 5.5 .9

Missouri .............................. .5 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.1 5.1 1.0

Montana ................................ 1.8 9.4 7.5 1.9 7.6 6.1 1.5

Nebraska .............................. .4 6.4 5.3 1.1 6.0 5.0 1.0

Nevada ............................... .3 7.1 5.9 1.2 6.8 5.9 .9

New Hampshire ..................... .4 7.3 5.9 1.4 6.9 5.7 1.2

New Jersey ........................... .3 6.8 5.4 1.4 6.5 5.4 1.1

New Mexico ........................... .6 7.7 6.0 1.7 7.1 5.9 1.2

New York .............................. .7 7.0 5.7 1.3 6.3 4.9 1.4

North Carolina ........................ 1.9 8.1 5.7 2.4 6.2 5.2 1.0

North Dakota ........................ .4 7.0 5.7 1.3 6.6 5.6 1.0

Ohio .................................... -.2 6.0 5.0 1.0 6.2 5.2 1.0

Oklahoma .............................. .5 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.7 5.3 1.4

Oregon ................................. .6 7.3 6.1 1.2 6.7 5.6 1.1

Pennsylvania ........................ .3 5.8 4.8 1.0 5.5 4.6 .9

Rhode Island ........................ .1 6.8 5.3 1.5 6.7 5.3 1.4

South Carolina ........................ .9 7.1 5.8 1.3 6.2 5.3 .9

South Dakota ........................ .8 7.1 5.8 1.3 6.3 5.3 1.0

Tennessee .............................. .8 6.5 5.6 .9 5.7 5.0 .7

Texas ................................. 1.2 6.8 5.5 1.3 5.6 4.6 1.0

Utah .................................... 1.5 8.0 6.3 1.7 6.5 5.3 1.2

Vermont .............................. .3 7.5 6.4 1.1 7.2 5.7 1.5

Virginia .............................. .4 6.4 5.3 1.1 6.0 5.1 .9

Washington ........................... .8 7.9 6.6 1.3 7.1 6.0 1.1

West Virginia ........................ .7 7.1 5.9 1.2 6.4 5.3 1.1

Wisconsin .............................. .0 6.0 5.0 1.0 6.0 5.0 1.0

Wyoming .............................. 2.8 10.6 9.0 1.6 7.8 6.6 1.2

Puerto Rico ........................... .5 7.4 6.3 1.1 6.9 5.1 1.8

Virgin Islands ........................ .5 6.3 4.7 1.6 5.8 5.1 .7

1 Net change is the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Total Total

State Net change 1 

Gross job gains Gross job losses
Table 4. Private sector establishments by direction of employment change as a percent of total establishments by state, December 2006,

seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Gross job gains Gross job losses

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

United States .......................... 0.5 28.1 22.6 5.5 27.3 22.3 5.0

Alabama ................................ .4 27.7 23.5 4.2 27.4 23.6 3.8

Alaska ................................. -.1 33.6 26.5 7.1 34.2 27.0 7.2

Arizona ................................. .9 30.9 23.8 7.1 28.9 22.7 6.2

Arkansas ................................ .8 26.6 21.6 5.0 25.7 21.5 4.2

California ............................ .1 29.7 23.7 6.0 28.9 23.0 5.9

Colorado ............................... 1.5 28.9 21.7 7.2 27.4 21.7 5.7

Connecticut ......................... .2 24.7 21.6 3.1 24.7 21.8 2.9

Delaware .............................. .9 25.9 19.9 6.0 25.7 20.6 5.1

District of Columbia ............... -.1 28.0 22.4 5.6 27.3 21.6 5.7

Florida ................................. .9 26.2 19.0 7.2 26.8 20.5 6.3

Georgia ................................ .6 31.1 22.4 8.7 29.5 21.4 8.1

Hawaii ................................ -.3 26.7 22.4 4.3 26.9 22.3 4.6

Idaho ................................. 1.2 31.1 24.1 7.0 28.5 22.7 5.8

Illinois ................................. .7 26.9 21.2 5.7 26.1 21.1 5.0

Indiana ................................. .2 28.5 23.7 4.8 28.7 24.1 4.6

Iowa .................................... .1 26.8 23.1 3.7 26.7 23.1 3.6

Kansas ................................. .5 27.9 23.2 4.7 26.0 21.8 4.2

Kentucky .............................. 2.0 31.3 24.6 6.7 28.5 23.8 4.7

Louisiana .............................. 1.0 30.0 24.8 5.2 27.1 22.9 4.2

Maine ................................. .3 28.0 22.0 6.0 28.2 22.5 5.7

Maryland .............................. .3 28.0 22.5 5.5 27.6 22.4 5.2

Massachusetts ........................ -.3 28.0 22.6 5.4 28.2 22.5 5.7

Michigan ............................... .2 26.7 20.9 5.8 29.4 23.8 5.6

Minnesota .............................. -.2 27.4 22.7 4.7 28.6 23.7 4.9

Mississippi ........................... .6 28.5 23.9 4.6 27.1 23.1 4.0

Missouri .............................. 1.7 27.5 22.5 5.0 26.4 23.1 3.3

Montana ............................... 1.6 31.0 24.0 7.0 27.2 21.8 5.4

Nebraska ............................... .6 27.3 22.7 4.6 26.3 22.3 4.0

Nevada ............................... 2.1 32.2 25.2 7.0 29.0 24.1 4.9

New Hampshire ..................... -.2 26.9 21.7 5.2 28.0 22.6 5.4

New Jersey ........................... .6 25.7 20.8 4.9 25.9 21.6 4.3

New Mexico ........................... 1.0 29.8 23.8 6.0 27.6 22.6 5.0

New York .............................. .2 25.9 20.6 5.3 24.7 19.6 5.1

North Carolina ........................ 3.9 31.2 23.3 7.9 26.6 22.6 4.0

North Dakota ........................ 1.0 28.7 23.6 5.1 27.8 23.7 4.1

Ohio .................................... -.5 27.7 23.4 4.3 29.4 24.6 4.8

Oklahoma .............................. .6 27.7 22.8 4.9 26.1 21.8 4.3

Oregon ................................. .5 29.3 23.8 5.5 27.3 22.3 5.0

Pennsylvania ........................ .6 26.7 22.0 4.7 25.7 21.6 4.1

Rhode Island ........................ .4 27.5 21.3 6.2 27.4 21.6 5.8

South Carolina ........................ 1.9 28.5 22.9 5.6 25.9 22.2 3.7

South Dakota ........................ .9 28.1 23.1 5.0 27.1 23.0 4.1

Tennessee .............................. .2 28.1 24.5 3.6 27.0 23.6 3.4

Texas ................................. .6 29.0 24.1 4.9 26.4 22.1 4.3

Utah .................................... 3.0 32.8 24.8 8.0 26.7 21.7 5.0

Vermont .............................. -.3 26.9 22.0 4.9 27.6 22.4 5.2

Virginia .............................. .2 27.9 23.2 4.7 27.4 22.9 4.5

Washington ........................... 1.2 30.4 24.9 5.5 27.5 23.2 4.3

West Virginia ........................ -.1 28.2 24.2 4.0 27.8 23.7 4.1

Wisconsin .............................. -.1 27.5 23.1 4.4 29.4 24.9 4.5

Wyoming .............................. 1.3 31.2 25.5 5.7 28.0 23.6 4.4

Puerto Rico ........................... -1.0 26.2 22.0 4.2 23.6 18.4 5.2

Virgin Islands ........................ 3.2 25.2 19.4 5.8 25.8 23.2 2.6

1 Net change is the difference between the number of opening establishments and the number of closing establishments.

NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Total Total Net change 1 State