Technical information:         (202) 691-6567     USDL 06-638
                      http://www.bls.gov/cew/
                                                  For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                      691-5902      Wednesday, April 12, 2006


             COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES:  THIRD QUARTER 2005

   In September 2005, Lee County, Fla., had the largest over-the-year per-
centage increase in employment among the largest counties in the United
States, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  Lee County, which includes Fort
Myers, experienced an over-the-year employment gain of 11.4 percent, compared
with national job growth of 2.0 percent.  Passaic County, N.J., an area north
of Newark, had the largest over-the-year gain in average weekly wages in the
third quarter of 2005, with an increase of 19.0 percent.  The U.S. average
weekly wage increased by 6.1 percent over the same time span.
   
   Of the 322 largest counties in the U.S., as measured by 2004 annual
average employment, 136 had over-the-year percentage growth in employment
above the national average in September 2005, and 173 experienced changes
below the national average.  Average weekly wages grew faster than the
national average in 132 of the largest U.S. counties, while the percent
change in average weekly wages was below the national average in 173
counties.
   
   The employment and average weekly wage data by county are compiled
under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also
known as the ES-202 program.  The data are derived from reports submitted
by employers subject to unemployment insurance (UI) laws.  The 8.6 million
employer reports cover 132.9 million full- and part-time workers.  The at-
tached tables contain data for the nation and for the 322 U.S. counties with
annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2004.  September 2005
employment and 2005 third-quarter average weekly wages for all states are
provided in table 4 of this release.  Final data for all states, metropoli-
tan statistical areas, counties, and the nation through the fourth quarter
of 2004 are available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/cew/.  Pre-
liminary data for first, second, and third quarters of 2005 will be available
later in April on the BLS Web site.
   
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
   |                     Hurricanes Katrina and Rita                     |
   |                                                                     |
   |    The measures of employment and wages reported in this news       |
   | release reflect the impact of Hurricane Katrina and ongoing         |
   | labor market trends.  Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on       |
   | August 29, 2005, with catastrophic effects in parts of Louisiana,   |
   | Mississippi, and Alabama.  This event occurred after the August     |
   | QCEW reference period and before the September period.  Its ef-     |
   | fects are first reflected in the September QCEW employment counts   |
   | and the wage totals for the third quarter of 2005.  QCEW nonre-     |
   | sponse adjustment methods were modified for September 2005 to       |
   | better reflect the impact of the hurricane in parts of Louisiana    |
   | and Mississippi.  For more information, see the QCEW section of     |
   | the Katrina coverage on the BLS Web site (http://www.bls.gov/       |
   | katrina/qcewquestions.htm).                                         |
   |                                                                     |
   |    Hurricane Rita made landfall September 24, after the September   |
   | reference period.  The impact of this event did not warrant changes |
   | to QCEW methodology for the third quarter of 2005.                  |
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Top 10 counties ranked by September 2005 employment, September 2004-05
employment growth, and September 2004-05 percent growth in employment
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Employment in large counties
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           |                            |
 September 2005 employment |    Growth in employment,   |    Percent growth  
        (thousands)        |      September 2004-05     |    in employment, 
                           |        (thousands)         |   September 2004-05
---------------------------|----------------------------|------------------------
U.S.              132,929.3|U.S.                 2,614.4|U.S.                 2.0       
---------------------------|----------------------------|------------------------
Los Angeles, Calif.   4,105|Maricopa, Ariz.        105.5|Lee, Fla.           11.4 
Cook, Ill.            2,529|Los Angeles, Calif.     72.1|Seminole, Fla.      10.7    
New York, N.Y.        2,243|Harris, Texas           61.9|Collier, Fla.        8.2 
Harris, Texas         1,882|Clark, Nev.             58.7|Kern, Calif.         7.6 
Maricopa, Ariz.       1,735|Broward, Fla.           44.9|Lake, Fla.           7.4 
Orange, Calif.        1,498|Orange, Fla.            40.0|Volusia, Fla.        7.4 
Dallas, Texas         1,431|New York, N.Y.          37.0|Clark, Nev.          7.1 
San Diego, Calif.     1,301|Miami-Dade, Fla.        32.0|Polk, Fla.           6.9 
King, Wash.           1,129|Orange, Calif.          31.6|Maricopa, Ariz.      6.5 
Miami-Dade, Fla.      1,003|San Bernadino, Calif.   31.1|Broward, Fla.        6.5 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Large County Employment
   
   In September 2005, national employment, as measured by the QCEW program,
was 132.9 million, up by 2.0 percent from September 2004.  The 322 U.S.
counties with 75,000 or more employees accounted for 70.6 percent of total
U.S. covered employment and 76.4 percent of total covered wages.  These 322
counties had a net job gain of 1,776,000 over the year, accounting for 67.9
percent of the U.S. employment increase.  Employment increased in 275 of the
large counties from September 2004 to September 2005.  Lee County, Fla., had
the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (11.4 percent).
Seminole, Fla., had the next largest increase, 10.7 percent, followed by the
counties of Collier, Fla. (8.2 percent), Kern, Calif. (7.6 percent), and Lake
and Volusia, Fla. (7.4 percent each).  (See table 1.)
   
   Employment declined in 35 large counties from September 2004 to September
2005.  The largest percentage decline in employment was in Orleans County, La.
(-26.3 percent), followed by the counties of Jefferson, La. (-25.6 percent),
and Harrison, Miss. (-13.9 percent).  Employment losses in these three Gulf
Coast counties reflected the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.  Hinds,
Miss., located farther inland and within 100 miles of the path of Katrina,
had the next largest employment decline (-2.1 percent).  Winnebago, Ill.,
followed with a 1.4 percent decline.

   The largest gains in employment from September 2004 to September 2005
were recorded in the counties of Maricopa, Ariz. (105,500), Los Angeles,
Calif. (72,100), Harris, Texas (61,900), Clark, Nev. (58,700), and Broward,
Fla. (44,900).  (See table A.)
   
   The largest decline in employment occurred in Orleans County, La. (-63,600),
followed by the counties of Jefferson, La. (-54,400), Harrison, Miss. (-12,500),
Wayne, Mich. (-9,900), and Hinds, Miss. (-2,700).
   
Large County Average Weekly Wages

   The national average weekly wage in the third quarter of 2005 was $777.
Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 115 of the
largest 322 U.S. counties.  New York County, N.Y., held the top position
among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of
$1,419.  Santa Clara, Calif., was second with an average weekly wage of
$1,403, followed by Arlington, Va. ($1,292), San Mateo, Calif. ($1,268),
and Washington, D.C. ($1,265).  (See table B.)
                                     
                                  - 3 -
   
Table B.  Top 10 counties ranked by third quarter 2005 average weekly wages, 
third quarter 2004-05 growth in average weekly wages, and third quarter 
2004-05 percent growth in average weekly wages
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Average weekly wage in large counties     
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           |                         |    
   Average weekly wage,    | Growth in average weekly|   Percent growth in
   third quarter 2005      |   wage, third quarter   |  average weekly wage,     
                           |          2004-05        | third quarter 2004-05 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------            
U.S.                   $777|U.S.                  $45|U.S.                 6.1  
---------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------
New York, N.Y.       $1,419|Passaic, N.J.        $148|Passaic, N.J.       19.0
Santa Clara, Calif.   1,403|San Mateo, Calif.     143|Fort Bend, Texas    15.4  
Arlington, Va.        1,292|Boulder, Colo.        120|Boulder, Colo.      13.8 
San Mateo, Calif.     1,268|Fairfax, Va.          117|San Mateo, Calif.   12.7
Washington, D.C.      1,265|Fort Bend, Texas      115|Harrison, Miss.     12.7  
San Francisco, Calif. 1,219|San Francisco, Calif. 108|Fairfax, Va.        10.9
Suffolk, Mass.        1,198|Santa Clara, Calif.    95|Ventura, Calif.     10.7 
Fairfield, Conn.      1,197|New York, N.Y.         93|Orleans, La.        10.7
Fairfax, Va.          1,188|Arlington, Va.         92|Montgomery, Texas   10.5  
Somerset, N.J.        1,148|Alameda, Calif.        83|Collier, Fla.       10.4  
                           |Marin, Calif.          83|                          
                           |Ventura, Calif.        83|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


   There were 206 counties with an average weekly wage below the national
average in the third quarter of 2005.  The lowest average weekly wages were
reported in Cameron County, Texas ($486), followed by the counties of Hidalgo,
Texas ($499), Horry, S.C. ($505), and Webb, Texas, and Yakima, Wash. ($525
each).  (See table 1.)
   
   Over the year, the national average weekly wage rose by 6.1 percent.
Among the largest counties, Passaic, N.J., led the nation in growth in
average weekly wages, with an increase of 19.0 percent from the third
quarter of 2004.  Fort Bend, Texas, was second with 15.4 percent growth,
followed by the counties of Boulder, Colo. (13.8 percent), and San Mateo,
Calif., and Harrison, Miss. (12.7 percent each).  The average weekly wage
growth rate for Harrison, Miss., and the 10.7 percent wage gain for Orleans,
La., were boosted as a result of the disproportionate job and pay losses in
lower-paid industries following Hurricane Katrina.
   
   Five counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly
wages.  Clayton County, Ga., had the largest decrease, -5.1 percent,
followed by the counties of Benton, Ark. (-1.2 percent), Trumbull, Ohio
(-0.6 percent), Saginaw, Mich. (-0.4 percent), and St. Joseph, Ind. (-0.1
percent).

Ten Largest U.S. Counties
   
   Of the 10 largest U.S. counties (based on 2004 annual average employ-
ment levels), all reported increases in employment from September 2004
to September 2005.  Maricopa County, Ariz., experienced the fastest growth
in employment among the largest counties, with a 6.5 percent increase.  With-
in Maricopa County, employment rose in every industry group except informa-
tion.  The largest gains were in construction (15.0 percent) and professional
and business services (8.2 percent).  (See table 2.)  Harris, Texas, had the
next largest increase in employment, 3.4 percent, followed by Miami-Dade, Fla.
(3.3 percent).  The smallest employment gains occurred in Cook County, Ill.
(0.7 percent), followed by the counties of San Diego, Calif. (1.6 percent),
and New York, N.Y. (1.7 percent).

   All of the 10 largest U.S. counties saw over-the-year increases in
average weekly wages.  Miami-Dade, Fla., had the fastest growth in wages
among the 10 largest counties, 8.9 percent.  Within Miami-Dade County,
wages increased the most in government (13.2 percent) and manufacturing
(11.2 percent).  Maricopa, Ariz., was second in wage growth, with a gain 
of 8.1 percent, followed by Harris County, Texas (7.8 percent).  The small-
est wage gains among the 10 largest counties occurred in Los Angeles, Calif.,
and Cook, Ill. (5.5 percent each), followed by Dallas County, Texas (6.6 per-
cent).

                                  - 4 -

Largest County by State

   Table 3 shows September 2005 employment and the 2005 third-quarter
average weekly wage in the largest county in each state (based on 2004
annual average employment levels).  (This table includes two counties--
Yellowstone, Mont., and Laramie, Wyo.--that have employment levels below
75,000.)  The employment levels in these counties in September 2005
ranged from approximately 4.1 million in Los Angeles County, Calif., to
41,000 in Laramie County, Wyo.  The highest average weekly wage of these
counties was in New York, N.Y. ($1,419), while the lowest average weekly
wage was in Yellowstone, Mont. ($619).

For More Information

    For additional information about the quarterly employment and wages
data, please read the Technical Note or visit the QCEW Web site at http:
//www.bls.gov/cew/.  Additional information about the QCEW data also may
be obtained by e-mailing QCEWinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-6567.


   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  |    Regional Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages News releases   |
  |                                                                      |
  |    Several BLS regional offices are issuing QCEW news releases tar-  |
  | geted to local data users.  For links to these releases, see http:   |
  | //www.bls.gov/cew/cewregional.htm.                                   |
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------



   

                                  - 5 -

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 to-
tal 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 2005 are preliminary and sub-
ject to revision.

   For purposes of this release, large counties are defined as having em-
ployment levels of 75,000 or greater.  In addition, data for San Juan,
Puerto Rico, are provided, but not used in calculating U.S. averages,
rankings, or in the analysis in the text.  Each year, these large counties
are selected on the basis of the preliminary annual average of employment
for the previous year.  The 323 counties presented in this release were
derived using 2004 preliminary annual averages of employment.  All of the
318 counties that were published in the 2004 releases are included in the
2005 releases.  The following counties grew enough in 2004 to be included
in the 2005 releases: Lake, Fla., Wyandotte, Kan., Harford, Md., Washington,
Pa., and Whatcom, Wash.  These counties will be included in all 2005 quar-
terly 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 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 pro-
cedure, and publication product.

   Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat
different measures of employment change over time. It is important to
understand program differences and the intended uses of the program pro-
ducts.  (See table below.)  Additional information on each program can 
be obtained from the program Web sites shown in the table below.

                                  - 6 -

Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                     
           |         QCEW        |         BED          |         CES
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Source     |--Count of UI admini-|--Count of longitudi- |--Sample survey: 
           |  strative records   |  nally-linked UI ad- |  400,000 establish-
           |  submitted by 8.6   |  ministrative records|  ments
           |  million establish- |  submitted by 6.7    |
           |  ments              |  million private-sec-|
           |                     |  tor employers       |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Coverage   |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and sal-
           |  age, including all |  ing government, pri-|  ary jobs:
           |  employers subject  |  vate households, and|--UI coverage, exclud-
           |  to state and feder-|  establishments with |  ing agriculture, pri-
           |  al UI laws         |  zero employment     |  vate households, and
           |                     |                      |  self-employed workers
           |                     |                      |--Other employment, in-
           |                     |                      |  cluding railroads, 
           |                     |                      |  religious organiza-
           |                     |                      |  tions, and other non-
           |                     |                      |  UI-covered jobs
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Publication|--Quarterly          |--Quarterly           |--Monthly 
frequency  |  -7 months after the|  -8 months after the |  -Usually first Friday
           |   end of each quar- |   end of each quarter|   of following month
           |   ter               |                      |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Use of UI  |--Directly summarizes|--Links each new UI   |--Uses UI file as a sam-
file       |  and publishes each |  quarter to longitu- |  pling frame and annu-
           |  new quarter of UI  |  dinal database and  |  ally realigns (bench-
           |  data               |  directly summarizes |  marks) sample esti-    
           |                     |  gross job gains and |  mates to first quar-  
           |                     |  losses              |  ter UI levels
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Principal  |--Provides a quarter-|--Provides quarterly  |--Provides current month-
products   |  ly and annual uni- |  employer dynamics   |  ly estimates of employ-
           |  verse count of es- |  data on establish-  |  ment, hours, and earn-
           |  tablishments, em-  |  ment openings, clos-|  ings at the MSA, state,
           |  ployment, and wages|  ings, expansions,   |  and national level by
           |  at the county, MSA,|  and contractions at |  industry
           |  state, and national|  the national level  |
           |  levels by detailed |  by NAICS supersec-  |
           |  industry           |  tors and by size of |
           |                     |  firm                |
           |                     |--Future expansions   |
           |                     |  will include data at|
           |                     |  the county, MSA, and|
           |                     |  state level
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|--------------------------
Principal  |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
uses       |  -Detailed locality |  -Business cycle     |  -Principal national
           |   data              |   analysis           |   economic indicator
           |  -Periodic universe |  -Analysis of employ-|  -Official time series 
           |   counts for bench- |   er dynamics under- |   for employment change
           |   marking sample    |   lying economic ex- |   measures
           |   survey estimates  |   pansions and con-  |  -Input into other ma-
           |  -Sample frame for  |   tractions          |   jor economic indi-
           |   BLS establishment |  -Analysis of employ-|   cators
           |   surveys           |   ment expansion and |
           |                     |   contraction by size|
           |                     |   of firm            |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|--------------------------
Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew/   |--www.bls.gov/bdm/    |--www.bls.gov/ces/
Web sites  |                     |                      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  
                                  - 7 -
   
Coverage
   
   Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI laws are
compiled from quarterly contribution reports submitted to the SWAs by
employers.  For federal civilian workers covered by the Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program, employment and wage data
are compiled from quarterly reports that are sent to the appropriate SWA by
the specific federal agency.  In addition to the quarterly contribution
reports, employers who operate multiple establishments within a state com-
plete a questionnaire, called the "Multiple Worksite Report," which provides
detailed information on the location and industry of each of their establish-
ments.  The employment and wage data included in this release are derived
from microdata summaries of more than 8 million employer reports of employ-
ment 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 2004, UI and UCFE programs covered workers in 129.3 million
jobs.  The estimated 124.4 million workers in these jobs (after adjust-
ment for multiple jobholders) represented 96.6 percent of civilian wage 
and salary employment.  Covered workers received $5.088 trillion in pay,
representing 94.4 percent of the wage and salary component of personal
income and 43.4 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 domes-
tic 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.  Beginning with the first quarter of 2005,
Oregon implemented a change in their state UI laws.  This change extended
UI coverage to providers of home care for the elderly.  These providers are
now considered state workers for purposes of UI benefits.  

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 pro-
duction 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.  Over-the-year comparisons of average
weekly wages may reflect fluctuations in average monthly employment and/or
total quarterly wages between the current quarter and prior year levels.
   
   Average weekly wages are affected by the ratio of full-time to part-time
workers as well as the number of individuals in high-paying and low-paying
occupations and the incidence of pay periods within a quarter.  For instance,
the average weekly wage of the work force could increase significantly when
there is a large decline in the number of employees that had been receiving
below-average wages.  Wages may include payments to workers not present in
the employment counts because they did not work during the pay period in-
cluding the 12th of the month.  When comparing average weekly wage levels
between industries, states, or quarters, these factors should be taken into
consideration.

                                  - 8 -

   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 bi-
weekly 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 concentra-
tions 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 own-
ership classification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle.  Changes
in establishment classification codes resulting from this process are in-
troduced 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 calcuated using an adjusted version of the final 2004
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 prior-year 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 owner-
ship information of their establishments.  The most common adjustments
for administrative change are the result of updated information about the
county location of individual establishments.  Included in these adjust-
ments are administrative changes involving the classification of establish-
ments that were previously reported in the unknown or statewide county or
unknown industry categories.  The adjusted data do not account for adminis-
trative changes caused by multi-unit employers who start reporting for each
individual establishment rather than as a single entity.

                                   - 9 -

   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 re-
ferred to in this release are defined as census regions.

Additional statistics and other information
   
   An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages, features comprehensive infor-
mation by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for 
the nation and all states.  The 2004 edition of this bulletin contains
selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains
and losses, as well as selected data from the fourth quarter 2004 version
of this news release.  Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2004 is now
available for sale from the United States Government Printing Office,
Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250, tele-
phone 866-512-1800, outside of Washington, D.C.  Within Washington, D.C.,
the telephone number is 202-512-1800.  The fax number is 202-512-2104.
Also, the 2004 bulletin is available in a portable document format (PDF)
on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn04.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. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the 323 largest counties,
third quarter 2005(2)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
                                                     Employment               Average weekly wage(5)   
                                                                                                       
                          Establishments,                                                              
        County(3)          third quarter                Percent   Ranking            Percent   Ranking 
                                2005       September    change,      by    Average   change,      by   
                            (thousands)       2005     September  percent   weekly    third    percent 
                                          (thousands) 2004-05(4)   change    wage    quarter    change 
                                                                                   2004-05(4)          
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
United States(6).........       8,634.7     132,929.3       2.0         -     $777       6.1         - 
                                                                                                       
Jefferson, AL............          18.8         372.8       1.3       186      796       7.7        51 
Madison, AL..............           8.2         169.6       2.5       103      847       9.3        14 
Mobile, AL...............           9.8         166.4       3.2        72      638       6.2       126 
Montgomery, AL...........           6.7         136.0       3.3        67      658       6.3       120 
Tuscaloosa, AL...........           4.2          81.9       4.4        43      655       6.7        98 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           7.9         148.0       1.9       141      857       5.8       153 
Maricopa, AZ.............          84.3       1,735.0       6.5         9      790       8.1        35 
Pima, AZ.................          18.3         356.9       3.6        61      697       8.7        23 
Benton, AR...............           4.9          90.8       5.3        22      673      -1.2       313 
Pulaski, AR..............          13.5         245.7       1.3       186      709       6.1       133 
                                                                                                       
Washington, AR...........           5.3          91.3       5.0        28      634       5.3       194 
Alameda, CA..............          47.5         681.8       0.3       256    1,053       8.6        26 
Contra Costa, CA.........          27.1         343.1       0.5       243      973       5.6       168 
Fresno, CA...............          28.6         354.6       1.7       155      616       3.9       266 
Kern, CA.................          16.4         280.5       7.6         4      658       (7)         - 
Los Angeles, CA..........         370.3       4,105.4       1.8       150      879       5.5       174 
Marin, CA................          11.5         110.2       0.6       237      988       9.2        15 
Monterey, CA.............          11.8         179.8       0.2       265      687       6.7        98 
Orange, CA...............          90.3       1,497.5       2.2       122      907       7.1        71 
Placer, CA...............           9.7         134.8       (7)         -      783       (7)         - 
                                                                                                       
Riverside, CA............          39.9         610.6       5.3        22      680       7.1        71 
Sacramento, CA...........          47.6         630.6       2.6        99      878       7.9        42 
San Bernardino, CA.......          43.0         637.2       5.1        25      698       6.6       105 
San Diego, CA............          87.6       1,301.3       1.6       164      855       7.3        60 
San Francisco, CA........          42.8         528.9       1.4       176    1,219       9.7        12 
San Joaquin, CA..........          16.1         224.8       1.0       209      686       6.0       142 
San Luis Obispo, CA......           8.7         104.4       1.5       167      655       3.8       271 
San Mateo, CA............          22.4         329.0       0.3       256    1,268      12.7         4 
Santa Barbara, CA........          13.1         186.1       2.3       114      751       7.1        71 
Santa Clara, CA..........          52.7         864.2       1.7       155    1,403       7.3        60 
                                                                                                       
Santa Cruz, CA...........           8.4         100.4       0.1       271      750       9.8        11 
Solano, CA...............           9.5         131.7       1.7       155      753       8.7        23 
Sonoma, CA...............          17.1         193.4      -0.2       287      772       5.5       174 
Stanislaus, CA...........          13.2         177.9       1.5       167      671       5.8       153 
Tulare, CA...............           8.4         144.1       5.1        25      556       5.3       194 
Ventura, CA..............          20.7         312.5       2.0       137      861      10.7         7 
Yolo, CA.................           5.2         100.7       1.2       192      784       6.7        98 
Adams, CO................           9.1         150.2       3.0        83      755       6.9        86 
Arapahoe, CO.............          19.6         273.0       1.6       164      935       7.3        60 
Boulder, CO..............          12.4         155.5       2.1       130      989      13.8         3 
                                                                                                       
Denver, CO...............          25.1         429.4       1.7       155      947       6.6       105 
El Paso, CO..............          16.9         241.9       2.2       122      741       6.5       111 
Jefferson, CO............          18.8         208.0       2.0       137      810       6.0       142 
Larimer, CO..............           9.8         127.3       2.1       130      722       4.6       240 
Fairfield, CT............          32.2         413.7       0.9       221    1,197       5.7       159 
Hartford, CT.............          24.6         488.6       1.2       192      968       5.6       168 
New Haven, CT............          22.2         361.9       0.0       276      845       4.2       258 
New London, CT...........           6.7         130.6       0.8       227      812       6.6       105 
New Castle, DE...........          19.8         281.2       0.3       256      921       7.5        56 
Washington, DC...........          30.7         666.4       0.8       227    1,265       4.5       244 
                                                                                                       
Alachua, FL..............           6.2         124.4       (7)         -      665       (7)         - 
Brevard, FL..............          13.9         204.1       5.4        19      746       2.1       301 
Broward, FL..............          61.6         738.1       6.5         9      746       6.9        86 
Collier, FL..............          11.7         125.1       8.2         3      722      10.4        10 
Duval, FL................          24.6         452.7       4.9        32      765       6.8        93 
Escambia, FL.............           7.6         127.2       2.9        86      632       8.2        33 
Hillsborough, FL.........          34.5         626.2       4.1        48      745       7.3        60 
Lake, FL.................           6.4          80.7       7.4         5      600       8.9        21 
Lee, FL..................          17.4         214.0      11.4         1      685       7.9        42 
Leon, FL.................           7.8         148.8       3.2        72      679       7.8        47 
                                                                                                       
Manatee, FL..............           8.2         122.5       5.6        17      624       9.1        18 
Marion, FL...............           7.5          98.7       (7)         -      580       (7)         - 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          84.4       1,003.2       3.3        67      781       8.9        21 
Okaloosa, FL.............           6.0          83.6       6.0        15      642       9.6        13 
Orange, FL...............          32.6         665.8       6.4        11      729       6.9        86 
Palm Beach, FL...........          47.2         546.3       (7)         -      768       6.7        98 
Pasco, FL................           8.6          94.2       (7)         -      565       (7)         - 
Pinellas, FL.............          30.4         441.9       1.5       167      687       7.7        51 
Polk, FL.................          11.7         201.8       6.9         8      629       4.8       223 
Sarasota, FL.............          14.7         158.9       3.8        54      679       9.2        15 
                                                                                                       
Seminole, FL.............          13.6         171.5      10.7         2      699       7.0        79 
Volusia, FL..............          13.3         164.3       7.4         5      571       3.6       279 
Bibb, GA.................           4.7          85.1      -1.2       305      653       4.5       244 
Chatham, GA..............           7.2         132.0       2.6        99      674       7.2        68 
Clayton, GA..............           4.4         109.6       3.3        67      765      -5.1       314 
Cobb, GA.................          20.2         313.1       4.5        41      857       7.1        71 
De Kalb, GA..............          17.0         291.5       1.1       202      843       7.3        60 
Fulton, GA...............          38.0         744.4       2.2       122    1,007       4.9       218 
Gwinnett, GA.............          22.3         319.7       3.6        61      828       6.0       142 
Muscogee, GA.............           4.8          98.7       2.3       114      627       6.6       105 
                                                                                                       
Richmond, GA.............           4.8         104.6       1.9       141      667       6.4       115 
Honolulu, HI.............          23.8         441.7       3.2        72      740       5.3       194 
Ada, ID..................          13.9         201.2       5.4        19      719       6.4       115 
Champaign, IL............           4.0          91.4       1.2       192      670       3.2       289 
Cook, IL.................         131.0       2,529.4       0.7       232      920       5.5       174 
Du Page, IL..............          33.7         587.8       1.5       167      913       7.0        79 
Kane, IL.................          11.6         208.0       2.8        88      732       6.1       133 
Lake, IL.................          19.6         329.9       0.6       237      909       3.9       266 
McHenry, IL..............           7.8          99.6       2.7        94      694       4.8       223 
McLean, IL...............           3.5          85.8       1.9       141      760       8.6        26 
                                                                                                       
Madison, IL..............           5.8          94.2       0.2       265      648       5.5       174 
Peoria, IL...............           4.6         100.6       2.4       109      753       8.5        30 
Rock Island, IL..........           3.4          79.9       1.9       141      755       5.6       168 
St. Clair, IL............           5.2          94.3       0.4       252      641       6.3       120 
Sangamon, IL.............           5.2         131.8       0.6       237      767       4.8       223 
Will, IL.................          11.7         172.4       3.2        72      727       4.2       258 
Winnebago, IL............           6.7         136.4      -1.4       309      685       (7)         - 
Allen, IN................           8.7         182.7       0.7       232      683       4.0       263 
Elkhart, IN..............           4.8         126.8       0.3       256      687       4.4       248 
Hamilton, IN.............           6.6          96.9       4.3        44      795       4.7       232 
                                                                                                       
Lake, IN.................          10.0         195.6       1.0       209      700       4.5       244 
Marion, IN...............          23.5         584.0       0.5       243      819       7.1        71 
St. Joseph, IN...........           6.0         126.7      -0.5       297      666      -0.1       310 
Vanderburgh, IN..........           4.8         108.5       1.0       209      676       7.5        56 
Linn, IA.................           6.1         118.3       1.7       155      763       8.1        35 
Polk, IA.................          14.2         265.6       1.9       141      792       6.9        86 
Scott, IA................           5.1          89.9       3.9        52      641       6.3       120 
Johnson, KS..............          19.4         302.9       1.7       155      823       7.9        42 
Sedgwick, KS.............          11.8         244.0       0.7       232      727       5.7       159 
Shawnee, KS..............           4.7          94.0      -0.8       300      673       8.0        39 
                                                                                                       
Wyandotte, KS............           3.2          78.3       1.2       192      764       2.3       299 
Fayette, KY..............           8.8         169.8       2.4       109      711       3.8       271 
Jefferson, KY............          21.6         425.3       1.4       176      761       5.5       174 
Caddo, LA................           7.2         124.1       2.3       114      647       5.4       188 
Calcasieu, LA............           4.8          85.0       4.7        35      654       9.0        19 
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          13.3         256.2       4.8        34      653       5.2       203 
Jefferson, LA............          14.3         158.3     -25.6       312      656       6.0       142 
Lafayette, LA............           7.9         125.1       6.2        13      680       6.8        93 
Orleans, LA..............          12.9         178.2     -26.3       313      742      10.7         7 
Cumberland, ME...........          11.7         171.3      -0.1       279      710       6.0       142 
                                                                                                       
Anne Arundel, MD.........          14.0         224.3       2.2       122      817       6.8        93 
Baltimore, MD............          21.0         374.1       1.4       176      808       7.3        60 
Frederick, MD............           5.7          92.5       2.2       122      748       7.0        79 
Harford, MD..............           5.4          81.5       2.5       103      754       9.0        19 
Howard, MD...............           8.2         140.0       2.5       103      921       8.0        39 
Montgomery, MD...........          32.0         462.4       2.6        99    1,027       8.0        39 
Prince Georges, MD.......          15.4         316.0       0.4       252      869       6.2       126 
Baltimore City, MD.......          13.9         352.1       0.3       256      908       8.1        35 
Barnstable, MA...........           9.6          99.3       0.0       276      664       4.9       218 
Bristol, MA..............          16.0         221.0       0.2       265      695       3.4       285 
                                                                                                       
Essex, MA................          21.4         296.7       0.1       271      848       7.1        71 
Hampden, MA..............          14.8         201.7       1.4       176      731       3.8       271 
Middlesex, MA............          49.8         791.8       0.9       221    1,110       6.5       111 
Norfolk, MA..............          22.6         319.5       0.6       237      923       4.3       255 
Plymouth, MA.............          14.3         178.5       1.4       176      748       3.6       279 
Suffolk, MA..............          22.9         566.3       1.5       167    1,198       1.6       307 
Worcester, MA............          21.1         318.6      -0.5       297      799       2.3       299 
Genesee, MI..............           8.4         149.9       (7)         -      736       1.1       308 
Ingham, MI...............           7.1         163.8       (7)         -      741       2.9       292 
Kalamazoo, MI............           5.5         117.9       0.8       227      708       3.4       285 
                                                                                                       
Kent, MI.................          14.6         347.1       2.9        86      721       2.7       295 
Macomb, MI...............          18.2         332.4       1.1       202      849       4.0       263 
Oakland, MI..............          40.8         720.6      -0.1       279      935       4.7       232 
Ottawa, MI...............           5.8         115.3       0.2       265      705       4.9       218 
Saginaw, MI..............           4.5          89.8       (7)         -      689      -0.4       311 
Washtenaw, MI............           8.2         194.1      -1.0       303      891       5.3       194 
Wayne, MI................          34.2         789.3      -1.2       305      910       4.8       223 
Anoka, MN................           7.8         115.6       1.8       150      751       2.0       302 
Dakota, MN...............          10.3         171.8       0.6       237      777       4.4       248 
Hennepin, MN.............          41.9         837.8       1.4       176      990       6.1       133 
                                                                                                       
Olmsted, MN..............           3.5          89.4       1.4       176      854       3.1       291 
Ramsey, MN...............          15.5         334.1       1.2       192      864       5.6       168 
St. Louis, MN............           5.9          95.0       0.0       276      655       3.5       283 
Stearns, MN..............           4.4          78.3       1.9       141      628       3.5       283 
Harrison, MS.............           4.6          77.8     -13.9       311      586      12.7         4 
Hinds, MS................           6.5         126.9      -2.1       310      689       5.5       174 
Boone, MO................           4.4          81.4       4.2        46      615       5.3       194 
Clay, MO.................           5.0          87.9       1.0       209      761       8.6        26 
Greene, MO...............           8.0         150.9       3.5        63      623       5.2       203 
Jackson, MO..............          18.7         364.2       0.3       256      794       4.6       240 
                                                                                                       
St. Charles, MO..........           7.6         118.7       2.8        88      682       5.6       168 
St. Louis, MO............          33.8         622.5       1.0       209      828       6.4       115 
St. Louis City, MO.......           8.1         224.2      -0.1       279      869       7.7        51 
Douglas, NE..............          15.2         310.3       0.5       243      741       5.6       168 
Lancaster, NE............           7.8         154.3       0.6       237      653       5.3       194 
Clark, NV................          42.3         883.1       7.1         7      752       7.3        60 
Washoe, NV...............          13.3         217.1       3.8        54      747       4.8       223 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.3         197.6       1.7       155      854       3.3       288 
Rockingham, NH...........          10.8         138.8       1.3       186      784       6.1       133 
Atlantic, NJ.............           6.7         149.3       1.1       202      698       4.5       244 
                                                                                                       
Bergen, NJ...............          34.2         450.2       0.5       243      964       5.9       149 
Burlington, NJ...........          11.3         200.5       0.5       243      853       7.8        47 
Camden, NJ...............          13.5         210.8       0.5       243      804       7.9        42 
Essex, NJ................          21.3         358.4       0.7       232      998       5.3       194 
Gloucester, NJ...........           6.3         105.2       4.0        49      712       4.7       232 
Hudson, NJ...............          14.1         239.1       1.5       167    1,024       4.0       263 
Mercer, NJ...............          10.9         223.6       2.8        88      987       5.2       203 
Middlesex, NJ............          20.8         392.4      -0.1       279      960       2.0       302 
Monmouth, NJ.............          20.2         257.8       1.2       192      828       5.1       209 
Morris, NJ...............          17.9         283.7      -0.1       279    1,086       5.2       203 
                                                                                                       
Ocean, NJ................          11.7         150.4       1.0       209      669       7.7        51 
Passaic, NJ..............          12.6         176.3      -0.2       287      929      19.0         1 
Somerset, NJ.............          10.1         171.3       3.2        72    1,148       4.4       248 
Union, NJ................          14.9         226.7       (7)         -      977       (7)         - 
Bernalillo, NM...........          16.5         323.4       2.6        99      707       6.2       126 
Albany, NY...............           9.7         229.3       0.2       265      804       1.9       305 
Bronx, NY................          15.7         221.2       1.9       141      772       2.8       294 
Broome, NY...............           4.5          94.8       0.4       252      623       3.7       275 
Dutchess, NY.............           8.1         117.5      -0.1       279      783       5.5       174 
Erie, NY.................          23.4         457.2      -0.4       293      690       3.9       266 
                                                                                                       
Kings, NY................          42.8         457.5       2.2       122      686       3.2       289 
Monroe, NY...............          17.8         382.7       0.8       227      766       2.0       302 
Nassau, NY...............          51.6         597.8       0.4       252      862       (7)         - 
New York, NY.............         114.3       2,243.4       1.7       155    1,419       7.0        79 
Oneida, NY...............           5.4         108.9       0.2       265      613       4.1       260 
Onondaga, NY.............          12.8         251.7       1.0       209      718       3.9       266 
Orange, NY...............           9.6         129.6       0.9       221      670       5.5       174 
Queens, NY...............          40.8         484.6       1.3       186      794       5.7       159 
Richmond, NY.............           8.2          89.7       0.8       227      709       2.5       298 
Rockland, NY.............           9.5         112.4       1.6       164      806       4.8       223 
                                                                                                       
Suffolk, NY..............          48.8         609.8       0.3       256      836       5.0       213 
Westchester, NY..........          35.9         411.9       0.3       256    1,005       4.1       260 
Buncombe, NC.............           7.1         109.7       2.1       130      613       4.8       223 
Catawba, NC..............           4.3          86.0      -1.1       304      611       3.7       275 
Cumberland, NC...........           5.8         117.0       3.2        72      614       5.5       174 
Durham, NC...............           6.2         170.1       1.8       150    1,019       6.8        93 
Forsyth, NC..............           8.5         180.3       1.7       155      763       0.7       309 
Guilford, NC.............          13.6         272.5       1.2       192      710       5.5       174 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          27.7         527.4       3.7        58      894       6.9        86 
New Hanover, NC..........           6.6          97.7       4.6        37      639       7.0        79 
                                                                                                       
Wake, NC.................          24.0         409.9       4.3        44      778       6.3       120 
Cass, ND.................           5.7          93.0       3.3        67      648       6.2       126 
Butler, OH...............           7.1         139.0       2.4       109      703       5.7       159 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          38.1         755.8       0.1       271      802       3.4       285 
Franklin, OH.............          29.2         686.1       1.1       202      802       8.5        30 
Hamilton, OH.............          24.5         541.6      -0.4       293      862       7.1        71 
Lake, OH.................           6.9         100.8       1.1       202      657       3.8       271 
Lorain, OH...............           6.3         102.0      -1.3       307      698       7.9        42 
Lucas, OH................          10.9         227.7      -0.1       279      707       5.7       159 
Mahoning, OH.............           6.5         108.4       1.3       186      590       3.7       275 
                                                                                                       
Montgomery, OH...........          13.2         282.3      -0.8       300      747       5.7       159 
Stark, OH................           9.3         167.4       0.1       271      634       6.6       105 
Summit, OH...............          15.0         273.9       1.5       167      729       4.4       248 
Trumbull, OH.............           4.8          84.0      -0.1       279      684      -0.6       312 
Oklahoma, OK.............          22.5         415.7       1.5       167      685       6.4       115 
Tulsa, OK................          18.6         334.0       4.2        46      701       5.7       159 
Clackamas, OR............          12.0         145.1       4.6        37      739       7.3        60 
Jackson, OR..............           6.5          84.8       4.0        49      600       5.1       209 
Lane, OR.................          10.6         147.3       3.7        58      633       5.9       149 
Marion, OR...............           9.0         139.6       2.8        88      613       5.5       174 
                                                                                                       
Multnomah, OR............          26.2         430.5       2.4       109      798       5.3       194 
Washington, OR...........          15.2         237.7       4.0        49      943       7.2        68 
Allegheny, PA............          35.0         682.9      -0.3       292      811       4.6       240 
Berks, PA................           9.0         165.5       1.8       150      705       5.4       188 
Bucks, PA................          20.5         262.3       1.3       186      757       6.5       111 
Chester, PA..............          15.1         231.7       2.3       114      986       8.2        33 
Cumberland, PA...........           5.8         125.8      -0.2       287      748       6.3       120 
Dauphin, PA..............           7.2         177.3       0.9       221      780       5.8       153 
Delaware, PA.............          13.6         208.6       0.1       271      813       2.9       292 
Erie, PA.................           7.2         129.6       1.2       192      626       5.2       203 
                                                                                                       
Lackawanna, PA...........           5.7         100.6       2.1       130      617       4.9       218 
Lancaster, PA............          11.9         229.7       1.5       167      696       6.1       133 
Lehigh, PA...............           8.4         175.5       1.0       209      762       5.0       213 
Luzerne, PA..............           7.9         144.3       1.0       209      627       4.7       232 
Montgomery, PA...........          28.0         483.5       1.1       202      956       5.5       174 
Northampton, PA..........           6.2          95.5       3.0        83      696       4.3       255 
Philadelphia, PA.........          29.1         633.9       0.9       221      921       6.0       142 
Washington, PA...........           5.4          76.3       0.7       232      675       6.5       111 
Westmoreland, PA.........           9.6         140.4       1.0       209      642       7.5        56 
York, PA.................           8.8         173.4       2.1       130      705       6.0       142 
                                                                                                       
Kent, RI.................           5.7          82.7       1.2       192      715       6.1       133 
Providence, RI...........          18.2         290.8       0.9       221      750       2.7       295 
Charleston, SC...........          12.5         199.6       2.8        88      674       8.5        30 
Greenville, SC...........          12.7         227.4       2.5       103      688       3.9       266 
Horry, SC................           8.5         112.1       4.6        37      505       4.6       240 
Lexington, SC............           5.9          88.3       4.6        37      608       4.3       255 
Richland, SC.............           9.8         206.7      -0.4       293      685       6.2       126 
Spartanburg, SC..........           6.4         115.6      -0.2       287      684       5.7       159 
Minnehaha, SD............           6.1         111.3       2.3       114      666       6.7        98 
Davidson, TN.............          17.9         446.0       3.2        72      773       5.0       213 
                                                                                                       
Hamilton, TN.............           8.4         193.2       1.0       209      686       6.2       126 
Knox, TN.................          10.4         220.6       1.1       202      666       5.5       174 
Rutherford, TN...........           3.8          95.9       3.9        52      668       3.6       279 
Shelby, TN...............          19.7         505.9       1.9       141      814       3.7       275 
Bell, TX.................           4.3          94.4       5.0        28      596       4.4       248 
Bexar, TX................          30.2         677.9       3.2        72      675       5.0       213 
Brazoria, TX.............           4.3          80.1       3.2        72      719       4.7       232 
Brazos, TX...............           3.6          82.6       3.8        54      551       1.7       306 
Cameron, TX..............           6.2         117.0       1.9       141      486       3.6       279 
Collin, TX...............          14.3         250.4       6.3        12      913       6.9        86 
                                                                                                       
Dallas, TX...............          66.1       1,431.1       2.0       137      940       6.6       105 
Denton, TX...............           9.3         149.5       4.9        32      687       6.7        98 
El Paso, TX..............          12.8         260.1       2.3       114      558       5.5       174 
Fort Bend, TX............           7.2         111.0       2.7        94      860      15.4         2 
Galveston, TX............           4.9          87.7       3.3        67      671       4.7       232 
Harris, TX...............          90.4       1,882.0       3.4        66      930       7.8        47 
Hidalgo, TX..............           9.7         196.2       5.0        28      499       5.1       209 
Jefferson, TX............           5.8         117.7       2.1       130      711       6.9        86 
Lubbock, TX..............           6.5         120.2       2.2       122      590       6.1       133 
McLennan, TX.............           4.8         101.9       0.5       243      627       5.4       188 
                                                                                                       
Montgomery, TX...........           7.1         104.8       6.2        13      727      10.5         9 
Nueces, TX...............           8.0         147.2       2.5       103      654       7.4        59 
Potter, TX...............           3.7          72.0       1.4       176      631       5.3       194 
Smith, TX................           5.0          89.7       2.0       137      680       5.4       188 
Tarrant, TX..............          34.7         719.8       2.3       114      789       5.8       153 
Travis, TX...............          25.4         531.0       3.8        54      882       6.7        98 
Webb, TX.................           4.4          82.2       5.3        22      525       6.1       133 
Williamson, TX...........           6.0         102.0       5.1        25      785       5.9       149 
Davis, UT................           6.8          97.5       3.5        63      636       5.0       213 
Salt Lake, UT............          36.9         547.1       4.5        41      719       7.0        79 
                                                                                                       
Utah, UT.................          11.9         160.8       5.8        16      591       4.8       223 
Weber, UT................           5.6          89.5       2.8        88      583       4.9       218 
Chittenden, VT...........           5.7          95.5      -0.9       302      764       5.4       188 
Arlington, VA............           7.2         154.3       0.5       243    1,292       7.7        51 
Chesterfield, VA.........           6.8         115.2       3.2        72      710       5.7       159 
Fairfax, VA..............          30.8         569.6       3.7        58    1,188      10.9         6 
Henrico, VA..............           8.6         172.4       2.2       122      816       5.2       203 
Loudoun, VA..............           7.0         123.1       5.5        18    1,008       4.7       232 
Prince William, VA.......           6.4         102.0       5.4        19      721       8.7        23 
Alexandria City, VA......           5.8          94.2       1.2       192    1,013       7.1        71 
                                                                                                       
Chesapeake City, VA......           5.1          96.4       2.5       103      627       8.1        35 
Newport News City, VA....           3.8          98.6       1.4       176      719       6.8        93 
Norfolk City, VA.........           5.6         144.4      -0.2       287      761       5.8       153 
Richmond City, VA........           7.0         161.9       2.7        94      876       7.0        79 
Virginia Beach City, VA..          10.9         179.1       3.5        63      619       8.6        26 
Clark, WA................          10.7         128.2       5.0        28      720       5.4       188 
King, WA.................          75.2       1,129.1       2.7        94      997       7.2        68 
Kitsap, WA...............           6.3          82.6       3.0        83      734       5.8       153 
Pierce, WA...............          19.5         262.0       3.1        82      715       6.4       115 
Snohomish, WA............          16.3         217.4       2.1       130      802       5.1       209 
                                                                                                       
Spokane, WA..............          14.5         199.3       2.7        94      643       6.1       133 
Thurston, WA.............           6.3          93.6       2.4       109      714       4.7       232 
Whatcom, WA..............           6.5          78.6       4.7        35      609       7.8        47 
Yakima, WA...............           7.7         105.8       1.8       150      525       4.4       248 
Kanawha, WV..............           6.2         107.4      -0.5       297      668       6.2       126 
Brown, WI................           6.8         148.8       1.0       209      695       5.9       149 
Dane, WI.................          14.0         300.8       2.3       114      780       9.2        15 
Milwaukee, WI............          21.8         494.8       0.3       256      785       4.8       223 
Outagamie, WI............           5.0         101.3      -0.4       293      678       4.1       260 
Racine, WI...............           4.3          76.1      -1.3       307      737       6.3       120 
                                                                                                       
Waukesha, WI.............          13.5         232.5       0.5       243      781       2.6       297 
Winnebago, WI............           3.9          89.3       1.4       176      737       4.4       248 
San Juan, PR.............          14.3         313.4      -2.2       (8)      504       4.6       (8) 

  1 Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE) programs.  These 322 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.
  8 This county was not included in the U.S. rankings.





Table 2. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the ten largest counties,
third quarter 2005(2)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
                                                                    Employment         Average weekly  
                                                                                           wage(4)     
                                              Establishments,                                          
                                               third quarter                                           
         County by NAICS supersector                2005                    Percent            Percent 
                                                (thousands)    September    change,  Average   change, 
                                                                  2005     September  weekly    third  
                                                              (thousands) 2004-05(3)   wage    quarter 
                                                                                             2004-05(3)
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       
United States(5).............................       8,634.7     132,929.3       2.0     $777       6.1 
  Private industry...........................       8,357.6     111,846.5       2.2      770       6.4 
    Natural resources and mining.............         122.9       1,834.7       3.3      732      12.1 
    Construction.............................         851.0       7,581.2       5.4      816       6.3 
    Manufacturing............................         365.9      14,218.1      -0.9      946       5.3 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....       1,873.5      25,666.2       1.6      682       5.2 
    Information..............................         142.3       3,057.1      -0.2    1,207       8.3 
    Financial activities.....................         816.5       8,084.8       2.2    1,113       7.1 
    Professional and business services.......       1,378.4      17,138.0       4.0      929       8.0 
    Education and health services............         769.3      16,557.0       2.7      745       5.8 
    Leisure and hospitality..................         693.9      13,006.0       1.8      331       5.4 
    Other services...........................       1,104.0       4,329.4       0.9      505       5.9 
  Government.................................         277.1      21,082.9       1.2      817       4.6 
                                                                                                       
Los Angeles, CA..............................         370.3       4,105.4       1.8      879       5.5 
  Private industry...........................         366.4       3,554.9       1.9      862       5.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5          11.4      -2.4    1,207      17.6 
    Construction.............................          13.2         154.6       6.6      891       8.9 
    Manufacturing............................          16.1         467.5      -3.0      908       4.4 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          52.6         794.4       1.8      745       5.4 
    Information..............................           8.5         211.2       2.4    1,456       5.1 
    Financial activities.....................          23.2         245.0       2.4    1,409      11.1 
    Professional and business services.......          39.8         587.0       4.5      987       6.9 
    Education and health services............          27.1         459.5       0.4      816       7.7 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          25.6         382.8       1.8      498       0.0 
    Other services...........................         159.5         241.0       6.4      407       1.2 
  Government.................................           3.9         550.5       0.8      994       4.2 
                                                                                                       
Cook, IL.....................................         131.0       2,529.4       0.7      920       5.5 
  Private industry...........................         129.7       2,214.7       0.9      915       5.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.1           1.5       9.7      989       5.0 
    Construction.............................          11.2          97.4      -0.4    1,110       3.4 
    Manufacturing............................           7.5         252.3      -2.1      958       6.0 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          27.0         475.0      -0.1      759       3.8 
    Information..............................           2.5          60.4      -1.4    1,315       8.9 
    Financial activities.....................          14.6         218.3       0.8    1,394       4.0 
    Professional and business services.......          26.8         423.8       3.1    1,143       8.3 
    Education and health services............          12.9         357.3       2.2      808       6.2 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          11.0         229.1       1.3      403       6.9 
    Other services...........................          13.0          95.0      -0.6      664       6.1 
  Government.................................           1.2         314.7      -0.7      959       3.3 
                                                                                                       
New York, NY.................................         114.3       2,243.4       1.7    1,419       7.0 
  Private industry...........................         114.0       1,801.7       1.8    1,507       7.5 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.0           0.1       6.3    1,407      26.1 
    Construction.............................           2.1          29.9       2.1    1,363       4.0 
    Manufacturing............................           3.1          42.1      -7.6    1,101      10.2 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          21.4         237.2       1.2    1,071       7.7 
    Information..............................           4.1         130.7       0.8    1,777       3.6 
    Financial activities.....................          17.3         356.3       2.0    2,605       8.3 
    Professional and business services.......          22.6         447.6       2.3    1,632       7.9 
    Education and health services............           8.0         269.1       0.9      979       6.5 
    Leisure and hospitality..................          10.4         192.0       0.7      679       6.8 
    Other services...........................          16.4          83.6       1.9      822       6.2 
  Government.................................           0.2         441.7       1.0    1,064       4.0 
                                                                                                       
Harris, TX...................................          90.4       1,882.0       3.4      930       7.8 
  Private industry...........................          90.0       1,636.5       3.7      944       8.3 
    Natural resources and mining.............           1.3          67.1       6.7    2,409      18.3 
    Construction.............................           6.2         132.7       4.0      867       4.7 
    Manufacturing............................           4.6         169.9       4.6    1,188      10.2 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          21.0         396.3       3.0      829       6.3 
    Information..............................           1.3          32.1      -2.3    1,152       7.7 
    Financial activities.....................           9.8         117.1       2.3    1,127       7.0 
    Professional and business services.......          17.6         302.8       5.5    1,062       7.7 
    Education and health services............           9.3         196.4       3.6      807       2.7 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.8         162.7       1.5      356       9.9 
    Other services...........................          10.5          55.4       0.4      547       5.8 
  Government.................................           0.4         245.5       1.5      837       4.6 
                                                                                                       
Maricopa, AZ.................................          84.3       1,735.0       6.5      790       8.1 
  Private industry...........................          83.7       1,524.0       7.2      785       8.1 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           7.9       2.5      607       6.5 
    Construction.............................           8.6         165.9      15.0      798      11.3 
    Manufacturing............................           3.3         133.2       2.6    1,077       4.5 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          18.7         350.4       6.4      765       7.6 
    Information..............................           1.4          31.5      -2.1      991      14.4 
    Financial activities.....................          10.1         146.1       6.9    1,032      14.7 
    Professional and business services.......          18.3         294.9       8.2      761       5.7 
    Education and health services............           8.2         177.1       5.8      841       7.5 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.0         165.4       6.0      376       7.4 
    Other services...........................           5.8          45.9       1.6      547       9.2 
  Government.................................           0.6         211.0       1.7      836       8.2 
                                                                                                       
Orange, CA...................................          90.3       1,497.5       2.2      907       7.1 
  Private industry...........................          88.9       1,359.2       2.5      903       7.1 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.2           5.5      -4.3      629      10.5 
    Construction.............................           6.7         105.4       6.9      962       9.4 
    Manufacturing............................           5.7         182.9      -0.7    1,059       6.6 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          17.0         270.9       1.1      829       5.5 
    Information..............................           1.4          32.2      -0.9    1,250       3.6 
    Financial activities.....................          10.3         144.1       4.5    1,466       6.5 
    Professional and business services.......          17.7         271.4       5.7      926       7.8 
    Education and health services............           9.4         131.6       1.8      845       8.2 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.7         166.4       0.6      388       6.0 
    Other services...........................          13.8          48.7       2.6      550       7.2 
  Government.................................           1.4         138.3      -1.2      951       7.5 
                                                                                                       
Dallas, TX...................................          66.1       1,431.1       2.0      940       6.6 
  Private industry...........................          65.6       1,272.6       2.2      949       6.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           7.3       7.8    2,432      10.3 
    Construction.............................           4.3          78.4       5.0      856       8.4 
    Manufacturing............................           3.3         146.0       0.5    1,135      12.3 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.8         301.8       0.9      895       5.2 
    Information..............................           1.7          53.8      -0.1    1,257       4.5 
    Financial activities.....................           8.3         136.0       1.5    1,213       8.3 
    Professional and business services.......          13.7         250.9       5.4    1,021       5.7 
    Education and health services............           6.2         134.0       2.0      901       5.1 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           5.0         122.6       0.3      429       5.7 
    Other services...........................           6.5          38.5      -0.1      606       5.2 
  Government.................................           0.5         158.5       0.0      867       4.0 
                                                                                                       
San Diego, CA................................          87.6       1,301.3       1.6      855       7.3 
  Private industry...........................          86.2       1,088.1       1.6      838       7.7 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.8          11.3      -1.8      534       8.1 
    Construction.............................           6.8          93.7       2.5      897       9.4 
    Manufacturing............................           3.4         103.7      -0.6    1,102       4.1 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.1         218.6       2.6      691       6.0 
    Information..............................           1.3          37.6       1.4    1,903      12.2 
    Financial activities.....................           9.3          83.5       1.3    1,077       6.4 
    Professional and business services.......          15.0         210.8       1.5      999       9.8 
    Education and health services............           7.7         120.9       0.6      804      10.1 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           6.6         153.0       2.3      399       5.6 
    Other services...........................          21.1          55.0       1.2      478       6.2 
  Government.................................           1.4         213.2       1.8      944       4.9 
                                                                                                       
King, WA.....................................          75.2       1,129.1       2.7      997       7.2 
  Private industry...........................          74.8         976.9       3.2    1,005       7.7 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.4           3.2       0.6    1,009       7.5 
    Construction.............................           6.4          63.6      10.5      954       8.3 
    Manufacturing............................           2.6         100.2      -1.9    1,245       3.1 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          14.6         219.1       1.3      854       4.8 
    Information..............................           1.6          70.6       3.5    2,347      18.8 
    Financial activities.....................           6.4          76.4       1.9    1,166       5.2 
    Professional and business services.......          12.1         174.6       7.6    1,090       5.1 
    Education and health services............           6.1         115.9       4.2      792       9.5 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           5.7         108.0       3.3      413       3.3 
    Other services...........................          18.8          45.2      -2.7      527       9.8 
  Government.................................           0.5         152.2      -0.3      940       3.6 
                                                                                                       
Miami-Dade, FL...............................          84.4       1,003.2       3.3      781       8.9 
  Private industry...........................          84.1         850.5       3.5      750       7.9 
    Natural resources and mining.............           0.5           8.5       6.2      478       8.9 
    Construction.............................           5.6          46.5      11.6      805       6.8 
    Manufacturing............................           2.7          48.6      -2.5      717      11.2 
    Trade, transportation, and utilities.....          24.0         244.5       2.0      716       7.2 
    Information..............................           1.8          23.0       (6)    1,097       (6) 
    Financial activities.....................           9.5          69.8       4.3    1,076      11.0 
    Professional and business services.......          16.8         144.8       7.5      886      10.2 
    Education and health services............           8.4         128.7       2.9      758       4.0 
    Leisure and hospitality..................           5.8          97.7       3.4      434       7.7 
    Other services...........................           7.7          35.0       0.8      476       9.7 
  Government.................................           0.3         152.7       1.9      961      13.2 

  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.
  6 Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.





Table 3. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the largest county by
state, third quarter 2005(2)
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                Employment         Average weekly  
                                                                       wage(5)     
                          Establishments,                                          
                           third quarter                                           
        County(3)               2005                    Percent            Percent 
                            (thousands)    September    change,  Average   change, 
                                              2005     September  weekly    third  
                                          (thousands) 2004-05(4)   wage    quarter 
                                                                         2004-05(4)
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
United States(6).........       8,634.7     132,929.3       2.0     $777       6.1 
                                                                                   
Jefferson, AL............          18.8         372.8       1.3      796       7.7 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           7.9         148.0       1.9      857       5.8 
Maricopa, AZ.............          84.3       1,735.0       6.5      790       8.1 
Pulaski, AR..............          13.5         245.7       1.3      709       6.1 
Los Angeles, CA..........         370.3       4,105.4       1.8      879       5.5 
Denver, CO...............          25.1         429.4       1.7      947       6.6 
Hartford, CT.............          24.6         488.6       1.2      968       5.6 
New Castle, DE...........          19.8         281.2       0.3      921       7.5 
Washington, DC...........          30.7         666.4       0.8    1,265       4.5 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          84.4       1,003.2       3.3      781       8.9 
                                                                                   
Fulton, GA...............          38.0         744.4       2.2    1,007       4.9 
Honolulu, HI.............          23.8         441.7       3.2      740       5.3 
Ada, ID..................          13.9         201.2       5.4      719       6.4 
Cook, IL.................         131.0       2,529.4       0.7      920       5.5 
Marion, IN...............          23.5         584.0       0.5      819       7.1 
Polk, IA.................          14.2         265.6       1.9      792       6.9 
Johnson, KS..............          19.4         302.9       1.7      823       7.9 
Jefferson, KY............          21.6         425.3       1.4      761       5.5 
Orleans, LA..............          12.9         178.2     -26.3      742      10.7 
Cumberland, ME...........          11.7         171.3      -0.1      710       6.0 
                                                                                   
Montgomery, MD...........          32.0         462.4       2.6    1,027       8.0 
Middlesex, MA............          49.8         791.8       0.9    1,110       6.5 
Wayne, MI................          34.2         789.3      -1.2      910       4.8 
Hennepin, MN.............          41.9         837.8       1.4      990       6.1 
Hinds, MS................           6.5         126.9      -2.1      689       5.5 
St. Louis, MO............          33.8         622.5       1.0      828       6.4 
Yellowstone, MT..........           5.4          73.6       3.0      619       8.2 
Douglas, NE..............          15.2         310.3       0.5      741       5.6 
Clark, NV................          42.3         883.1       7.1      752       7.3 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.3         197.6       1.7      854       3.3 
                                                                                   
Bergen, NJ...............          34.2         450.2       0.5      964       5.9 
Bernalillo, NM...........          16.5         323.4       2.6      707       6.2 
New York, NY.............         114.3       2,243.4       1.7    1,419       7.0 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          27.7         527.4       3.7      894       6.9 
Cass, ND.................           5.7          93.0       3.3      648       6.2 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          38.1         755.8       0.1      802       3.4 
Oklahoma, OK.............          22.5         415.7       1.5      685       6.4 
Multnomah, OR............          26.2         430.5       2.4      798       5.3 
Allegheny, PA............          35.0         682.9      -0.3      811       4.6 
Providence, RI...........          18.2         290.8       0.9      750       2.7 
                                                                                   
Greenville, SC...........          12.7         227.4       2.5      688       3.9 
Minnehaha, SD............           6.1         111.3       2.3      666       6.7 
Shelby, TN...............          19.7         505.9       1.9      814       3.7 
Harris, TX...............          90.4       1,882.0       3.4      930       7.8 
Salt Lake, UT............          36.9         547.1       4.5      719       7.0 
Chittenden, VT...........           5.7          95.5      -0.9      764       5.4 
Fairfax, VA..............          30.8         569.6       3.7    1,188      10.9 
King, WA.................          75.2       1,129.1       2.7      997       7.2 
Kanawha, WV..............           6.2         107.4      -0.5      668       6.2 
Milwaukee, WI............          21.8         494.8       0.3      785       4.8 
                                                                                   
Laramie, WY..............           3.0          41.0       3.1      634       6.6 
                                                                                   
San Juan, PR.............          14.3         313.4      -2.2      504       4.6 
St. Thomas, VI...........           1.8          22.6       0.2      575       1.4 

  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. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages by state, 
third quarter 2005(2)
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
                                                Employment        Average weekly 
                                                                      wage(3)    
                          Establishments,                                        
                           third quarter                                         
          State                 2005                    Percent           Percent
                            (thousands)    September    change,  Average  change,
                                              2005     September  weekly   third 
                                          (thousands)   2004-05    wage   quarter
                                                                          2004-05
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
United States(4).........       8,634.7     132,929.3       2.0     $777      6.1
                                                                                 
Alabama..................         117.1       1,905.9       2.5      669      6.4
Alaska...................          20.7         320.2       1.8      797      5.6
Arizona..................         135.9       2,511.8       6.0      748      8.2
Arkansas.................          77.9       1,165.7       1.9      599      4.9
California...............       1,237.6      15,443.3       2.5      887      7.0
Colorado.................         171.8       2,212.1       2.3      808      7.3
Connecticut..............         110.8       1,655.2       0.8      966      5.3
Delaware.................          30.1         420.1       1.3      823      7.0
District of Columbia.....          30.7         666.4       0.8    1,265      4.5
Florida..................         564.9       7,801.6       5.5      708      8.1
                                                                                 
Georgia..................         257.3       3,960.8       3.2      748      5.2
Hawaii...................          36.5         606.0       3.2      714      5.8
Idaho....................          52.4         635.5       4.5      605      6.0
Illinois.................         339.7       5,820.7       1.2      825      5.9
Indiana..................         153.2       2,916.3       1.0      689      5.2
Iowa.....................          91.8       1,461.1       1.9      641      6.1
Kansas...................          83.1       1,315.3       0.5      659      6.5
Kentucky.................         107.2       1,779.5       1.9      651      5.2
Louisiana................         120.3       1,770.8      -4.9      637      6.9
Maine....................          48.5         606.0      -0.5      631      4.6
                                                                                 
Maryland.................         158.3       2,526.5       1.9      854      7.6
Massachusetts............         219.0       3,193.3       0.8      947      4.5
Michigan.................         257.2       4,353.1      -0.1      787      4.1
Minnesota................         165.1       2,671.9       1.4      790      4.9
Mississippi..............          68.0       1,098.4      -1.4      573      5.9
Missouri.................         170.9       2,696.2       1.6      691      5.5
Montana..................          40.5         424.2       2.7      563      7.4
Nebraska.................          56.9         896.7       1.1      633      5.3
Nevada...................          67.7       1,242.5       6.3      750      6.7
New Hampshire............          47.8         630.7       1.2      772      5.8
                                                                                 
New Jersey...............         272.7       3,960.8       1.2      928      5.8
New Mexico...............          50.5         791.0       3.0      629      6.8
New York.................         564.1       8,394.8       0.9      941      5.7
North Carolina...........         234.2       3,903.7       1.9      690      5.7
North Dakota.............          24.9         335.4       2.4      581      6.0
Ohio.....................         291.4       5,360.6       0.5      723      5.5
Oklahoma.................          94.3       1,482.5       2.8      612      5.7
Oregon...................         124.8       1,683.4       3.5      714      5.6
Pennsylvania.............         335.9       5,597.6       1.1      764      5.7
Rhode Island.............          35.9         488.9       1.0      736      4.1
                                                                                 
South Carolina...........         119.8       1,831.2       1.6      637      5.6
South Dakota.............          29.2         381.6       1.6      567      5.4
Tennessee................         132.8       2,724.0       2.0      689      4.6
Texas....................         521.6       9,659.3       3.1      767      6.7
Utah.....................          82.1       1,135.1       4.7      647      6.6
Vermont..................          24.6         303.4       0.2      663      4.7
Virginia.................         213.4       3,617.7       2.7      815      7.7
Washington...............         210.4       2,820.6       2.5      801      6.5
West Virginia............          48.2         702.9       1.3      589      5.4
Wisconsin................         161.7       2,783.4       1.2      688      5.4
                                                                                 
Wyoming..................          23.3         263.4       3.8      638      8.0
                                                                                 
Puerto Rico..............          57.2       1,037.4      -0.6      435      3.8
Virgin Islands...........           3.5          44.0       3.0      616      2.8

  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.