Technical information: (202) 691-6567

http://www.bls.gov/cew/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-1295

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES: FOURTH QUARTER 2004

In December 2004, Rutherford County, Tenn., had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in

employment among the largest counties in the U.S., according to preliminary data released today by the

Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Rutherford County experienced an over-theyear employment gain of 8.9 percent, compared with national job growth of 1.7 percent. Williamson

County, Texas, had the largest over-the-year gain in average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2004,

with an increase of 17.8 percent. The U.S. average weekly wage increased by 5.7 percent over the same

time span.

Of the 317 largest counties in the United States, as measured by 2003 employment, 150 had over-theyear percentage growth in jobs above the national average in December 2004, and 153 experienced changes

below the national average. (See chart 1.) Average weekly wages grew faster than the national average in

133 of the largest U.S. counties, while the percent change in average weekly wages was below the national

average in 177 counties. (See chart 2.)

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 8.5 million employer

reports cover 131.6 million full- and part-time workers. The attached tables and charts contain data for the

nation and for the 317 U.S. counties with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2003.

In addition, data for San Juan, Puerto Rico, are provided, but not used in calculating U.S. averages, or in

the analysis in the text. (See Technical Note.) December 2004 employment and 2004 fourth-quarter average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 4 of this release. Data for all states, metropolitan

statistical areas, counties, and the nation through the third quarter of 2004 are available on the BLS Web

site at http://www.bls.gov/cew/. Preliminary data for the fourth quarter of 2004 and revised data for the

first, second, and third quarters of 2004 will be available in July on the BLS Web site.

 QCEW-Based Regional News Releases

Several BLS regional offices have recently begun issuing QCEW-based news

releases targeted to local users and media markets. For links to these releases, see

http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewregional.htm.
2

Table A. Top 10 counties ranked by December 2004 employment, December 2003-04 employment

change, and December 2003-04 percent change in employment

Los Angeles, Calif. 4,123.1 Maricopa, Ariz. 75.7 Rutherford, Tenn. 8.9

Cook, Ill. 2,529.3 Clark, Nev. 58.9 Manatee, Fla. 8.7

New York, N.Y. 2,266.8 Los Angeles, Calif. 58.5 Clark, Nev. 7.5

Harris, Texas 1,861.3 Riverside, Calif. 40.6 Riverside, Calif. 7.4

Maricopa, Ariz. 1,696.8 Hillsborough, Fla. 30.8 Loudoun, Va. 6.9

Orange, Calif. 1,464.8 Orange, Calif. 28.9 Prince William, Va. 6.6

Dallas, Texas 1,458.4 Orange, Fla. 27.2 Lee, Fla. 6.1

San Diego, Calif. 1,296.9 Dallas, Texas 26.1 Marion, Fla. 6.0

King, Wash. 1,117.2 Fairfax, Va. 25.4 Sarasota, Fla. 5.8

Miami-Dade, Fla. 1,007.1 Broward, Fla. 24.8 Hamilton, Ind. 5.8

Employment in large counties

December 2004 employment

 (thousands)

 Net change in employment,

 December 2003-04

 (thousands)

Percent change in employment,

 December 2003-04

U.S. 131,560.7 U.S. 2,198.4 U.S. 1.7

Large County Employment

In December 2004, national employment, as measured by the QCEW program, was 131.6 million, up

1.7 percent from December 2003. The 317 largest U.S. counties accounted for 70.6 percent of total U.S.

covered employment and 76.7 percent of total covered wages. These 317 counties had a net job gain of

1,543,850 over the year, accounting for 70.2 percent of the U.S. employment increase. Employment rose

in 270 of the large counties from December 2003 to December 2004. Rutherford County, Tenn., had the

largest over-the-year percentage gain (8.9 percent). Manatee, Fla., had the next largest increase, 8.7 percent, followed by Clark, Nev. (7.5 percent), Riverside, Calif. (7.4 percent), and Loudoun, Va. (6.9 percent).

(See table 1.)

Employment declined in 38 counties from December 2003 to December 2004. The largest percentage decline was in McLean, Ill. (-2.9 percent), followed by Trumbull, Ohio (-1.8 percent), Wayne, Mich.

(-1.5 percent), Saginaw, Mich. (-1.4 percent), and Okaloosa, Fla., Madison, Ill., and Ingham, Mich.

(-1.3 percent each).

The largest gains in employment from December 2003 to December 2004 were recorded in Maricopa,

Ariz. (75,700), Clark, Nev. (58,900), Los Angeles, Calif. (58,500), Riverside, Calif. (40,600), and Hillsborough, Fla. (30,800). (See table A.)

The largest declines in employment occurred in Wayne, Mich. (-12,600), followed by Allegheny, Pa.

(-3,900), Montgomery, Ohio (-2,900), Orleans, La. (-2,800), and McLean, Ill. (-2,500).

Large County Average Weekly Wages

The national average weekly wage in the fourth quarter of 2004 was $812. Average weekly wages were

higher than the national average in 110 of the largest 317 U.S. counties. New York County, N.Y., held the

top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,608. Santa Clara,
3

New York, N.Y. $1,608 Williamson, Texas $135 Williamson, Texas 17.8

Santa Clara, Calif. 1,460 Santa Clara, Calif. 127 Rock Island, Ill. 14.8

Fairfield, Conn. 1,430 New York, N.Y. 125 Ventura, Calif. 12.6

Suffolk, Mass. 1,363 Fairfield, Conn. 120 Henrico, Va. 12.5

San Mateo, Calif. 1,324 Rock Island, Ill. 116 St. Louis, Minn. 11.0

Washington, D.C. 1,305 Suffolk, Mass. 116 Washington, Ark. 10.6

Arlington, Va. 1,291 Ventura, Calif. 102 Hennepin, Minn. 9.6

San Francisco, Calif. 1,274 San Mateo, Calif. 101 Santa Clara, Calif. 9.5

Fairfax, Va. 1,239 Henrico, Va. 96 Suffolk, Mass. 9.3

Somerset, N.J. 1,235 Essex, N.J. 93 Rockingham, N.H. 9.3

Essex, N.J. 9.3

U.S. $812 U.S. $44 U.S. 5.7

Average weekly wage in large counties

 Average weekly wage,

 fourth quarter 2004

Percent change in average

 weekly wage, fourth

 quarter 2003-04

 Change in average weekly

 wage, fourth quarter 2003-04

Table B. Top 10 counties ranked by fourth quarter 2004 average weekly wages, fourth quarter

2003-04 change in average weekly wages, and fourth quarter 2003-04 percent change in average

weekly wages

Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,460, followed by Fairfield, Conn. ($1,430), Suffolk,

Mass. ($1,363), and San Mateo, Calif. ($1,324). (See table B.)

There were 204 counties with an average weekly wage below the national average in the fourth quarter

of 2004. The lowest average weekly wages were reported in Cameron, Texas ($500), followed by Hidalgo,

Texas ($504), Webb, Texas ($540), Yakima, Wash. ($541), and Horry, S.C. ($558). (See table 1.)

From the fourth quarter 2003 to the fourth quarter 2004, the national average weekly wage rose by

5.7 percent. Among the largest counties, Williamson, Texas, led the nation in growth in average weekly

wages, with an increase of 17.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2003. Rock Island, Ill., was second

with 14.8 percent growth, followed by Ventura, Calif. (12.6 percent), Henrico, Va. (12.5 percent), and

St. Louis, Minn. (11.0 percent).

No counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. Kalamazoo, Mich., had the

smallest increase in average weekly wages, 0.5 percent, followed by Richmond, N.Y. (0.7 percent), Genesee

and Macomb, Mich. (0.9 percent each), and Ingham, Mich. (1.0 percent).

Ten Largest U.S. Counties

Of the 10 largest U.S. counties (based on 2003 employment levels), 9 reported increases in employment, while 1 remained constant from December 2003 to December 2004. Maricopa, Ariz., experienced

the fastest growth in employment among the 10 largest counties, with a 4.7 percent increase. Within

Maricopa County, employment rose in every industry group except information. The largest gains were in

construction (12.9 percent) and education and health services (7.0 percent). (See table 2.) Miami-Dade,

Fla., had the next largest increase in employment, 2.4 percent, followed by Orange, Calif. (2.0 percent).

The smallest employment gains occurred in New York, N.Y. (0.9 percent) and Harris, Texas (1.3 percent).

The only county of the ten largest counties in the United States that did not have an increase in employment

was Cook County, Ill., whose employment remained constant.
4

All of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. New York,

N.Y., had the fastest growth in wages among the top 10 counties, 8.4 percent. Within New York County,

wages increased the most in natural resources and mining (26.1 percent) and financial activities (14.0 percent). Harris, Texas, was second in wage growth, increasing by 7.8 percent, followed by Orange, Calif.,

with a gain of 7.1 percent. The smallest wage gains among the 10 largest counties occurred in King,

Wash. (3.8 percent), followed by Dallas, Texas (5.1 percent) and Maricopa, Ariz. (5.7 percent).

Largest County by State

Table 3 shows December 2004 employment and the 2004 fourth-quarter average weekly wage in the

largest county in each state. (This table includes two counties—Yellowstone, Mont., and Laramie, Wyo.—

that have employment levels below 75,000.) The employment levels in these counties in December 2004

ranged from approximately 4.1 million in Los Angeles, Calif., to 39,500 in Laramie, Wyo. The highest

average weekly wage of these counties was in New York, N.Y. ($1,608), while the lowest average weekly

wage was in Laramie, Wyo. ($630).
Technical Note

These data are the product of a federal-state cooperative

program, 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 summaries are a result of the administration of

state unemployment insurance programs that require most

employers to pay quarterly taxes based on the employment and

wages of workers covered by UI. Data for 2004 are preliminary

and subject to revision.

For purposes of this release, large counties are defined as

having employment levels of 75,000 or greater. Each year, these

large counties are selected on the basis of the preliminary

annual average of employment for the previous year. The 318

counties discussed in this release were derived using 2003

preliminary annual averages of employment. These counties

will be included in all 2004 quarterly releases. The counties in

table 2 are selected and sorted each year based on the annual

average employment from the preceding year.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may

differ from data released by the individual states. These

potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt

of UI data over time and ongoing review and editing. The

individual states determine their data release timetables.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based

employment measures for any given quarter. Each of these

Source Count of UI administrative records Count of longitudinally-linked UI Sample survey: 400,000 establishsubmitted by 8.5 million establish- administrative records submitted by ments

ments 6.5 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 summarizes gross job gains sample estimates to first quarter

 and losses

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

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

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

state, and national levels by Future expansions will include

detailed industry data at the county, MSA, and

state level and by size of

establishment

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 - Future: Employment expansion - Input into other major economic

establishment surveys and contraction by size of estab- indicators

lishment

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

Web sites

•

•

•

•

 •

•

•

• •

•

•

• •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

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

 QCEW BED CES

•

UI levels
measures—QCEW, Business Employment Dynamics (BED),

and Current Employment Statistics (CES)—makes use of the

quarterly 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 the previous page.) Additional information on

each program can be obtained from the program Web sites

shown in the table on the previous page.

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI

laws and for federal civilian workers covered by the

Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)

program 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 and industry of each of their

establishments. The employment and wage data included in

this release are derived from microdata summaries of more than

8 million employer reports of employment and wages submitted

by states to the BLS. 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. In 2003, UI and UCFE programs covered

workers in 127.8 million jobs. The estimated 122.9 million

workers in these jobs (after adjustment for multiple jobholders)

represented 96.6 percent of civilian wage and salary employment. Covered workers received $4.826 trillion in pay,

representing 94.6 percent of the wage and salary component of

personal income and 43.9 percent of the gross domestic

product.

Major exclusions from UI coverage include self-employed

workers, 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.

State and federal UI laws change periodically. These

changes may have an impact on the employment and wages

reported by employers covered under the UI program.

Coverage changes may affect the over-the-year comparisons

presented in this news release. Effective January 1, 2004, the

Washington Employment Security Department no longer

includes as covered wages an employee’s income attributable

to the transfer of shares of stock to the employee. This change

in wage coverage pertains to all establishments in Washington

State and contributes significantly to over-the-year changes in

wages in the state in 2004.

Concepts and methodology

Monthly employment is based on the number of workers

who worked during or received pay for the pay period including

the 12th of the month. With few exceptions, all employees of

covered firms are reported, including production and sales

workers, corporation officials, executives, supervisory

personnel, and clerical workers. Workers on paid vacations

and part-time workers also are included.

Average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing

quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly

employment levels (all employees, as described above) and

dividing the result by 13, for the 13 weeks in the quarter. These

calculations are made using unrounded employment and wage

values. The average wage values that can be calculated using

rounded data from the BLS database may differ from the

averages reported. Included in the quarterly wage data are

non-wage cash payments such as bonuses, the cash value of

meals and lodging when supplied, tips and other gratuities,

and, in some states, employer contributions to certain deferred

compensation plans such as 401(k) plans and stock options.

Average weekly wages are affected by the ratio of full-time to

part-time workers as well as the number of individuals in highpaying and low-paying occupations and the incidence of pay

periods within a quarter. When comparing average weekly wage

levels between industries and/or states, these factors should be

taken into consideration.

Federal government pay levels are subject to periodic,

sometimes large, fluctuations due to a calendar effect that

consists of some quarters having more pay periods than others.

Most federal employees are paid on a biweekly pay schedule. As

a result of this schedule, in some quarters, federal wages contain

payments for six pay periods, while in other quarters their wages

include payments for seven pay periods. Over-the-year

comparisons of average weekly wages may reflect this calendar

effect. Higher growth in average weekly wages may be attributed,

in part, to a comparison of quarterly wages for the current year,

which include seven pay periods, with year-ago wages that

reflect only six pay periods. An opposite effect will occur when

wages in the current period, which contain six pay periods, are

compared with year-ago wages that include seven pay periods.

The effect on over-the-year pay comparisons can be pronounced

in federal government due to the uniform nature of federal payroll

processing. This pattern may exist in private sector pay, however,

because there are more pay period types (weekly, biweekly,

semimonthly, monthly) it is less pronounced. The effect is most

visible in counties with large concentrations of federal employment.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of

data, states 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 this 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.
QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are

simply the sums of individual establishment records and reflect

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. For example,

economic change would come from a firm relocating into the

county; administrative change would come from a company

correcting its county designation.

The over-the-year changes of employment and wages

presented in this release have been adjusted to account for most

of the administrative corrections made to the underlying

establishment reports. This is done by modifying the prior-year

levels used to calculate the over-the-year changes. Percent

changes are calculated using an adjusted version of the final

2003 quarterly data as the base data. The adjusted prior-year

levels used to calculate the over-the-year percent change in

employment and wages are not published. These adjusted prioryear levels do not match the unadjusted data maintained on the

BLS Web site. Over-the-year change calculations based on data

from the Web site, or from data published in prior BLS news

releases, may differ substantially from the over-the-year changes

presented in this news release.

The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change

measures presented in this release account for most of the

administrative changes—those occurring when employers

update the industry, location, and ownership information of their

establishments. The most common adjustments for administrative

change are the result of updated information about the county

location of individual establishments.

The adjusted data do not account for administrative changes

caused by (1) multi-unit employers who start reporting for each

individual establishment rather than as a single entity and (2) the

classification of establishments previously reported in the

unknown county or unknown industry categories.

The adjusted data used to calculate the over-the-year change

measures presented in any County Employment and Wages

news release are valid for comparisons between the starting and

ending points (a 12-month period) used in that particular release.

Comparisons may not be valid for any time period other than the

one featured in a release even if the changes were calculated

using adjusted data.

County definitions are assigned according to Federal

Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS)

as issued by the National Institute of Standards and

Technology, after approval by the Secretary of Commerce

pursuant to Section 5131 of the Information Technology

Management Reform Act of 1996 and the Computer Security

Act of 1987, Public Law 104-106. Areas shown as counties

include those designated as independent cities in some

jurisdictions and, in Alaska, those designated as census areas

where counties have not been created. County data also are

presented for the New England states for comparative purposes

even though townships are the more common designation used

in New England (and New Jersey). The regions referred to in

this release are defined as census regions.

Additional statistics and other information

An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages, features

comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all

states. Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2003 is

available for sale from the BLS Publications Sales Center, P.O.

Box 2145, Chicago, Illinois 60690, telephone 312-353-1880. The

2003 bulletin is now available in a portable document format

(PDF) on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/cew/

cewbultn03.htm.

News releases on quarterly measures of gross job flows also

are available upon request from the Division of Administrative

Statistics and Labor Turnover (Business Employment Dynamics), telephone 202-691-6467; (http://www.bls.gov/bdm/);

(e-mail: BDMInfo @bls.gov).

Information in this release will be made available to

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone:

202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number:

1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

United States6 .................... 8,487.6 131,560.7 1.7 - $812 5.7 - 

Jefferson, AL ...................... 18.8 373.6 0.0 272 833 9.2 12

Madison, AL ....................... 8.0 167.1 3.6 46 847 3.2 284

Mobile, AL .......................... 9.7 165.5 2.3 104 669 7.0 66

Montgomery, AL ................ 6.6 133.2 2.1 114 721 3.4 276

Tuscaloosa, AL .................. 4.2 79.8 3.2 60 713 8.7 17

Anchorage Borough, AK .... 7.7 142.2 1.4 178 830 5.2 166

Maricopa, AZ ..................... 80.4 1,696.8 4.7 23 801 5.7 134

Pima, AZ ............................ 17.6 348.9 3.4 53 701 4.8 193

Benton, AR ........................ 4.6 87.2 4.8 21 726 6.9 73

Pulaski, AR ........................ 13.4 245.7 1.2 189 757 5.6 139

Washington, AR ................. 5.2 87.8 2.7 82 668 10.6 6

Alameda, CA ...................... 48.1 676.3 -0.2 281 1,056 7.4 49

Contra Costa, CA ............... 27.6 344.4 1.2 189 1,010 8.4 20

Fresno, CA ......................... 29.0 332.3 2.1 114 651 6.0 117

Kern, CA ............................ 16.0 252.9 3.1 67 684 6.0 117

Los Angeles, CA ................ 366.8 4,123.1 1.4 178 959 6.1 110

Marin, CA ........................... 11.8 112.6 1.6 160 1,062 6.0 117

Monterey, CA ..................... 11.9 149.8 -0.2 281 701 4.0 247

Orange, CA ........................ 90.3 1,464.8 2.0 121 938 7.1 60

Placer, CA .......................... 9.5 132.3 5.0 17 791 8.2 27

Riverside, CA ..................... 38.9 590.8 7.4 4 677 4.6 206

Sacramento, CA ................ 47.2 608.3 1.6 160 866 3.8 256

San Bernardino, CA ........... 42.6 621.9 3.8 38 711 4.6 206

San Diego, CA ................... 87.2 1,296.9 1.9 127 872 6.5 89

San Francisco, CA ............. 43.3 528.7 -0.4 293 1,274 7.8 34

San Joaquin, CA ................ 16.0 216.5 3.7 41 705 4.1 243

San Luis Obispo, CA ......... 8.7 98.3 0.2 259 674 6.6 84

San Mateo, CA .................. 22.9 333.7 0.7 226 1,324 8.3 24

Santa Barbara, CA ............. 13.2 172.7 -0.5 294 786 8.7 17

Santa Clara, CA ................. 52.8 861.6 1.0 203 1,460 9.5 8

Santa Cruz, CA .................. 8.4 92.2 2.9 75 767 6.1 110

Solano, CA ......................... 9.6 126.4 0.7 226 753 7.0 66

Sonoma, CA ...................... 17.3 190.2 0.5 243 796 6.4 97

Stanislaus, CA ................... 13.2 168.2 2.3 104 666 4.6 206

Tulare, CA .......................... 8.6 133.2 0.4 248 577 7.1 60

Ventura, CA ....................... 20.7 305.3 1.2 189 913 12.6 3

Yolo, CA ............................. 5.1 95.7 1.7 151 758 7.7 38

Adams, CO ........................ 8.7 143.0 1.9 127 781 7.0 66

Arapahoe, CO .................... 18.9 271.9 0.8 218 983 7.4 49

Boulder, CO ....................... 11.9 155.5 3.4 53 959 3.8 256

Denver, CO ........................ 24.5 429.1 1.7 151 990 5.9 123

El Paso, CO ....................... 16.1 239.3 2.2 108 742 5.2 166

Jefferson, CO ..................... 18.1 207.0 1.4 178 825 5.2 166

Larimer, CO ....................... 9.3 122.9 1.8 135 733 3.2 284

Fairfield, CT ....................... 31.9 418.0 0.6 235 1,430 9.2 12

Hartford, CT ....................... 24.4 487.7 0.9 209 1,016 7.4 49

New Haven, CT ................. 22.1 368.4 1.6 160 885 2.9 289

New London, CT ................ 6.7 129.9 0.8 218 847 3.3 279

New Castle, DE ................. 19.5 286.5 0.9 209 980 6.9 73

Washington, DC ................. 30.3 659.6 0.6 235 1,305 5.5 146

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Alachua, FL ........................ 6.1 127.8 3.2 60 $619 4.4 219

Brevard, FL ........................ 12.9 198.2 3.3 57 780 8.9 15

Broward, FL ....................... 59.2 716.6 3.6 46 802 7.5 47

Collier, FL .......................... 10.9 129.5 5.0 17 741 5.3 159

Duval, FL ........................... 23.3 447.8 3.6 46 800 5.5 146

Escambia, FL ..................... 7.5 126.3 3.6 46 649 8.3 24

Hillsborough, FL ................. 32.5 631.7 5.1 16 776 5.4 151

Lee, FL ............................... 15.9 207.2 6.1 7 708 8.8 16

Leon, FL ............................. 7.5 148.0 2.9 75 690 4.1 243

Manatee, FL ....................... 7.6 129.8 8.7 2 628 6.6 84

Marion, FL .......................... 6.9 94.2 6.0 8 607 5.6 139

Miami-Dade, FL ................. 83.2 1,007.1 2.4 95 822 6.3 105

Okaloosa, FL ..................... 5.6 79.7 -1.3 307 640 7.7 38

Orange, FL ......................... 30.8 645.0 4.4 30 757 6.5 89

Palm Beach, FL ................. 44.6 547.5 4.7 23 815 4.8 193

Pasco, FL ........................... 7.8 87.9 5.6 12 586 3.5 272

Pinellas, FL ........................ 29.2 445.2 3.1 67 720 4.2 238

Polk, FL .............................. 10.9 198.4 4.0 36 643 3.9 252

Sarasota, FL ...................... 13.7 161.1 5.8 9 706 7.1 60

Seminole, FL ...................... 12.5 159.7 5.7 11 745 8.1 30

Volusia, FL ......................... 12.4 158.1 4.3 32 620 5.6 139

Bibb, GA ............................ 4.7 87.1 0.1 267 670 3.7 263

Chatham, GA ..................... 7.2 131.0 3.7 41 685 6.7 76

Clayton, GA ....................... 4.4 107.6 (7) - 830 6.4 97

Cobb, GA ........................... 20.1 306.3 0.8 218 880 3.5 272

De Kalb, GA ....................... 17.1 294.6 0.8 218 875 5.4 151

Fulton, GA .......................... 37.8 745.4 3.2 60 1,055 5.8 129

Gwinnett, GA ..................... 21.8 312.0 3.4 53 848 3.3 279

Muscogee, GA ................... 4.7 97.6 -0.2 281 625 4.2 238

Richmond, GA ................... 4.8 105.7 -0.2 281 678 6.1 110

Honolulu, HI ....................... 23.4 441.3 3.3 57 756 7.2 58

Ada, ID ............................... 13.4 193.4 4.8 21 742 8.2 27

Champaign, IL ................... 4.0 91.2 0.8 218 672 2.0 304

Cook, IL ............................. 127.7 2,529.3 0.0 272 985 6.7 76

Du Page, IL ........................ 33.1 584.3 1.2 189 975 5.9 123

Kane, IL ............................. 11.3 203.0 1.1 198 763 6.1 110

Lake, IL .............................. 19.3 324.3 1.7 151 1,032 5.7 134

McHenry, IL ....................... 7.6 96.7 3.2 60 737 5.7 134

McLean, IL ......................... 3.4 83.5 -2.9 313 796 5.0 178

Madison, IL ........................ 5.7 93.9 -1.3 307 694 4.2 238

Peoria, IL ........................... 4.6 100.0 2.2 108 787 5.6 139

Rock Island, IL ................... 3.4 78.0 0.9 209 902 14.8 2

St. Clair, IL ......................... 5.1 92.6 -1.2 306 646 7.0 66

Sangamon, IL .................... 5.1 130.2 -0.2 281 772 2.8 293

Will, IL ................................ 11.0 163.1 2.4 95 769 4.9 186

Winnebago, IL .................... 6.6 137.9 0.7 226 702 4.3 227

Allen, IN ............................. 8.7 180.7 0.4 248 712 5.0 178

Elkhart, IN .......................... 4.8 124.4 5.4 14 712 3.8 256

Hamilton, IN ....................... 6.3 91.2 5.8 9 833 6.4 97

Lake, IN ............................. 9.9 194.6 1.5 172 733 6.4 97

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Marion, IN .......................... 23.8 586.8 1.6 160 $833 4.1 243

St. Joseph, IN .................... 6.0 127.2 1.8 135 684 1.9 306

Vanderburgh, IN ................ 4.8 108.4 0.2 259 684 2.9 289

Linn, IA ............................... 6.1 118.2 2.1 114 791 8.2 27

Polk, IA .............................. 14.3 264.0 1.8 135 817 7.5 47

Scott, IA ............................. 5.1 87.7 2.4 95 684 6.0 117

Johnson, KS ...................... 19.0 300.7 2.4 95 841 7.3 54

Sedgwick, KS ..................... 11.7 245.0 1.9 127 730 4.4 219

Shawnee, KS ..................... 4.7 95.0 -0.5 294 683 6.7 76

Fayette, KY ........................ 8.9 167.8 0.4 248 741 6.5 89

Jefferson, KY ..................... 21.9 424.3 0.9 209 807 6.5 89

Caddo, LA .......................... 7.1 123.0 1.6 160 673 3.9 252

Calcasieu, LA ..................... 4.6 83.6 1.3 185 664 5.9 123

East Baton Rouge, LA ....... 13.1 250.1 1.8 135 688 4.2 238

Jefferson, LA ...................... 14.0 215.5 0.3 255 687 6.0 117

Lafayette, LA ...................... 7.6 121.5 -0.1 276 715 5.8 129

Orleans, LA ........................ 12.6 247.7 -1.1 305 753 5.5 146

Cumberland, ME ................ 12.3 173.4 0.8 218 769 7.1 60

Anne Arundel, MD ............. 13.8 218.2 2.5 91 839 4.9 186

Baltimore, MD .................... 21.0 374.0 2.7 82 854 6.4 97

Frederick, MD .................... 5.6 91.7 3.0 71 765 5.5 146

Howard, MD ....................... 8.1 141.1 0.3 255 952 8.3 24

Montgomery, MD ............... 31.9 458.2 1.2 189 1,067 6.3 105

Prince Georges, MD .......... 15.3 319.2 1.9 127 865 4.6 206

Baltimore City, MD ............. 14.2 358.8 -0.6 298 929 6.2 108

Barnstable, MA .................. 9.3 88.8 0.8 218 724 4.8 193

Bristol, MA ......................... 15.5 221.4 0.4 248 726 3.6 270

Essex, MA .......................... 21.0 294.5 -0.3 288 865 2.6 296

Hampden, MA .................... 14.3 201.8 1.3 185 749 2.9 289

Middlesex, MA ................... 48.7 791.6 0.1 267 1,146 5.4 151

Norfolk, MA ........................ 22.1 320.1 0.2 259 1,007 4.6 206

Plymouth, MA .................... 13.8 176.3 2.4 95 799 4.3 227

Suffolk, MA ........................ 22.5 564.1 0.5 243 1,363 9.3 9

Worcester, MA ................... 20.6 319.6 0.0 272 830 3.5 272

Genesee, MI ...................... 8.5 156.5 -0.3 288 801 0.9 313

Ingham, MI ......................... 6.9 168.2 -1.3 307 773 1.0 312

Kalamazoo, MI ................... 5.5 116.4 -0.1 276 737 0.5 316

Kent, MI ............................. 14.5 339.6 0.7 226 778 4.7 198

Macomb, MI ....................... 17.9 327.6 0.5 243 897 0.9 313

Oakland, MI ....................... 41.0 724.8 -0.1 276 1,007 2.3 300

Ottawa, MI ......................... 5.7 111.4 1.5 172 739 2.2 302

Saginaw, MI ....................... 4.5 90.7 -1.4 310 753 1.1 311

Washtenaw, MI .................. 8.1 199.6 1.1 198 904 1.8 307

Wayne, MI .......................... 34.6 804.2 -1.5 311 950 3.7 263

Anoka, MN ......................... 7.5 113.8 1.8 135 812 7.8 34

Dakota, MN ........................ 9.9 170.5 1.8 135 822 7.7 38

Hennepin, MN .................... 41.0 840.1 1.5 172 1,049 9.6 7

Olmsted, MN ...................... 3.3 87.5 0.8 218 792 3.8 256

Ramsey, MN ...................... 15.0 330.7 1.0 203 917 5.0 178

St. Louis, MN ..................... 5.7 94.9 2.0 121 689 11.0 5

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Stearns, MN ....................... 4.2 79.2 2.4 95 $665 5.1 174

Harrison, MS ...................... 4.6 90.1 0.6 235 572 5.3 159

Hinds, MS .......................... 6.6 130.2 -1.0 303 713 4.9 186

Boone, MO ......................... 4.3 79.3 2.8 79 627 4.7 198

Clay, MO ............................ 4.9 86.3 -0.2 281 752 4.9 186

Greene, MO ....................... 8.0 148.4 2.0 121 617 4.8 193

Jackson, MO ...................... 18.7 367.2 0.6 235 816 4.5 213

St. Charles, MO ................. 7.4 116.3 (7) - 694 4.4 219

St. Louis, MO ..................... 33.8 626.2 0.6 235 863 5.2 166

St. Louis City, MO .............. 8.2 223.1 (7) - 888 6.5 89

Douglas, NE ....................... 15.0 312.1 0.3 255 757 7.4 49

Lancaster, NE .................... 7.6 153.7 1.9 127 656 4.0 247

Clark, NV ........................... 40.0 839.0 7.5 3 770 7.7 38

Washoe, NV ....................... 12.8 211.1 5.5 13 769 3.9 252

Hillsborough, NH ................ 12.3 197.7 0.9 209 933 6.4 97

Rockingham, NH ................ 10.7 136.6 2.2 108 873 9.3 9

Atlantic, NJ ......................... 6.6 145.5 0.9 209 742 5.8 129

Bergen, NJ ......................... 34.4 456.5 0.2 259 1,067 3.7 263

Burlington, NJ .................... 11.2 203.2 1.8 135 864 5.0 178

Camden, NJ ....................... 13.4 213.8 3.7 41 863 3.0 288

Essex, NJ ........................... 21.5 366.1 0.4 248 1,090 9.3 9

Gloucester, NJ ................... 6.1 103.0 4.0 36 760 6.1 110

Hudson, NJ ........................ 14.0 238.4 0.5 243 1,054 6.7 76

Mercer, NJ ......................... 10.8 222.4 -0.5 294 1,064 7.6 44

Middlesex, NJ .................... 20.7 399.1 1.2 189 1,046 5.9 123

Monmouth, NJ ................... 20.0 257.7 2.8 79 910 2.6 296

Morris, NJ .......................... 17.8 285.1 0.2 259 1,221 7.0 66

Ocean, NJ .......................... 11.5 144.3 1.9 127 744 7.7 38

Passaic, NJ ........................ 12.5 181.0 1.6 160 899 5.6 139

Somerset, NJ ..................... 10.0 169.1 -0.6 298 1,235 4.7 198

Union, NJ ........................... 15.0 235.4 (7) - 1,066 (7) - 

Bernalillo, NM .................... 16.4 318.6 1.9 127 727 5.2 166

Albany, NY ......................... 9.6 232.0 -0.2 281 817 2.0 304

Bronx, NY .......................... 15.4 219.4 1.4 178 769 3.5 272

Broome, NY ....................... 4.4 95.9 0.7 226 624 1.3 310

Dutchess, NY ..................... 7.9 120.0 2.2 108 809 4.3 227

Erie, NY ............................. 23.3 464.6 0.7 226 713 4.5 213

Kings, NY ........................... 42.1 458.1 1.8 135 735 3.7 263

Monroe, NY ........................ 17.7 388.6 0.4 248 780 4.3 227

Nassau, NY ........................ 50.9 614.8 0.9 209 924 2.7 295

New York, NY .................... 112.9 2,266.8 0.9 209 1,608 8.4 20

Oneida, NY ........................ 5.3 111.6 2.2 108 627 4.7 198

Onondaga, NY ................... 12.6 250.8 1.2 189 768 4.6 206

Orange, NY ........................ 9.3 130.2 2.1 114 696 4.5 213

Queens, NY ....................... 40.3 484.6 1.2 189 817 2.3 300

Richmond, NY .................... 8.1 91.3 1.2 189 733 0.7 315

Rockland, NY ..................... 9.4 115.2 1.6 160 864 3.7 263

Suffolk, NY ......................... 47.8 611.3 1.1 198 878 4.8 193

Westchester, NY ................ 35.4 421.6 1.8 135 1,101 6.2 108

Buncombe, NC .................. 6.9 109.3 2.5 91 650 5.7 134

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Catawba, NC ..................... 4.3 88.1 1.4 178 $630 2.9 289

Cumberland, NC ................ 5.7 113.9 2.9 75 604 4.5 213

Durham, NC ....................... 6.1 169.8 2.3 104 1,025 7.2 58

Forsyth, NC ........................ 8.4 179.5 1.6 160 764 4.5 213

Guilford, NC ....................... 13.7 271.4 2.4 95 739 4.7 198

Mecklenburg, NC ............... 27.4 519.3 2.1 114 948 8.1 30

New Hanover, NC .............. 6.4 93.4 4.5 29 655 3.8 256

Wake, NC .......................... 23.6 400.5 3.6 46 817 4.5 213

Cass, ND ........................... 5.5 90.4 4.3 32 687 9.0 14

Butler, OH .......................... 6.9 134.7 1.0 203 740 7.6 44

Cuyahoga, OH ................... 38.3 764.3 0.2 259 864 7.6 44

Franklin, OH ....................... 29.3 698.3 0.6 235 808 5.6 139

Hamilton, OH ..................... 24.6 549.3 0.6 235 872 4.9 186

Lake, OH ............................ 6.7 99.7 0.3 255 687 7.3 54

Lorain, OH ......................... 6.2 102.0 0.6 235 714 5.6 139

Lucas, OH .......................... 10.8 228.2 -0.6 298 746 4.3 227

Mahoning, OH .................... 6.4 106.5 0.7 226 624 7.4 49

Montgomery, OH ............... 13.2 286.1 -1.0 303 780 3.7 263

Stark, OH ........................... 9.2 168.8 1.4 178 649 6.7 76

Summit, OH ....................... 14.8 270.1 1.3 185 784 8.4 20

Trumbull, OH ..................... 4.8 84.1 -1.8 312 746 2.2 302

Oklahoma, OK ................... 21.9 411.7 1.6 160 698 4.0 247

Tulsa, OK ........................... 18.3 327.6 2.6 88 731 7.3 54

Clackamas, OR .................. 11.6 141.5 3.6 46 752 5.0 178

Jackson, OR ...................... 6.3 82.2 3.2 60 597 4.4 219

Lane, OR ........................... 10.4 143.4 3.8 38 643 4.4 219

Marion, OR ........................ 8.6 129.8 3.0 71 628 2.4 298

Multnomah, OR .................. 25.6 429.6 1.7 151 815 4.2 238

Washington, OR ................ 14.7 231.3 4.4 30 906 1.6 308

Allegheny, PA .................... 35.6 691.6 -0.6 298 848 5.7 134

Berks, PA ........................... 9.0 166.2 2.6 88 730 3.7 263

Bucks, PA .......................... 20.3 259.3 1.8 135 800 4.0 247

Chester, PA ....................... 14.7 228.3 1.8 135 1,049 8.4 20

Cumberland, PA ................ 5.7 126.9 1.4 178 756 5.4 151

Dauphin, PA ....................... 7.0 177.1 2.7 82 809 7.0 66

Delaware, PA ..................... 13.6 212.1 0.1 267 875 4.7 198

Erie, PA .............................. 7.2 128.2 2.0 121 645 5.4 151

Lackawanna, PA ................ 5.8 100.4 1.8 135 636 7.3 54

Lancaster, PA .................... 11.7 227.9 2.1 114 712 5.0 178

Lehigh, PA ......................... 8.4 174.9 0.9 209 826 5.0 178

Luzerne, PA ....................... 8.0 142.3 -0.5 294 647 6.1 110

Montgomery, PA ................ 27.4 488.3 0.1 267 1,016 8.1 30

Northampton, PA ............... 6.2 92.7 1.6 160 719 5.4 151

Philadelphia, PA ................ 28.8 638.7 -0.1 276 971 7.1 60

Westmoreland, PA ............. 9.4 137.5 3.3 57 656 6.5 89

York, PA ............................. 8.7 171.7 3.0 71 706 5.5 146

Kent, RI .............................. 5.6 83.2 1.0 203 724 4.0 247

Providence, RI ................... 17.9 289.8 -0.3 288 784 2.8 293

Charleston, SC .................. 11.9 196.2 3.7 41 666 4.7 198

Greenville, SC .................... 12.3 227.1 1.7 151 719 5.3 159

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Horry, SC ........................... 8.0 102.0 4.9 19 $558 6.5 89

Lexington, SC .................... 5.6 87.6 1.7 151 635 6.9 73

Richland, SC ...................... 9.6 210.9 1.7 151 697 5.3 159

Spartanburg, SC ................ 6.3 116.9 0.2 259 694 3.4 276

Minnehaha, SD .................. 6.0 110.3 1.6 160 663 3.3 279

Davidson, TN ..................... 17.9 439.2 2.1 114 828 5.9 123

Hamilton, TN ...................... 8.3 194.9 1.7 151 706 3.2 284

Knox, TN ............................ 10.4 221.1 3.2 60 707 4.4 219

Rutherford, TN ................... 3.7 94.2 8.9 1 748 4.9 186

Shelby, TN ......................... 19.7 505.5 1.1 198 838 5.4 151

Bell, TX .............................. 4.2 93.9 4.1 34 602 5.8 129

Bexar, TX ........................... 30.0 663.1 0.1 267 721 7.0 66

Brazoria, TX ....................... 4.1 77.4 1.7 151 753 5.3 159

Brazos, TX ......................... 3.5 79.2 1.5 172 566 5.4 151

Cameron, TX ..................... 6.1 116.7 0.7 226 500 4.4 219

Collin, TX ........................... 13.0 217.9 (7) - 893 (7) - 

Dallas, TX .......................... 68.3 1,458.4 1.8 135 1,001 5.1 174

Denton, TX ......................... 8.7 138.5 3.4 53 700 6.5 89

El Paso, TX ........................ 12.5 255.9 0.7 226 579 5.3 159

Fort Bend, TX .................... 6.6 103.7 4.6 27 806 5.1 174

Galveston, TX .................... 4.8 88.2 1.6 160 690 3.6 270

Harris, TX ........................... 90.8 1,861.3 1.3 185 978 7.8 34

Hidalgo, TX ........................ 9.5 194.9 4.1 34 504 3.3 279

Jefferson, TX ..................... 5.8 117.8 -0.3 288 771 6.6 84

Lubbock, TX ....................... 6.5 119.7 2.6 88 603 5.2 166

McLennan, TX ................... 4.7 98.8 1.0 203 633 4.3 227

Montgomery, TX ................ 6.4 94.8 5.4 14 737 3.4 276

Nueces, TX ........................ 8.0 144.9 1.1 198 681 6.6 84

Potter, TX ........................... 3.9 77.2 0.0 272 628 5.2 166

Smith, TX ........................... 4.9 88.3 2.0 121 701 6.4 97

Tarrant, TX ......................... 34.0 708.8 1.9 127 827 4.3 227

Travis, TX .......................... 25.3 525.5 3.2 60 923 6.7 76

Webb, TX ........................... 4.3 79.9 2.5 91 540 4.9 186

Williamson, TX ................... 5.2 88.9 4.7 23 893 17.8 1

Davis, UT ........................... 6.5 94.3 3.8 38 642 4.7 198

Salt Lake, UT ..................... 35.8 535.9 2.8 79 743 6.0 117

Utah, UT ............................ 11.6 154.3 4.6 27 615 4.4 219

Weber, UT ......................... 5.5 88.7 1.8 135 593 3.3 279

Chittenden, VT ................... 5.7 97.0 1.5 172 780 1.4 309

Arlington, VA ...................... 7.1 158.2 2.9 75 1,291 7.7 38

Chesterfield, VA ................. 6.8 115.5 2.3 104 752 7.9 33

Fairfax, VA ......................... 30.0 561.3 4.7 23 1,239 6.7 76

Henrico, VA ........................ 8.3 172.2 2.5 91 864 12.5 4

Loudoun, VA ...................... 6.4 118.1 6.9 5 1,035 5.1 174

Prince William, VA ............. 6.1 99.0 6.6 6 732 5.8 129

Alexandria City, VA ............ 5.7 94.8 2.7 82 1,049 6.6 84

Chesapeake City, VA ......... 4.9 94.8 2.7 82 644 6.3 105

Newport News City, VA ..... 3.7 99.5 2.2 108 736 5.9 123

Norfolk City, VA ................. 5.6 145.6 0.2 259 782 4.3 227

Richmond City, VA ............. 7.0 160.6 1.8 135 914 6.4 97

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Ranking by

percent

change

Virginia Beach City, VA ...... 10.7 176.0 3.1 67 $643 6.1 110

Clark, WA ........................... 10.6 123.4 4.9 19 714 5.3 159

King, WA ............................ 78.2 1,117.2 1.8 135 973 3.8 256

Kitsap, WA ......................... 6.2 81.6 3.0 71 692 2.4 298

Pierce, WA ......................... 19.9 254.8 3.5 52 699 4.3 227

Snohomish, WA ................. 16.2 215.5 3.7 41 787 4.1 243

Spokane, WA ..................... 14.8 196.2 2.7 82 630 4.3 227

Thurston, WA ..................... 6.3 91.8 1.5 172 696 3.9 252

Yakima, WA ....................... 8.4 87.5 2.0 121 541 4.6 206

Kanawha, WV .................... 6.2 108.5 -0.8 302 689 5.0 178

Brown, WI .......................... 6.7 147.6 0.4 248 772 8.6 19

Dane, WI ............................ 13.7 298.4 2.4 95 770 3.1 287

Milwaukee, WI ................... 21.7 499.7 -0.3 288 824 6.7 76

Outagamie, WI ................... 5.0 101.6 3.1 67 705 5.2 166

Racine, WI ......................... 4.3 76.7 0.5 243 815 7.1 60

Waukesha, WI ................... 13.3 231.0 2.4 95 821 3.8 256

Winnebago, WI .................. 3.9 87.3 -0.1 276 798 7.8 34

San Juan, PR ..................... 13.6 338.0 1.0 203 535 4.3 227

1 Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

These 317 U.S. counties comprise 70.6 percent of the total covered workers in the U.S. 2 Data are preliminary. 3 Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note. 4 Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. See Technical

Note. 5 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. 6 Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. 7 Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.
Table 2. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the ten largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042

County by NAICS supersector

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage4

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-043

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-043

United States5 .................................................... 8,487.6 131,560.7 1.7 $812 5.7

Private industry .............................................. 8,215.2 110,295.2 1.9 816 6.0

Natural resources and mining .................... 123.0 1,592.9 2.1 758 7.8

Construction ............................................... 828.7 6,999.3 4.6 865 3.2

Manufacturing ............................................ 369.7 14,281.7 -0.1 985 4.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 1,860.9 26,305.1 1.3 704 5.9

Information ................................................. 143.3 3,102.1 -1.9 1,239 8.7

Financial activities ...................................... 792.7 7,985.2 1.4 1,238 8.6

Professional and business services ........... 1,349.9 16,664.6 3.4 1,016 7.3

Education and health services ................... 751.5 16,374.2 2.4 773 5.6

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 684.3 12,363.1 2.6 346 3.3

Other services ............................................ 1,100.4 4,288.3 0.2 518 4.6

Government ................................................... 272.4 21,265.6 0.6 794 4.9

Los Angeles, CA ................................................ 366.8 4,123.1 1.4 959 6.1

Private industry .............................................. 363.0 3,539.4 1.9 960 6.8

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.6 10.7 1.4 1,277 37.5

Construction ............................................... 13.1 142.0 7.1 939 6.5

Manufacturing ............................................ 17.0 476.8 -1.6 959 6.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 53.4 810.9 2.4 782 6.5

Information ................................................. 8.9 221.7 7.9 1,720 8.4

Financial activities ...................................... 23.1 238.9 0.9 1,363 8.9

Professional and business services ........... 40.0 576.4 2.0 1,132 7.6

Education and health services ................... 26.9 463.2 1.5 870 5.7

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 25.8 378.0 2.1 782 0.9

Other services ............................................ 153.9 219.8 -0.3 442 4.2

Government ................................................... 3.8 583.7 -1.0 957 2.9

Cook, IL .............................................................. 127.7 2,529.3 0.0 985 6.7

Private industry .............................................. 126.4 2,214.5 0.2 992 6.7

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.1 1.3 6.9 1,124 14.5

Construction ............................................... 10.8 94.5 -2.2 1,191 1.4

Manufacturing ............................................ 7.5 256.8 -1.7 1,039 7.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 26.6 495.1 0.0 803 6.8

Information ................................................. 2.5 62.6 -2.2 1,317 11.8

Financial activities ...................................... 14.2 217.3 -0.2 1,579 6.9

Professional and business services ........... 26.1 412.7 2.0 1,307 7.7

Education and health services ................... 12.6 357.8 1.5 832 5.3

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 10.7 217.4 -0.2 390 4.3

Other services ............................................ 12.7 94.2 -0.9 695 5.8

Government ................................................... 1.2 314.8 -1.8 939 7.6

New York, NY ..................................................... 112.9 2,266.8 0.9 1,608 8.4

Private industry .............................................. 112.7 1,815.5 1.2 1,760 8.1

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.0 0.1 -5.9 1,536 26.1

Construction ............................................... 2.1 28.7 0.0 1,591 1.8

Manufacturing ............................................ 3.3 45.0 -1.8 1,437 13.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 21.8 248.0 2.1 1,180 0.9

Information ................................................. 4.2 129.6 -1.6 1,839 4.2

Financial activities ...................................... 16.9 353.1 0.6 3,468 14.0

Professional and business services ........... 22.5 443.8 1.9 1,826 6.5

Education and health services ................... 8.0 278.5 1.6 956 4.3

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 10.3 194.9 1.8 834 6.4

Other services ............................................ 16.1 83.6 0.5 910 3.5

Government ................................................... 0.2 451.3 -0.4 998 9.4

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the ten largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County by NAICS supersector

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage4

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-043

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-043

Harris, TX ........................................................... 90.8 1,861.3 1.3 $978 7.8

Private industry .............................................. 90.4 1,620.7 1.8 999 7.5

Natural resources and mining .................... 1.3 64.7 2.9 2,400 9.5

Construction ............................................... 6.3 133.2 -1.8 938 2.4

Manufacturing ............................................ 4.6 164.3 0.9 1,223 10.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 21.2 406.8 1.5 870 6.0

Information ................................................. 1.4 33.3 -3.0 1,161 6.1

Financial activities ...................................... 9.8 115.1 2.2 1,257 6.7

Professional and business services ........... 17.3 291.7 3.6 1,168 8.4

Education and health services ................... 9.2 191.7 1.7 879 8.7

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 6.8 159.2 2.4 356 6.6

Other services ............................................ 10.5 56.4 0.3 557 4.1

Government ................................................... 0.5 240.5 -2.0 839 10.2

Maricopa, AZ ...................................................... 80.4 1,696.8 4.7 801 5.7

Private industry .............................................. 79.9 1,472.4 5.1 800 5.8

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.5 10.6 6.9 632 17.0

Construction ............................................... 8.3 148.5 12.9 819 5.1

Manufacturing ............................................ 3.2 130.0 1.9 1,071 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 18.3 350.6 4.3 757 5.7

Information ................................................. 1.5 34.2 -7.6 952 8.8

Financial activities ...................................... 9.7 139.6 4.3 1,024 9.9

Professional and business services ........... 17.7 278.8 6.8 833 7.1

Education and health services ................... 7.9 172.2 7.0 879 4.5

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 5.8 160.2 2.8 370 1.9

Other services ............................................ 5.5 44.5 0.1 539 8.0

Government ................................................... 0.5 224.4 2.2 807 5.4

Dallas, TX ........................................................... 68.3 1,458.4 1.8 1,001 5.1

Private industry .............................................. 67.9 1,299.8 1.9 1,021 5.1

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.5 6.6 2.6 2,429 -11.6

Construction ............................................... 4.4 75.7 3.6 921 2.0

Manufacturing ............................................ 3.4 145.0 2.1 1,136 6.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 15.6 319.1 0.9 950 6.7

Information ................................................. 1.8 58.7 -4.7 1,350 5.1

Financial activities ...................................... 8.7 142.0 1.6 1,304 7.0

Professional and business services ........... 13.9 250.4 3.8 1,188 2.5

Education and health services ................... 6.3 132.9 2.6 956 7.5

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 5.2 126.2 1.7 455 5.3

Other services ............................................ 6.6 39.8 -2.5 611 4.4

Government ................................................... 0.5 158.6 1.5 831 3.9

Orange, CA ........................................................ 90.3 1,464.8 2.0 938 7.1

Private industry .............................................. 88.9 1,335.9 2.5 942 7.3

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.2 6.0 -1.7 594 1.9

Construction ............................................... 6.7 91.7 4.6 1,019 5.9

Manufacturing ............................................ 5.9 184.2 0.7 1,093 5.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 17.2 280.7 2.2 858 5.9

Information ................................................. 1.4 33.2 -2.0 1,235 7.9

Financial activities ...................................... 10.1 140.1 8.2 1,520 11.7

Professional and business services ........... 17.5 259.6 1.5 1,020 8.1

Education and health services ................... 9.3 130.3 2.3 876 3.4

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 6.7 162.3 1.7 366 2.5

Other services ............................................ 13.7 47.3 3.2 547 4.2

Government ................................................... 1.4 128.9 -2.7 897 4.8

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the ten largest counties,

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County by NAICS supersector

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage4

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-043

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-043

San Diego, CA ................................................... 87.2 1,296.9 1.9 $872 6.5

Private industry .............................................. 85.8 1,077.4 2.1 865 6.7

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.9 11.1 0.6 551 10.2

Construction ............................................... 6.7 89.3 10.2 949 9.1

Manufacturing ............................................ 3.5 105.4 0.5 1,134 1.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 14.1 224.3 2.7 693 6.5

Information ................................................. 1.3 37.6 2.0 1,881 18.0

Financial activities ...................................... 9.1 80.7 0.3 1,152 7.6

Professional and business services ........... 15.0 209.1 1.5 1,065 6.5

Education and health services ................... 7.6 120.9 -0.3 833 6.7

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 6.6 145.7 1.4 369 5.1

Other services ............................................ 21.0 53.1 3.4 461 3.6

Government ................................................... 1.4 219.5 0.5 905 5.5

King, WA ............................................................ 78.2 1,117.2 1.8 973 3.8

Private industry .............................................. 77.7 960.4 1.9 987 4.3

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.4 2.9 4.3 1,216 9.3

Construction ............................................... 6.3 56.8 5.5 954 3.7

Manufacturing ............................................ 2.6 102.7 0.7 1,189 1.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 14.9 227.2 1.4 859 6.3

Information ................................................. 1.5 68.5 -1.4 1,946 5.9

Financial activities ...................................... 6.3 76.5 -0.3 1,157 3.7

Professional and business services ........... 12.1 164.2 4.8 1,195 3.1

Education and health services ................... 6.0 113.0 4.1 785 5.7

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 5.5 102.9 2.8 416 3.2

Other services ............................................ 22.0 45.7 -4.6 508 10.4

Government ................................................... 0.5 156.8 1.1 887 0.6

Miami-Dade, FL .................................................. 83.2 1,007.1 2.4 822 6.3

Private industry .............................................. 82.9 853.9 2.9 800 6.4

Natural resources and mining .................... 0.5 10.4 2.1 453 8.6

Construction ............................................... 5.2 43.7 7.2 845 6.3

Manufacturing ............................................ 2.8 49.7 -0.7 722 3.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities .............. 23.9 249.3 0.8 747 6.4

Information ................................................. 1.8 26.8 -3.8 1,116 11.2

Financial activities ...................................... 8.9 68.6 3.8 1,161 7.7

Professional and business services ........... 16.6 142.2 7.3 1,024 6.4

Education and health services ................... 8.2 126.0 1.8 794 4.3

Leisure and hospitality ............................... 5.6 98.1 4.6 452 3.4

Other services ............................................ 7.7 35.1 0.4 480 6.4

Government ................................................... 0.3 153.2 0.1 947 7.5

1 Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)

programs. 2 Data are preliminary. 3 Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. See

Technical Note. 4 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. 5 Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Table 3. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the largest county

by state, fourth quarter 20042

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

United States6 .................... 8,487.6 131,560.7 1.7 $812 5.7

Jefferson, AL ...................... 18.8 373.6 0.0 833 9.2

Anchorage Borough, AK .... 7.7 142.2 1.4 830 5.2

Maricopa, AZ ..................... 80.4 1,696.8 4.7 801 5.7

Pulaski, AR ........................ 13.4 245.7 1.2 757 5.6

Los Angeles, CA ................ 366.8 4,123.1 1.4 959 6.1

Denver, CO ........................ 24.5 429.1 1.7 990 5.9

Hartford, CT ....................... 24.4 487.7 0.9 1,016 7.4

New Castle, DE ................. 19.5 286.5 0.9 980 6.9

Washington, DC ................. 30.3 659.6 0.6 1,305 5.5

Miami-Dade, FL ................. 83.2 1,007.1 2.4 822 6.3

Fulton, GA .......................... 37.8 745.4 3.2 1,055 5.8

Honolulu, HI ....................... 23.4 441.3 3.3 756 7.2

Ada, ID ............................... 13.4 193.4 4.8 742 8.2

Cook, IL ............................. 127.7 2,529.3 0.0 985 6.7

Marion, IN .......................... 23.8 586.8 1.6 833 4.1

Polk, IA .............................. 14.3 264.0 1.8 817 7.5

Johnson, KS ...................... 19.0 300.7 2.4 841 7.3

Jefferson, KY ..................... 21.9 424.3 0.9 807 6.5

Orleans, LA ........................ 12.6 247.7 -1.1 753 5.5

Cumberland, ME ................ 12.3 173.4 0.8 769 7.1

Montgomery, MD ............... 31.9 458.2 1.2 1,067 6.3

Middlesex, MA ................... 48.7 791.6 0.1 1,146 5.4

Wayne, MI .......................... 34.6 804.2 -1.5 950 3.7

Hennepin, MN .................... 41.0 840.1 1.5 1,049 9.6

Hinds, MS .......................... 6.6 130.2 -1.0 713 4.9

St. Louis, MO ..................... 33.8 626.2 0.6 863 5.2

Yellowstone, MT ................ 5.5 71.8 3.9 637 4.8

Douglas, NE ....................... 15.0 312.1 0.3 757 7.4

Clark, NV ........................... 40.0 839.0 7.5 770 7.7

Hillsborough, NH ................ 12.3 197.7 0.9 933 6.4

Bergen, NJ ......................... 34.4 456.5 0.2 1,067 3.7

Bernalillo, NM .................... 16.4 318.6 1.9 727 5.2

New York, NY .................... 112.9 2,266.8 0.9 1,608 8.4

Mecklenburg, NC ............... 27.4 519.3 2.1 948 8.1

Cass, ND ........................... 5.5 90.4 4.3 687 9.0

Cuyahoga, OH ................... 38.3 764.3 0.2 864 7.6

Oklahoma, OK ................... 21.9 411.7 1.6 698 4.0

Multnomah, OR .................. 25.6 429.6 1.7 815 4.2

Allegheny, PA .................... 35.6 691.6 -0.6 848 5.7

Providence, RI ................... 17.9 289.8 -0.3 784 2.8

Greenville, SC .................... 12.3 227.1 1.7 719 5.3

Minnehaha, SD .................. 6.0 110.3 1.6 663 3.3

Shelby, TN ......................... 19.7 505.5 1.1 838 5.4

Harris, TX ........................... 90.8 1,861.3 1.3 978 7.8

Salt Lake, UT ..................... 35.8 535.9 2.8 743 6.0

Chittenden, VT ................... 5.7 97.0 1.5 780 1.4

Fairfax, VA ......................... 30.0 561.3 4.7 1,239 6.7

King, WA ............................ 78.2 1,117.2 1.8 973 3.8

Kanawha, WV .................... 6.2 108.5 -0.8 689 5.0

Milwaukee, WI ................... 21.7 499.7 -0.3 824 6.7

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 3. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages in the largest county

by state, fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

County3

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage5

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-044

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-044

Laramie, WY ...................... 2.9 39.5 -0.1 $630 5.5

San Juan, PR ..................... 13.6 338.0 1.0 535 4.3

St. Thomas, VI ................... 1.7 22.9 -3.4 628 5.7

1 Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal

Employees (UCFE) programs. 2 Data are preliminary. 3 Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note. 4 Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county

reclassifications. See Technical Note. 5 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. 6 Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Table 4. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages by state, 

fourth quarter 20042

State

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage3

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-04

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-04

United States4 .................... 8,487.6 131,560.7 1.7 $812 5.7

Alabama ............................. 116.0 1,882.0 2.3 695 5.8

Alaska ................................ 20.2 288.4 2.1 780 4.4

Arizona ............................... 127.6 2,459.0 4.4 752 5.9

Arkansas ............................ 77.0 1,149.1 1.4 623 6.0

California ............................ 1,229.4 15,163.8 1.7 928 6.7

Colorado ............................ 164.3 2,181.7 2.2 830 5.9

Connecticut ........................ 109.6 1,663.8 1.0 1,056 6.3

Delaware ............................ 29.5 418.0 2.1 883 7.0

District of Columbia ............ 30.3 659.6 0.6 1,305 5.5

Florida ................................ 534.2 7,729.7 3.7 736 6.5

Georgia .............................. 253.0 3,916.5 2.1 772 5.0

Hawaii ................................ 35.9 603.0 3.3 723 6.6

Idaho .................................. 50.3 597.8 3.6 618 6.6

Illinois ................................. 331.3 5,773.7 0.6 877 6.0

Indiana ............................... 152.8 2,883.9 1.1 706 4.6

Iowa ................................... 91.8 1,441.9 1.6 667 6.5

Kansas ............................... 82.8 1,317.5 1.5 668 5.9

Kentucky ............................ 107.9 1,761.9 1.2 679 5.3

Louisiana ........................... 117.1 1,890.3 0.7 658 4.9

Maine ................................. 51.1 600.9 0.9 661 4.8

Maryland ............................ 156.9 2,506.0 1.7 879 5.8

Massachusetts ................... 212.9 3,169.2 0.4 1,007 5.6

Michigan ............................ 253.7 4,348.5 -0.3 835 3.3

Minnesota .......................... 159.5 2,635.3 1.6 835 7.5

Mississippi ......................... 66.9 1,116.7 0.8 586 4.8

Missouri ............................. 168.8 2,670.4 1.4 709 4.9

Montana ............................. 41.7 409.3 3.2 572 4.2

Nebraska ........................... 55.8 891.8 0.9 648 5.7

Nevada .............................. 64.6 1,186.1 6.7 768 6.5

New Hampshire ................. 47.7 624.0 1.4 840 6.5

New Jersey ........................ 269.2 3,964.7 1.1 1,001 5.7

New Mexico ....................... 50.0 773.2 2.2 645 5.0

New York ........................... 556.7 8,466.9 1.0 1,016 5.8

North Carolina .................... 230.7 3,844.9 2.3 714 5.2

North Dakota ...................... 24.4 326.2 2.7 599 6.4

Ohio ................................... 289.0 5,350.3 0.5 754 5.9

Oklahoma .......................... 93.1 1,458.8 2.2 627 5.0

Oregon ............................... 120.8 1,623.5 2.8 719 3.5

Pennsylvania ..................... 332.5 5,573.2 0.9 796 6.0

Rhode Island ...................... 35.4 482.6 0.4 765 3.5

South Carolina ................... 114.4 1,811.0 2.0 655 5.0

South Dakota ..................... 28.8 371.2 1.6 581 3.9

Tennessee ......................... 130.7 2,704.3 2.3 728 5.5

Texas ................................. 514.2 9,479.9 1.9 800 6.1

Utah ................................... 79.5 1,100.6 3.3 664 5.2

Vermont ............................. 24.6 304.7 1.1 676 2.3

Virginia ............................... 208.1 3,568.2 2.7 841 6.9

Washington ........................ 215.4 2,718.0 2.5 790 4.1

West Virginia ...................... 48.0 695.4 1.4 620 5.6

Wisconsin .......................... 158.7 2,755.2 1.4 719 5.4

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Covered1 establishments, employment, and wages by state, 

fourth quarter 20042 — Continued

State

Establishments,

fourth quarter

2004

(thousands)

Employment Average weekly wage3

December

2004

(thousands)

Percent

change,

December

2003-04

Average

weekly

wage

Percent

change,

fourth quarter

2003-04

Wyoming ............................ 22.6 247.9 2.6 $641 4.1

Puerto Rico ........................ 53.5 1,098.0 1.9 468 3.8

Virgin Islands ..................... 3.2 43.7 1.0 670 6.3

1 Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal

Employees (UCFE) programs. 2 Data are preliminary. 3 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. 4 Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Chart 1. Percent change in employment in counties with 75,000 em

December 200304 (U.S. Average = 1.7%)

Note: The following counties have fewer than 75,000 employees

but are included because they are the largest county in their state

or territory: Laramie, Wyo., Yellowstone, Mont., and St. Thomas, V.I.

S

J
Chart 2. Percent change in average weekly wage in counties with 7

or more, fourth quarter 200304 (U.S. Average = 5.7%)

Note: The following counties have fewer than 75,000 employees

but are included because they are the largest county in their state

or territory: Laramie, Wyo., Yellowstone, Mont., and St. Thomas, V.I.

S

J