Technical information:  (202) 691-6567     USDL 03-654
               http://www.bls.gov/cew/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Friday, October 31, 2003


             COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES:  FIRST QUARTER 2003


   In March 2003, Placer County in California had the biggest over-the-
year percentage increase in employment among the largest counties in the
U.S., according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  Placer County experienced an
over-the-year employment gain of 4.9 percent, compared with a national
decline of 0.3 percent.  Marin County, Calif., had the biggest over-the-
year gain in average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2003, with an
increase of 10.7 percent.  U.S. average weekly wages increased by 1.5
percent.
   
   Of the 315 largest counties in the United States, 167 had rates of over-
the-year employment growth above the national average in March 2003, and
145 experienced declines in employment greater than the national average.
Average weekly wages grew faster than the national average in 208 of the
largest U.S. counties, while the percent change in average weekly wages 
was below the national average in 99 counties.
   
   The employment and average weekly wage data by county are compiled from
the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as
the ES-202 program.  The data are derived from reports submitted by every
employer subject to unemployment insurance (UI) laws.  More than 8.2 million 
employer reports cover 126.9 million full- and part-time workers.  The at-
tached tables and charts contain data for the nation and for the 315 U.S. 
counties with employment levels of 75,000 or more.  In addition, data for 
San Juan, Puerto Rico, are provided, but are not used in calculating U.S. 
averages.  (See Technical Note.)  Data for all counties regardless of size 
through the fourth quarter of 2002 are available on the BLS Web site 
http://www.bls.gov/cew/; data for all U.S. counties for the first quarter
of 2003 will be available in November.
   
Large County Employment
   
   The national employment total in March 2003 was 126.9 million, which
was 0.3 percent lower than in March 2002.  The 315 U.S. counties with
75,000 or more employees accounted for 70.6 percent of total U.S. employ-
ment covered under UI laws, 77.1 percent of total covered wages, and
77.9 percent of the over-the-year employment decline since March 2002.
(San Juan, P.R., is not included in the grouping of U.S. counties.)  The
biggest gains in employment from March 2002 to March 2003 were recorded 
in the counties of Clark, Nev. (27,500), San Diego, Calif. (20,900),
Riverside, Calif. (20,400), and Maricopa, Ariz., and Pinellas, Fla.,
(18,500 each).  (See table A.)
   
   Placer County, Calif., had the largest over-the-year percentage
increase in employment (4.9 percent), followed by the counties of Lee,
Fla., and St. Charles, Mo. (4.6 percent each), Rutherford, Tenn. (4.5
percent), and Pinellas, Fla. (4.3 percent).  (See table 1.)
   
                                   - 2 -

Table A.  Top 10 counties ranked by March 2003 employment, March 2002-03 
employment change, and March 2002-03 percent change in employment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Employment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             |                          |
    March 2003 employment    | Net change in employment,|   Percent change       
        (thousands)          |       March 2002-03      |   in employment,    
                             |        (thousands)       |   March 2002-03
                             |                          |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S.                126,860.3|U.S.                -443.4|U.S.             -0.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             |                          |
Los Angeles, Calif.   4,050.1|Clark, Nev.           27.5|Placer, Calif.    4.9 
Cook, Ill.            2,496.5|San Diego, Calif.     20.9|Lee, Fla.         4.6    
New York, N.Y.        2,210.3|Riverside, Calif.     20.4|St. Charles, Mo.  4.6 
Harris, Texas         1,830.8|Maricopa, Ariz.       18.5|Rutherford, Tenn. 4.5 
Maricopa, Ariz.       1,569.5|Pinellas, Fla.        18.5|Pinellas, Fla.    4.3 
Dallas, Texas         1,436.5|Orange, Calif.        14.1|Thurston, Wash.   4.1 
Orange, Calif.        1,421.1|Orange, Fla.          11.8|Riverside, Calif. 4.0 
San Diego, Calif.     1,250.5|Honolulu, Hawaii       9.1|Clark, Nev.       3.8 
King, Wash.           1,080.7|San Bernardino, Calif. 8.9|Yakima, Wash.     3.6
Miami-Dade, Fla.        984.0|Lee, Fla.              8.2|Gloucester, N.J.  3.4 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Employment declined in 163 counties from March 2002 to March 2003.  The
largest percentage decline in employment was in Santa Clara County, Calif.
(-5.9 percent), followed by the counties of Sangamon, Ill. (-5.4 percent),
Catawba, N.C. (-4.2 percent), and Boulder, Colo., and Tulsa, Okla. (-4.1
percent each).  The largest numerical declines in employment occurred in
Santa Clara County, Calif. (-53,400), followed by the counties of Dallas,
Texas (-43,900), New York, N.Y. (-41,200), Cook, Ill. (-39,200), and
Middlesex, Mass. (-32,000).
                                   
Large County Average Weekly Wages

   The national average weekly wage in the first quarter of 2003 was $729,
which was 1.5 percent higher than the first quarter of 2002.  Average
weekly wages were higher than the national average in 111 of the largest
315 U.S. counties.  New York County, N.Y., comprised entirely of the
borough of Manhattan, had the highest pay among the large counties with an
average weekly wage of $1,648.  Fairfield County, Conn., followed with an
average weekly wage of $1,376.  Somerset County, N.J., was third with an
average weekly wage of $1,299.  Suffolk County, Mass., was fourth with
$1,238, followed by Santa Clara County, Calif., at $1,235.  (See table B.)
   
   Marin County, Calif., led the nation in over-the-year growth in average
weekly wages with an increase of 10.7 percent.  Galveston County, Texas,
was second with 7.4 percent growth, followed by the counties of Providence,
R.I. (7.3 percent), Macomb, Mich. (6.7 percent), and Okaloosa, Fla., and
Trumbull, Ohio (6.5 percent each).

   There were 201 counties with average weekly wages below the national
average.  The lowest average weekly wage (excluding San Juan, P.R.) was
reported in Cameron County, Texas ($438), followed by the counties of
Hidalgo, Texas ($445), Horry, S.C. ($487), Pasco, Fla. ($488), and Brazos,
Texas ($503).  (See table 1.)

   Thirty-one large counties showed over-the-year declines in average weekly 
wages.  Hudson County, N.J., had the largest decrease, registering a 9.1 per-
cent decline.  Loudoun County, Va., was second with a 7.9 percent decline, fol-
lowed by the counties of New York, N.Y. (-5.9 percent), and Calcasieu, La., and 
Richmond, N.Y. (-4.0 percent each).

                                  - 3 -

Table B.  Top 10 counties ranked by first quarter 2003 average weekly wages, 
first quarter 2002-03 change in average weekly wages, and first quarter 2002-03
percent change in average weekly wages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Average weekly wages      
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           |                           |
   Average weekly wages,   | Change in average weekly  |    Percent change in
     first quarter 2003    |   wages, first quarter    |  average weekly wages, 
                           |          2002-03          |  first quarter 2002-03
                           |                           |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S.                   $729|U.S.                    $11|U.S.                 1.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           |                           |
New York, N.Y.       $1,648|Marin, Calif.           $90|Marin, Calif.       10.7  
Fairfield, Conn.      1,376|Somerset, N.J.           68|Galveston, Texas     7.4  
Somerset, N.J.        1,299|Macomb, Mich.            52|Providence, R.I.     7.3  
Suffolk, Mass.        1,238|Providence, R.I.         51|Macomb, Mich.        6.7
Santa Clara, Calif.   1,235|Chester, Pa.             47|Okaloosa, Fla.       6.5  
San Francisco, Calif. 1,234|Clayton, Ga.             46|Trumbull, Ohio       6.5  
Arlington, Va.        1,138|Johnson, Kan.            45|Clayton, Ga.         6.3  
Washington, D.C.      1,135|Galveston, Texas         44|Sangamon, Ill.       6.3  
Morris, N.J.          1,106|Sangamon, Ill.           44|Summit, Ohio         6.3  
Fairfax, Va.          1,091|Williamson, Texas        43|Johnson, Kan.        6.0  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten Largest U.S. Counties
   
   Of the 10 largest U.S. counties (based on 2002 annual employment
levels), 3 experienced increases in employment, 1 had no change in
employment, and 6 experienced declines in employment from March 2002 
to March 2003.  San Diego County, Calif., experienced the fastest growth 
in employment among the largest counties with a 1.7 percent increase.  
San Diego's growth was spread across most industry supersectors, with 
the largest exception in manufacturing, where employment declined by 6.3
percent.  (See table 2.)  Maricopa County, Ariz., had the next largest
increase, with employment rising by 1.2 percent, followed by Orange 
County Calif., which experienced a 1.0 percent increase in employment.  
The biggest decline in employment for the 10 largest counties was in 
Dallas County, Texas, a decrease of 3.0 percent.  This was primarily at-
tributable to an 8.0 percent decrease in manufacturing of 11,600 jobs.  
The next largest declines in employment were recorded in New York County, 
N.Y., and Cook County, Ill., where employment fell by 1.8 and 1.5 percent,
respectively.
   
   Seven of the 10 largest U.S. counties had over-the-year  increases in
average weekly wages, and 3 had declines.  Orange County, Calif., had the
fastest growth in wages among the top 10 counties, growing at a 3.6 percent
rate.  Orange County's fastest growing industry for wages was financial
activities, up by 8.9 percent.  Miami-Dade County, Fla., experienced growth
in wages of 2.7 percent, followed by San Diego County, Calif., with a 2.6
percent increase.  New York County, N.Y., experienced the largest decrease
in average weekly wages among the largest 10 counties, falling by 5.9 per-
cent.  This was primarily attributable to a 12.7 percent decrease in aver-
age weekly wages in financial activities.  This was followed by King County, 
Wash., with a decline in average weekly wages of 1.1 percent, and Harris 
County, Texas, where average weekly wages declined by 0.5 percent.


                                  - 4 -
Largest County by State
   
   Table 3 shows employment and average weekly wages in the largest county
for each state.  This table includes two counties that had employment below
75,000 (Yellowstone, Mont. and Laramie, Wyo.).  The employment levels in
these counties in March 2003 ranged from over 4 million in Los Angeles
County, Calif., to about 38,000 in Laramie County, Wyo.  The highest aver-
age weekly wages of these counties were $1,648 in New York, N.Y., while the 
lowest average weekly wages were in Yellowstone, Mont. ($532).

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                                                                     |
 |            QCEW Employment Totals and the CES Benchmark             |
 |                                                                     |
 |    QCEW employment totals, adjusted for coverage differences, are   |
 | used each year by the CES program to adjust monthly nonfarm payroll |
 | employment estimates to the employment census totals.  This CES     |
 | adjustment is commonly referred to as the annual benchmark.  The    |
 | QCEW totals presented in this release will differ to some extent    |
 | from the adjusted totals used in the benchmark process. For details |
 | on how the latest QCEW data may affect the CES benchmark and on how |
 | QCEW employment totals are adjusted as part of this process, please |
 | see http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesbmkqa.htm.                            |
 |                                                                     |
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------





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 Employment Security Agencies (SESAs).  The 
summaries are a byproduct of the administration of state unemployment insur-
ance programs that require most employers to pay quarterly taxes based on 
the employment and wages of workers covered by UI.  Data for 2003 are pre-
liminary and subject to revision.
   
   Differences between QCEW and CES employment measures.  The employment
and wage universe totals from the QCEW differ from the official Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates of employment and earnings produced by 
the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program due to differences in scope 
and coverage.  The preliminary universe totals released by BLS are based on
establishment reports including more than 95 percent of the employees within 
the scope of the QCEW program.  Estimates are used to impute employment and 
wages for the remaining establishments.  Please see http://www.bls.gov/ces/ 
for more detailed technical information on the CES program concepts, coverage, 
and methodology.
   
   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.
   
Coverage
   
   Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI laws and for
federal civilian workers covered by the Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees (UCFE) program are compiled from quarterly contribution
reports submitted to the SESAs by employers.  In addition to the quarterly
contribution reports, employers who operate multiple establishments within
a state complete a questionnaire, called the "Multiple Worksite Report,"
which provides detailed information on the location and industry of each 
of their establishments.  The employment and wages data included in this
release are derived from microdata summaries of more than 8 million employer 
reports of employment and wages submitted by states to the BLS.  These re-
ports 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 2002, UI and UCFE programs covered workers in 128.2 million jobs.  Covered 
workers received $4.713 trillion in pay, representing 94.3 percent of the wage 
and salary component of personal income and 45.1 percent of the gross domestic 
product.
   
   Major exclusions from UI coverage include self-employed workers, most agri-
cultural workers on small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected of-
ficials in most states, most employees of railroads, some domestic workers, 
most student workers at schools, and employees of certain small nonprofit or-
ganizations.
   
                                  - 2 -

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 from unrounded employment and wage
values so the average wage values that can be calculated from data from
this database may differ from the averages reported, due to rounding.  In-
cluded in the quarterly wage data are non-wage cash payments such as bonuses, 
the cash value of meals and lodging when supplied, tips and other gratuities, 
and, in some states, employer contributions to certain deferred compensation 
plans such as 401(k) plans and stock options.
   
   Average weekly wages are affected by the ratio of full-time to part-
time workers as well as the number of individuals in high-paying and low-
paying occupations.  When comparing average weekly wage levels between
industries and/or states, these factors should be taken into consideration.
   
   Percent changes are calculated using the final 2002 quarterly data as
the base data.  Final data for 2002 may differ from preliminary data pub-
lished earlier.
   
   In order to insure the highest possible quality of data, SESAs 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 the verification
process are introduced with the data reported for the first quarter of 
the year.  Changes resulting from improved employer reporting also are
introduced in the first quarter.  For these reasons, some data, espe-
cially at more detailed industry levels, may not be strictly comparable 
with earlier years.  The 2002 first quarter data used to calculate the 
over-the-year changes presented in this release were adjusted for changes 
in county classification to make them comparable with data for the first 
quarter of 2003.  As a result, the adjusted 2002 first quarter data differ 
to some extent from the data available on the BLS Web site.
   
   County definitions are assigned according to Federal Information Pro-
cessing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) as issued by the National In-
stitute 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 refer-
red to in this release are defined as census regions.
   
                                   - 3 -

Change in industry classification systems
   
   Beginning with the release of data for 2001 in 2002, publications pre-
senting data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program
use the 2002 version of the North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS) as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by
industry.  NAICS is the product of a cooperative effort on the part of the
statistical agencies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  The NAICS
structure is significantly different from that of the 1987 Standard Indus-
trial Classification (SIC) system, which had been used for industry clas-
sification purposes until 2002.  Due to the differences in NAICS and SIC 
structures, industry data for 2001 are not comparable with the SIC-based 
data for earlier years.
   
   NAICS uses a production-oriented approach to categorize economic units.
Units with similar production processes are classified in the same industry.  
NAICS focuses on how products and services are created, as opposed to the 
SIC focus on what is produced.  This approach yields significantly different 
industry groupings than those produced by the SIC approach.
   
   Data users will be able to work with new NAICS industrial groupings that 
better reflect the workings of the U.S. economy.  For example, a new industry 
sector called Information brings together units which turn information into a 
commodity with units which distribute that commodity.  Information's major 
components are publishing, broadcasting, telecommunications, information ser-
vices, and data processing.  Under the SIC system, these units were spread 
across the manufacturing, communications, business services, and amusement 
services groups.  Another new sector of interest is Professional and techni-
cal services.  This sector is comprised of establishments engaged in activi-
ties where human capital is the major input.
   
   Users interested in more information about NAICS can access the Bureau
of Labor Statistics Web page (http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm) and the
U.S. Census Bureau Web page (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html).
The NAICS 2002 manual is available from the National Technical Information
Service (NTIS) Web page (http://www.ntis.gov/).
   
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.  Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2001 is avail-
able for sale from the BLS Publications Sales Center, P.O. Box 2145, Chicago, 
Illinois 60690, telephone 312-353-1880.  The 2002 annual bulletin will be pub-
lished in November 2003.
   
   News releases on 2002 quarterly employment and pay data are avail-
able upon request from the Division of Administrative Statistics and 
Labor Turnover, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 
Washington, DC 20212; telephone 202-691-6567; (http://www.bls.gov/cew/); 
(e-mail: CEWInfo@bls.gov).
   
   News releases on quarterly measures of gross job flows are also avail-
able 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 316 largest counties,
first quarter 2003(2)
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                   
                                                    Employment             Average weekly wages(5) 
                                                                                                   
                            Establishments,                                                          
                             first quarter               Percent                    Percent          
        County(3)                2003         March      change,  Ranking  Average  change,  Ranking 
                              (thousands)     2003        March      by     weekly   first      by   
                                           (thousands)   2002-03  percent   wages   quarter  percent 
                                                           (4)     change           2002-03   change 
                                                                                      (4)            
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                   
United States(6).........       8,250.6     126,860.3     -0.3     -        $729      1.5     -    
                                                                                                   
Jefferson, AL............          18.2         368.0     -1.7      260      742      4.7       28 
Madison, AL..............           7.6         158.0      2.6       17      760      4.8       27 
Mobile, AL...............           9.5         162.6     -0.9      203      581      1.9      185 
Montgomery, AL...........           6.5         128.2     -0.5      180      602      4.7       28 
Tuscaloosa, AL...........           4.0          77.2      1.2       72      584      3.5       64 
Anchorage Borough, AK....           7.4         136.7      2.6       17      740      0.4      265 
Maricopa, AZ.............          79.0       1,569.5      1.2       72      699      1.2      231 
Pima, AZ.................          17.3         327.9      0.1      138      616      2.7      130 
Benton, AR...............           3.9          80.5      2.7       16      751      1.5      210 
Pulaski, AR..............          13.1         237.0      0.4      114      636      2.3      161 
                                                                                                   
Washington, AR...........           4.8          82.5     -0.2      159      544      3.4       69 
Alameda, CA..............          48.1         685.1     -1.3      234      922      1.3      225 
Contra Costa, CA.........          27.9         337.6      0.0      143      913      0.7      257 
Fresno, CA...............          29.2         312.7      2.1       33      579      3.0      101 
Kern, CA.................          15.8         235.2      2.8       15      655      2.7      130 
Los Angeles, CA..........         347.1       4,050.1      0.0      143      817      1.2      231 
Marin, CA................          11.9         108.8     -1.5      247      931     10.7        1 
Monterey, CA.............          11.9         157.3      2.2       27      670      2.9      112 
Orange, CA...............          87.6       1,421.1      1.0       83      832      3.6       58 
Placer, CA...............           9.1         123.5      4.9        1      701      2.6      139 
                                                                                                   
Riverside, CA............          35.8         534.2      4.0        7      617      2.8      115 
Sacramento, CA...........          45.0         592.7      0.7      100      819      3.5       64 
San Bernardino, CA.......          39.0         565.8      1.6       48      627      3.8       51 
San Diego, CA............          83.8       1,250.5      1.7       45      777      2.6      139 
San Francisco, CA........          44.0         533.0     -2.7      296    1,234     -2.2      305 
San Joaquin, CA..........          15.2         210.4      3.0       12      623      3.1       95 
San Luis Obispo, CA......           8.6          98.8     -0.5      180      596      4.4       34 
San Mateo, CA............          23.3         333.3     -3.3      307    1,089     -1.2      301 
Santa Barbara, CA........          13.0         178.3      1.9       40      686      3.3       78 
Santa Clara, CA..........          51.2         858.0     -5.9      315    1,235     -1.8      304 
                                                                                                   
Santa Cruz, CA...........           8.3          92.2     -1.8      266      704      3.5       64 
Solano, CA...............           9.1         125.6      2.2       27      667      1.1      236 
Sonoma, CA...............          16.9         187.2     -2.4      290      702      2.0      179 
Stanislaus, CA...........          12.9         162.3      1.7       45      617      4.0       42 
Tulare, CA...............           9.0         129.4      1.5       54     $506      3.7       57 
Ventura, CA..............          20.3         303.1      0.5      109      773      5.2       17 
Yolo, CA.................           4.9          88.2      2.3       24      700      3.2       88 
Adams, CO................           8.5         138.1     -3.3      307      671      1.5      210 
Arapahoe, CO.............          18.7         267.4     -2.7      296      918      0.1      280 
Boulder, CO..............          11.6         149.8     -4.1      311      869      2.6      139 
                                                                                                   
Denver, CO...............          24.0         424.9     -1.9      273      882      1.0      243 
El Paso, CO..............          15.4         229.4     -1.7      260      674      1.7      202 
Jefferson, CO............          17.6         200.2     -1.4      241      754      1.1      236 
Larimer, CO..............           9.0         116.5     -1.5      247      643      0.2      276 
Fairfield, CT............          31.6         406.5     -1.8      266    1,376      2.1      170 
Hartford, CT.............          24.0         475.1     -2.7      296      938      3.9       46 
New Haven, CT............          21.7         357.7     -0.7      194      777      1.6      206 
New London, CT...........           6.5         127.0     -0.2      159      750      2.6      139 
New Castle, DE...........          17.3         271.4     -0.5      180      932      0.4      265 
Washington, DC...........          29.3         651.8      1.1       79    1,135      2.8      115 
                                                                                                   
Alachua, FL..............           5.6         121.2      1.5       54      527      3.9       46 
Brevard, FL..............          11.9         184.3      0.6      107      662      2.5      148 
Broward, FL..............          55.0         682.8      0.9       88      671      2.8      115 
Collier, FL..............          10.0         122.4      2.1       33      605      2.0      179 
Duval, FL................          21.3         428.6      0.3      122      713      4.7       28 
Escambia, FL.............           7.1         122.8      1.7       45      558      1.5      210 
Hillsborough, FL.........          29.6         614.3      1.1       79      677      3.0      101 
Lee, FL..................          14.2         187.8      4.6        2      584      1.9      185 
Leon, FL.................           8.1         142.3      1.8       42      592      3.0      101 
Manatee, FL..............           6.4           (7)      (7)     -         553      2.6      139 
                                                                                                   
Marion, FL...............           5.9          85.1      1.2       72      514      3.4       69 
Miami-Dade, FL...........          78.0         984.0     -0.2      159      692      2.7      130 
Okaloosa, FL.............           4.8          78.5      3.0       12      541      6.5        5 
Orange, FL...............          28.0         601.7      2.0       37      652      2.0      179 
Palm Beach, FL...........          41.2         518.6      1.5       54      712      1.9      185 
Pasco, FL................           7.1          81.2      2.5       20      488      5.4       14 
Pinellas, FL.............          27.3         444.0      4.3        5      616     -0.5      292 
Polk, FL.................          10.1         187.2     -0.6      187      562      3.3       78 
Sarasota, FL.............          12.5         142.8     -0.2      159      586      2.6      139 
Seminole, FL.............          11.3         149.3      1.3       64      632     -0.3      288 
                                                                                                   
Volusia, FL..............          11.2         150.0      1.8       42     $517      4.4       34 
Bibb, GA.................           4.8          84.0     -0.9      203      606     -3.3      310 
Chatham, GA..............           7.1         123.1      0.7      100      609      2.9      112 
Clayton, GA..............           4.5         110.2     -1.3      234      775      6.3        7 
Cobb, GA.................          19.8         299.1      1.6       48      805      1.0      243 
De Kalb, GA..............          17.1         299.9      0.2      131      808      4.4       34 
Fulton, GA...............          37.7         728.8     -0.9      203    1,010      2.1      170 
Gwinnett, GA.............          20.9         290.0     -0.1      152      776      0.5      261 
Muscogee, GA.............           4.7          97.0      0.8       95      589      2.8      115 
Richmond, GA.............           4.9         102.9     -0.3      167      602      4.9       23 
                                                                                                   
Honolulu, HI.............          24.0         416.7      2.2       27      660      2.0      179 
Ada, ID..................          12.8         179.3      0.4      114      648      0.3      271 
Champaign, IL............           3.9          89.4      0.9       88      605      1.0      243 
Cook, IL.................         125.5       2,496.5     -1.5      247      905      1.3      225 
Du Page, IL..............          31.9         556.1     -0.8      200      863      2.4      153 
Kane, IL.................          10.5         190.3     -0.6      187      655      2.7      130 
Lake, IL.................          18.5         311.2      0.9       88      906     -2.5      307 
McHenry, IL..............           7.1          89.4     -0.1      152      633      2.3      161 
McLean, IL...............           3.3          84.4     -0.3      167      708      2.8      115 
Madison, IL..............           5.5          93.6     -1.6      256      587      2.1      170 
                                                                                                   
Peoria, IL...............           4.5          95.5     -2.8      301      667      2.3      161 
Rock Island, IL..........           3.3          76.8     -1.1      224      658     -0.2      285 
St. Clair, IL............           4.9          90.8      0.7      100      566      1.3      225 
Sangamon, IL.............           5.0         135.1     -5.4      314      746      6.3        7 
Will, IL.................          10.0         146.4      1.2       72      668      0.1      280 
Winnebago, IL............           6.6         133.9     -1.9      273      638      1.8      193 
Allen, IN................           8.6         176.1     -1.3      234      659      1.4      218 
Elkhart, IN..............           4.8         113.7      2.6       17      617      3.4       69 
Hamilton, IN.............           5.9          81.9      2.3       24      780      1.6      206 
Lake, IN.................           9.8         189.8      1.5       54      635      5.0       21 
                                                                                                   
Marion, IN...............          23.6         565.5     -1.0      216      769      0.4      265 
St. Joseph, IN...........           6.0         121.5      0.6      107      624      3.3       78 
Vanderburgh, IN..........           4.8         108.0      0.1      138      615      1.2      231 
Linn, IA.................           5.9         114.4     -1.3      234      678      2.4      153 
Polk, IA.................          13.6         254.2     -0.8      200      752      4.3       37 
Scott, IA................           4.9          82.4     -0.1      152     $576      0.9      249 
Johnson, KS..............          18.3         284.1      0.0      143      791      6.0       10 
Sedgwick, KS.............          11.5         239.8     -2.1      280      666      0.5      261 
Shawnee, KS..............           4.7          95.8     -2.3      286      609     -0.8      296 
Wyandotte, KS............           3.1          74.4     -3.5      309      716      1.0      243 
                                                                                                   
Fayette, KY..............           8.7         163.3      0.1      138      670      4.9       23 
Jefferson, KY............          21.6         412.9     -0.9      203      708      3.4       69 
Caddo, LA................           7.1         117.5     -1.4      241      588      4.3       37 
Calcasieu, LA............           4.6          81.9     -2.9      302      575     -4.0      311 
East Baton Rouge, LA.....          13.1         239.8      1.0       83      624      3.8       51 
Jefferson, LA............          13.9         210.8     -0.6      187      591      2.4      153 
Lafayette, LA............           7.5         118.7      1.3       64      622     -0.3      288 
Orleans, LA..............          12.7         248.6     -0.9      203      674      1.2      231 
Cumberland, ME...........          11.2         162.8     -0.1      152      663      3.0      101 
Anne Arundel, MD.........          12.9         201.8      0.0      143      729      0.3      271 
                                                                                                   
Baltimore, MD............          19.9         351.9     -1.3      234      745      3.5       64 
Frederick, MD............           5.2          84.7      0.7      100      695      3.9       46 
Howard, MD...............           7.6         133.3      0.0      143      818      2.6      139 
Montgomery, MD...........          30.6         445.9      0.0      143      940      2.7      130 
Prince Georges, MD.......          14.5         307.0     -0.2      159      767      1.3      225 
Baltimore City, MD.......          14.0         364.0     -1.5      247      826      1.8      193 
Barnstable, MA...........           8.9          82.2      1.3       64      632      1.8      193 
Bristol, MA..............          14.5         213.9     -0.9      203      640      2.4      153 
Essex, MA................          19.9         291.2     -2.3      286      773      2.7      130 
Hampden, MA..............          13.1         196.0     -2.1      280      694      3.0      101 
                                                                                                   
Middlesex, MA............          46.6         782.5     -3.9      310    1,003      1.5      210 
Norfolk, MA..............          21.3         313.5     -1.9      273      892      3.1       95 
Plymouth, MA.............          13.0         164.8     -0.7      194      690      3.4       69 
Suffolk, MA..............          21.7         565.5     -3.0      304    1,238      0.4      265 
Worcester, MA............          19.6         311.7     -0.9      203      730      2.2      166 
Genesee, MI..............           8.6         153.7     -2.6      295      722      4.0       42 
Ingham, MI...............           7.1         168.6     -2.2      283      725      1.1      236 
Kalamazoo, MI............           5.6         115.1     -1.2      228      714      3.8       51 
Kent, MI.................          14.4         325.7     -1.6      256      682      2.6      139 
Macomb, MI...............          18.1         316.8     -0.3      167      832      6.7        4 
                                                                                                   
Oakland, MI..............          41.8         724.0     -1.2      228     $919      4.7       28 
Ottawa, MI...............           5.7         108.2     -1.2      228      638      3.4       69 
Saginaw, MI..............           4.7          89.5     -1.0      216      695      5.3       15 
Washtenaw, MI............           8.2         194.2     -0.6      187      827      3.4       69 
Wayne, MI................          35.5         804.8     -1.8      266      857      4.9       23 
Anoka, MN................           7.1         107.3     -0.6      187      690      3.3       78 
Dakota, MN...............           9.4         160.7      2.2       27      735      2.8      115 
Hennepin, MN.............          40.8         812.8     -1.5      247      923      1.1      236 
Olmsted, MN..............           3.2          85.2      1.3       64      757      2.3      161 
Ramsey, MN...............          14.5         322.1     -1.2      228      831      3.6       58 
                                                                                                   
St. Louis, MN............           5.6          91.8      0.5      109      615      3.2       88 
Stearns, MN..............           4.1          74.9     -1.5      247      562      3.5       64 
Harrison, MS.............           4.4          88.1      2.0       37      537      3.3       78 
Hinds, MS................           6.6         129.6     -1.8      266      621      5.3       15 
Boone, MO................           4.2          75.9     -0.7      194      545     -0.2      285 
Clay, MO.................           4.9          85.3      1.3       64      664      2.6      139 
Greene, MO...............           8.0         144.0      2.4       21      545      1.9      185 
Jackson, MO..............          18.9         364.4     -2.5      293      752     -0.8      296 
St. Charles, MO..........           7.0         105.9      4.6        2      626      3.1       95 
St. Louis, MO............          34.1         618.7     -0.6      187      785      2.2      166 
                                                                                                   
St. Louis City, MO.......           8.4         230.5     -2.7      296      861      1.1      236 
Douglas, NE..............          14.7         304.9     -1.7      260      695      3.3       78 
Lancaster, NE............           7.3         146.7      0.8       95      592      2.8      115 
Clark, NV................          33.9         744.2      3.8        8      655      2.5      148 
Washoe, NV...............          11.5         192.3      2.2       27      673      2.4      153 
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.0         187.4     -0.1      152      783      3.8       51 
Rockingham, NH...........          10.4         126.6     -0.4      171      725      3.6       58 
Atlantic, NJ.............           6.4         138.8      0.7      100      662      3.3       78 
Bergen, NJ...............          34.0         446.2      0.0      143      936      1.5      210 
Burlington, NJ...........          10.9         193.3      1.6       48      775      1.8      193 
                                                                                                   
Camden, NJ...............          12.9         201.8      1.0       83      750      3.6       58 
Essex, NJ................          21.0         360.0     -0.2      159      982      2.1      170 
Gloucester, NJ...........           5.8          94.5      3.4       10      648      0.6      260 
Hudson, NJ...............          13.6         235.7     -1.3      234    1,034     -9.1      315 
Mercer, NJ...............          10.3         217.2      0.0      143      984      2.4      153 
Middlesex, NJ............          20.3         386.2     -2.9      302     $980      1.0      243 
Monmouth, NJ.............          19.3         239.8     -0.4      171      805      0.8      254 
Morris, NJ...............          17.3         274.3     -1.5      247    1,106      0.1      280 
Ocean, NJ................          11.2         135.5      1.4       59      629      2.8      115 
Passaic, NJ..............          12.3         174.5     -1.2      228      782      3.2       88 
                                                                                                   
Somerset, NJ.............           9.7         168.1     -2.3      286    1,299      5.5       12 
Union, NJ................          14.8         232.9     -0.8      200      948      0.5      261 
Bernalillo, NM...........          16.8         308.3      1.2       72      628      2.1      170 
Albany, NY...............           9.4         224.7     -1.0      216      762      2.3      161 
Bronx, NY................          15.1         214.1      0.3      122      674      1.4      218 
Broome, NY...............           4.4          97.2     -0.4      171      589     -2.2      305 
Dutchess, NY.............           7.5         114.0      0.3      122      756      0.3      271 
Erie, NY.................          23.3         447.7     -0.4      171      656      1.9      185 
Kings, NY................          41.2         438.7      0.8       95      631      1.4      218 
Monroe, NY...............          17.6         378.5     -0.9      203      729      0.3      271 
                                                                                                   
Nassau, NY...............          49.9         588.8      0.4      114      800      1.0      243 
New York, NY.............         112.6       2,210.3     -1.8      266    1,648     -5.9      313 
Oneida, NY...............           5.3         106.7      0.2      131      566      0.2      276 
Onondaga, NY.............          12.5         243.4      0.3      122      683      0.1      280 
Orange, NY...............           8.9         122.3      1.4       59      607      3.2       88 
Queens, NY...............          39.3         469.8      0.0      143      723      1.4      218 
Richmond, NY.............           7.7          86.1      0.3      122      632     -4.0      311 
Rockland, NY.............           9.1         108.5      0.3      122      768      1.2      231 
Suffolk, NY..............          46.4         579.2      0.1      138      761      2.7      130 
Westchester, NY..........          34.9         399.6      0.2      131      989     -2.5      307 
                                                                                                   
Buncombe, NC.............           6.9         102.9      0.1      138      551      1.1      236 
Catawba, NC..............           4.5          87.5     -4.2      313      551      1.8      193 
Cumberland, NC...........           5.8         109.0      1.6       48      540      1.3      225 
Durham, NC...............           6.4         161.7     -2.4      290      985      1.3      225 
Forsyth, NC..............           8.6         173.5     -2.7      296      715      4.2       40 
Guilford, NC.............          14.4         265.0     -1.0      216      669      3.1       95 
Mecklenburg, NC..........          28.5         499.9     -2.0      278      936      3.3       78 
New Hanover, NC..........           6.4          86.3     -0.7      194      567      0.7      257 
Wake, NC.................          23.6         373.9     -1.0      216      742      1.8      193 
Cass, ND.................           5.0          82.6      2.1       33      583      2.8      115 
                                                                                                   
Butler, OH...............           6.8         126.5     -0.2      159     $647      2.2      166 
Cuyahoga, OH.............          38.7         753.4     -0.9      203      768      2.9      112 
Franklin, OH.............          29.7         674.9     -2.5      293      743      3.1       95 
Hamilton, OH.............          25.2         540.1     -0.1      152      800      2.8      115 
Lake, OH.................           6.7          95.5     -0.7      194      634      3.8       51 
Lorain, OH...............           6.2          98.9     -0.4      171      619      3.0      101 
Lucas, OH................          11.0         223.5     -1.4      241      681      3.0      101 
Mahoning, OH.............           6.5         102.9     -1.0      216      551      3.6       58 
Montgomery, OH...........          13.3         284.9     -1.7      260      697      2.8      115 
Stark, OH................           9.1         165.7     -2.2      283      586      3.9       46 
                                                                                                   
Summit, OH...............          14.8         257.0     -0.6      187      704      6.3        7 
Trumbull, OH.............           4.9          85.8     -1.5      247      672      6.5        5 
Oklahoma, OK.............          21.5         396.4     -2.3      286      620      5.1       20 
Tulsa, OK................          18.2         319.3     -4.1      311      649     -1.7      303 
Clackamas, OR............          11.0         129.7     -1.5      247      661      1.7      202 
Lane, OR.................          10.2         136.3      0.2      131      558      3.0      101 
Marion, OR...............           8.3         123.9      1.3       64      573      2.5      148 
Multnomah, OR............          25.3         418.1     -1.9      273      748      1.8      193 
Washington, OR...........          13.9         218.1     -0.9      203      810     -2.6      309 
Allegheny, PA............          36.0         687.5     -1.1      224      769      1.1      236 
                                                                                                   
Berks, PA................           8.7         157.9     -2.2      283      652      0.9      249 
Bucks, PA................          19.5         247.0      1.6       48      688      1.5      210 
Chester, PA..............          14.3         213.5     -0.4      171      945      5.2       17 
Cumberland, PA...........           5.5         123.2      0.5      109      691      1.6      206 
Dauphin, PA..............           6.8         171.6     -0.9      203      724      0.3      271 
Delaware, PA.............          13.7         210.1     -0.5      180      805      4.3       37 
Erie, PA.................           7.2         123.2     -1.1      224      563     -0.2      285 
Lackawanna, PA...........           5.6          96.5     -0.4      171      561      0.9      249 
Lancaster, PA............          11.4         217.2     -0.1      152      631      2.8      115 
Lehigh, PA...............           8.1         165.0     -1.6      256      727      1.5      210 
                                                                                                   
Luzerne, PA..............           7.8         137.2     -0.9      203      580      2.1      170 
Montgomery, PA...........          27.2         472.3     -1.3      234      936      2.5      148 
Northampton, PA..........           5.9          90.0      0.2      131      623     -0.3      288 
Philadelphia, PA.........          27.1         654.0      0.2      131      834      1.7      202 
Westmoreland, PA.........           9.3         129.5     -1.0      216      569      2.0      179 
York, PA.................           8.4         162.2     -1.1      224     $657      3.8       51 
Kent, RI.................           5.4          76.9      2.0       37      638      2.7      130 
Providence, RI...........          17.2         282.9     -0.5      180      747      7.3        3 
Charleston, SC...........          12.8         184.9      3.1       11      586      3.2       88 
Greenville, SC...........          13.2         221.4      1.3       64      655      3.0      101 
                                                                                                   
Horry, SC................           8.5          96.7      2.2       27      487      5.0       21 
Lexington, SC............           6.0          82.4      0.5      109      534      0.9      249 
Richland, SC.............          10.4         204.9      1.1       79      617      2.8      115 
Spartanburg, SC..........           6.9         115.6     -0.4      171      650      1.4      218 
Minnehaha, SD............           5.8         105.7      1.4       59      594      4.9       23 
Davidson, TN.............          17.9         423.2      0.9       88      721      3.0      101 
Hamilton, TN.............           8.3         186.5      0.3      122      611      2.5      148 
Knox, TN.................          10.3         207.8      2.3       24      611      3.0      101 
Rutherford, TN...........           3.5          81.8      4.5        4      637      1.4      218 
Shelby, TN...............          20.0         494.3      1.5       54      730      2.4      153 
                                                                                                   
Bell, TX.................           4.0          88.8      0.3      122      538      1.5      210 
Bexar, TX................          29.0         652.7      0.4      114      637      2.2      166 
Brazoria, TX.............           4.0          75.6     -2.4      290      712      1.9      185 
Brazos, TX...............           3.4          77.3      0.7      100      503      0.8      254 
Cameron, TX..............           6.0         115.0      1.4       59      438      2.1      170 
Collin, TX...............          11.4         191.2      0.8       95      812     -1.3      302 
Dallas, TX...............          67.4       1,436.5     -3.0      304      890      0.2      276 
Denton, TX...............           7.8         126.1     -0.3      167      600      0.0      284 
El Paso, TX..............          12.3         250.8      0.4      114      510      2.8      115 
Fort Bend, TX............           5.9          96.5      1.0       83      740     -0.4      291 
                                                                                                   
Galveston, TX............           4.7          88.2      0.9       88      641      7.4        2 
Harris, TX...............          87.7       1,830.8     -0.9      203      860     -0.5      292 
Hidalgo, TX..............           8.9         179.9      1.9       40      445      4.0       42 
Jefferson, TX............           5.8         115.2     -3.0      304      634     -0.5      292 
Lubbock, TX..............           6.4         115.4     -1.4      241      531      3.3       78 
McLennan, TX.............           4.6          96.8     -0.4      171      559      2.0      179 
Montgomery, TX...........           6.0          84.2      1.8       42      626     -0.9      298 
Nueces, TX...............           7.9         143.6      0.4      114      586      1.9      185 
Smith, TX................           4.8          84.4      0.3      122      591      4.2       40 
Tarrant, TX..............          33.1         687.5     -1.7      260      739      1.7      202 
                                                                                                   
Travis, TX...............          24.0         507.3     -2.0      278     $815      1.4      218 
Williamson, TX...........           4.6          80.5      0.8       95      808      5.6       11 
Davis, UT................           5.7          86.9      1.1       79      595      3.1       95 
Salt Lake, UT............          32.3         508.2     -1.7      260      647     -1.1      299 
Utah, UT.................           9.9         139.0      0.5      109      536      0.4      265 
Weber, UT................           5.0          85.4      1.2       72      525      2.1      170 
Chittenden, VT...........           5.6          91.6     -1.4      241      718      0.8      254 
Arlington, VA............           6.8         148.6     -1.9      273    1,138      3.2       88 
Chesterfield, VA.........           6.5         108.3     -0.7      194      647      0.5      261 
Fairfax, VA..............          29.6         525.1      0.4      114    1,091      4.0       42 
                                                                                                   
Henrico, VA..............           7.9         165.1     -0.5      180      806      3.6       58 
Loudoun, VA..............           5.8         101.1      2.9       14      872     -7.9      314 
Prince William, VA.......           5.5          85.4      1.2       72      621      3.3       78 
Alexandria City, VA......           5.6          89.7      0.7      100      903      1.8      193 
Chesapeake City, VA......           4.6          88.7      2.4       21      543      3.4       69 
Newport News City, VA....           3.6          94.7      0.9       88      639      2.7      130 
Norfolk City, VA.........           5.5         144.2     -0.2      159      695      5.5       12 
Richmond City, VA........           6.9         159.1     -1.6      256      870      3.4       69 
Virginia Beach City, VA..          10.3         161.5     -0.5      180      551      4.6       33 
Clark, WA................          10.9         113.9      1.6       48      645      0.2      276 
                                                                                                   
King, WA.................          85.3       1,080.7     -1.0      216      919     -1.1      299 
Kitsap, WA...............           6.5          75.9      2.1       33      664      1.8      193 
Pierce, WA...............          21.1         240.5      2.4       21      638      3.2       88 
Snohomish, WA............          16.9         206.0      1.0       83      749      1.9      185 
Spokane, WA..............          15.4         187.7      1.4       59      584      0.7      257 
Thurston, WA.............           6.7          88.7      4.1        6      651     -0.5      292 
Yakima, WA...............           9.4          87.9      3.6        9      (7)      (7)     -    
Kanawha, WV..............           6.1         107.8     -1.2      228     $636      1.6      206 
Brown, WI................           6.6         139.5      0.4      114      649      0.9      249 
Dane, WI.................          13.3         279.2      0.9       88      697      3.9       46 
                                                                                                   
Milwaukee, WI............          22.3         496.4     -1.4      241      739      2.1      170 
Outagamie, WI............           4.9          95.1      1.3       64      635      2.4      153 
Racine, WI...............           4.3          74.2     -2.1      280      653      5.2       17 
Waukesha, WI.............          13.1         219.0      0.2      131      736      0.4      265 
Winnebago, WI............           3.9          85.6     -1.8      266      703      2.8      115 
                                                                                                   
San Juan, PR.............          11.6         313.4     -1.8      266     $464      4.7       28 

  1 Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.  These 315 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 annual employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic
county reclassifications.  See Technical Note.
  5 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
  6 Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
  7 Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.
   
 
 
 

Table 2. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the ten largest counties,
first quarter 2003(2)
                                                                                                        
                                                                                                        
                                                                        Employment       Average weekly 
                                                                                            wages(4)    
                                                     Establishments,                                      
                                                      first quarter                                       
           County by NAICS supersector                    2003                    Percent          Percent
                                                       (thousands)     March      change, Average  change,
                                                                       2003       March   weekly   March 
                                                                    (thousands)   2002-03  wages   2002-03
                                                                                   (3)              (3)  
                                                                                                        
                                                                                                        
United States(5)..................................       8,250.6     126,860.3     -0.3    $729      1.5
  Private industry................................       7,984.4     105,662.0     -0.6     727      1.1
    Natural resources and mining..................         125.0       1,528.5     -0.5     674      0.1
    Construction..................................         800.9       6,292.4     -1.4     723     -0.1
    Manufacturing.................................         383.0      14,618.6     -4.6     882      3.0
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........       1,861.1      24,709.0     -0.8     634      1.9
    Information...................................         148.1       3,204.6     -6.7   1,155      1.1
    Financial activities..........................         755.5       7,758.4      1.5   1,255     -1.3
    Professional and business services............       1,315.8      15,653.9     -0.7     865      1.2
    Education and health services.................         721.9      15,678.7      2.9     637      3.1
    Leisure and hospitality.......................         660.2      11,734.6      1.4     303      2.0
    Other services................................       1,060.7       4,243.4      0.6     459      2.0
  Government......................................         266.2      21,198.4      0.7     739      3.2
                                                                                                        
Los Angeles, CA...................................         347.1       4,050.1      0.0     817      1.2
  Private industry................................         343.3       3,448.7      0.1     797      0.9
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.6          11.8     -0.9     945     -7.5
    Construction..................................          12.9         133.1      0.6     789      0.0
    Manufacturing.................................          18.3         512.3     -5.9     839      4.4
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          53.7         766.9      0.4     691      2.7
    Information...................................           9.5         206.3     -5.6   1,473      4.8
    Financial activities..........................          22.7         235.5      1.4   1,290     -3.9
    Professional and business services............          39.7         563.6      1.0     895      0.9
    Education and health services.................          25.9         448.1      3.3     697      0.6
    Leisure and hospitality.......................          24.9         355.6      2.2     456      0.4
    Other services................................         134.5         214.3      6.6     405      1.5
  Government......................................           3.8         601.4     -0.7     928      2.8
                                                                                                        
Cook, IL..........................................         125.5       2,496.5     -1.5     905      1.3
  Private industry................................         124.3       2,168.2     -2.0     911      1.2
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.1           1.3     -2.3     899      2.3
    Construction..................................          10.2          88.1     -2.7   1,045     -1.1
    Manufacturing.................................           8.0         271.4     -5.7     897      4.1
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          26.6         477.6     -1.1     714      1.7
    Information...................................           2.5          66.5     -7.0   1,294      3.9
    Financial activities..........................          13.5         216.9     -0.7   1,806     -1.7
    Professional and business services............          25.8         396.8     -4.3   1,126      2.2
    Education and health services.................          12.1         344.8      0.0     688      3.8
    Leisure and hospitality.......................          10.4         204.7      1.9     356      0.0
    Other services................................          12.7          95.2     -0.7    $616      2.7
  Government......................................           1.1         328.3      1.5     869      2.8
                                                                                                        
New York, NY......................................         112.6       2,210.3     -1.8   1,648     -5.9
  Private industry................................         112.4       1,762.0     -1.7   1,817     -7.7
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.0           0.1      1.6   1,484      1.2
    Construction..................................           2.2          29.8     -5.7   1,336      3.6
    Manufacturing.................................           3.7          48.9     -8.8   1,068      4.9
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          22.7         233.9      0.3   1,009      1.4
    Information...................................           4.5         130.7     -6.7   1,966      8.3
    Financial activities..........................          17.1         350.8     -3.3   4,219    -12.7
    Professional and business services............          22.9         428.1     -3.2   1,669     -6.7
    Education and health services.................           7.8         270.7      1.0     840      5.8
    Leisure and hospitality.......................          10.1         178.2      2.7     635      1.9
    Other services................................          15.9          82.1      0.6     758      2.0
  Government......................................           0.2         448.3     -2.2     987      8.6
                                                                                                        
Harris, TX........................................          87.7       1,830.8     -0.9    $860     -0.5
  Private industry................................          87.3       1,587.0     -1.5     877     -0.9
    Natural resources and mining..................           1.2          60.5      3.4   2,229      3.9
    Construction..................................           6.4         142.6     -2.8     802     -1.1
    Manufacturing.................................           4.7         169.1     -5.5   1,093      4.2
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          21.2         390.5     -3.6     818     -4.9
    Information...................................           1.4          34.7     -6.7   1,096     -1.2
    Financial activities..........................           9.1         110.6     -0.4   1,192     -1.9
    Professional and business services............          16.8         279.5     -2.0     913     -2.0
    Education and health services.................           8.5         183.8      2.1     719      3.2
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           6.4         155.2      4.5     313      1.0
    Other services................................          10.3          57.6     -3.4     506     -0.4
  Government......................................           0.4         243.8      3.5     749      3.7
                                                                                                        
Maricopa, AZ......................................          79.0       1,569.5      1.2     699      1.2
  Private industry................................          78.5       1,352.8      1.0     700      0.9
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.5           9.0      4.3     534     17.4
    Construction..................................           8.4         123.1      1.3     700     -0.4
    Manufacturing.................................           3.3         127.8     -6.4   1,019      0.4
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          18.7         316.7      1.1     687      0.9
    Information...................................           1.6          38.0     -3.6     847      1.0
    Financial activities..........................           9.2         131.5      2.4     935      4.5
    Professional and business services............          17.7         251.0      1.1     683      1.0
    Education and health services.................           7.4         153.4      4.9     694      3.0
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           5.3         156.0      3.2     337      1.5
    Other services................................           5.6          45.0      0.5     470      0.4
  Government......................................           0.5         216.7      2.7     694      2.7
                                                                                                        
Dallas, TX........................................          67.4       1,436.5     -3.0     890      0.2
  Private industry................................          67.0       1,279.1     -3.5     904      0.2
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.5           6.4    -25.0   2,154      4.6
    Construction..................................           4.5          72.5     -7.5     774      2.1
    Manufacturing.................................           3.5         145.6     -8.0   1,010      0.3
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          15.8         320.5     -3.5     866      1.8
    Information...................................           1.8          65.1    -14.3   1,305      1.6
    Financial activities..........................           8.3         137.7     -0.5   1,269     -0.3
    Professional and business services............          13.9         232.0     -3.6     956     -0.1
    Education and health services.................           6.1         129.4      5.1     782      1.0
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           5.0         125.1     -0.3    $431      5.1
    Other services................................           6.8          42.7     -2.5     545     -0.5
  Government......................................           0.4         157.4      1.7     778      1.7
                                                                                                        
Orange, CA........................................          87.6       1,421.1      1.0     832      3.6
  Private industry................................          86.2       1,267.6      1.3     813      3.2
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.2           8.6     -1.6     472      1.3
    Construction..................................           6.4          81.8      3.8     863      0.5
    Manufacturing.................................           6.2         184.4     -5.8     947      6.3
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          17.4         263.1      0.4     775      2.2
    Information...................................           1.5          34.5     -7.8   1,208      0.7
    Financial activities..........................           9.4         119.0      8.6   1,323      8.9
    Professional and business services............          17.3         252.5      3.3     858     -0.8
    Education and health services.................           8.9         123.0      6.7     702      2.5
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           6.5         155.6      0.1     343      6.2
    Other services................................          12.0          44.8      3.9     481      0.4
  Government......................................           1.4         153.5     -1.6     985      6.7
                                                                                                        
San Diego, CA.....................................          83.8       1,250.5      1.7    $777      2.6
  Private industry................................          82.5       1,025.6      1.6     756      2.3
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.9          11.3     -1.6     438      0.9
    Construction..................................           6.4          75.9      2.0     774      1.0
    Manufacturing.................................           3.7         107.7     -6.3   1,004      0.7
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          14.2         204.0      2.1     656      4.5
    Information...................................           1.4          37.0     -3.0   1,322      4.3
    Financial activities..........................           8.7          78.9      5.2   1,101      2.3
    Professional and business services............          14.6         202.7      1.5     919      2.8
    Education and health services.................           7.5         120.2      3.0     661      5.6
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           6.4         136.9      4.8     332      4.4
    Other services................................          18.6          50.5      4.8     430      2.9
  Government......................................           1.3         224.9      2.1     874      3.6
                                                                                                        
King, WA..........................................          85.3       1,080.7     -1.0     919     -1.1
  Private industry................................          84.7         926.5     -1.4     934     -1.5
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.5           3.3     -1.2   1,180     24.1
    Construction..................................           6.9          51.4     -4.4     868      0.1
    Manufacturing.................................           2.8         105.8    -10.3   1,174     -1.6
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          16.0         213.7     -1.4     788      1.4
    Information...................................           1.7          66.6     -3.2   2,121     -9.5
    Financial activities..........................           6.3          76.2      2.4   1,183      5.1
    Professional and business services............          12.9         157.7      1.3   1,031     -0.8
    Education and health services.................           6.0         107.2      0.7     673      3.7
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           5.6          95.8      1.4     371      4.8
    Other services................................          26.1          48.6      1.1     440     -1.1
  Government......................................           0.6         154.2      1.5     830      2.9
                                                                                                        
Miami-Dade, FL....................................          78.0         984.0     -0.2     692      2.7
  Private industry................................          77.8         831.9     -0.4     676      2.3
    Natural resources and mining..................           0.5          11.6      4.4     349     -2.8
    Construction..................................           4.7          39.2      0.7     690      2.2
    Manufacturing.................................           2.9          53.1     -5.4     630      5.0
    Trade, transportation, and utilities..........          22.8         242.9     -1.8     656      3.5
    Information...................................           1.7          28.9     -7.7   1,026      0.2
    Financial activities..........................           8.0          65.6      1.6   1,074     -3.6
    Professional and business services............          15.1         134.3     -3.0     773      6.2
    Education and health services.................           7.6         122.8      2.1     672      4.3
    Leisure and hospitality.......................           5.1          94.6      4.3    $368     -1.6
    Other services................................           7.3          35.2     -1.8     427      2.2
  Government......................................           0.3         152.1      0.7     779      4.8

  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 annual employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county
reclassifications.  See Technical Note.
  4 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
  5 Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 
 
 
 

Table 3. Covered(1) establishments, employment, and wages in the largest county
by state, first quarter 2003(2)
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                               Employment       Average weekly 
                                                                   wages(5)    
                            Establishments,                                      
                             first quarter                                       
        County(3)                2003                    Percent          Percent
                              (thousands)     March      change, Average  change,
                                              2003        March  weekly    March 
                                           (thousands)   2002-03  wages   2002-03
                                                           (4)              (4)  
                                                                               
                                                                               
United States(6).........       8,250.6     126,860.3     -0.3    $729      1.5
                                                                               
Jefferson, AL............          18.2         368.0     -1.7     742      4.7
Anchorage Borough, AK....           7.4         136.7      2.6     740      0.4
Maricopa, AZ.............          79.0       1,569.5      1.2     699      1.2
Pulaski, AR..............          13.1         237.0      0.4     636      2.3
Los Angeles, CA..........         347.1       4,050.1      0.0     817      1.2
Denver, CO...............          24.0         424.9     -1.9     882      1.0
Hartford, CT.............          24.0         475.1     -2.7     938      3.9
New Castle, DE...........          17.3         271.4     -0.5     932      0.4
Washington, DC...........          29.3         651.8      1.1   1,135      2.8
Miami-Dade, FL...........          78.0         984.0     -0.2     692      2.7
                                                                               
Fulton, GA...............          37.7         728.8     -0.9   1,010      2.1
Honolulu, HI.............          24.0         416.7      2.2     660      2.0
Ada, ID..................          12.8         179.3      0.4     648      0.3
Cook, IL.................         125.5       2,496.5     -1.5     905      1.3
Marion, IN...............          23.6         565.5     -1.0     769      0.4
Polk, IA.................          13.6         254.2     -0.8     752      4.3
Johnson, KS..............          18.3         284.1      0.0     791      6.0
Jefferson, KY............          21.6         412.9     -0.9     708      3.4
Orleans, LA..............          12.7         248.6     -0.9     674      1.2
Cumberland, ME...........          11.2         162.8     -0.1     663      3.0
                                                                               
Montgomery, MD...........          30.6         445.9      0.0     940      2.7
Middlesex, MA............          46.6         782.5     -3.9   1,003      1.5
Wayne, MI................          35.5         804.8     -1.8     857      4.9
Hennepin, MN.............          40.8         812.8     -1.5     923      1.1
Hinds, MS................           6.6         129.6     -1.8     621      5.3
St. Louis, MO............          34.1         618.7     -0.6     785      2.2
Yellowstone, MT..........           5.6          66.7      0.9     532      0.6
Douglas, NE..............          14.7         304.9     -1.7     695      3.3
Clark, NV................          33.9         744.2      3.8     655      2.5
Hillsborough, NH.........          12.0         187.4     -0.1     783      3.8
                                                                               
Bergen, NJ...............          34.0         446.2      0.0     936      1.5
Bernalillo, NM...........          16.8         308.3      1.2     628      2.1
New York, NY.............         112.6       2,210.3     -1.8   1,648     -5.9
Mecklenburg, NC..........          28.5         499.9     -2.0     936      3.3
Cass, ND.................           5.0          82.6      2.1    $583      2.8
Cuyahoga, OH.............          38.7         753.4     -0.9     768      2.9
Oklahoma, OK.............          21.5         396.4     -2.3     620      5.1
Multnomah, OR............          25.3         418.1     -1.9     748      1.8
Allegheny, PA............          36.0         687.5     -1.1     769      1.1
Providence, RI...........          17.2         282.9     -0.5     747      7.3
                                                                               
Greenville, SC...........          13.2         221.4      1.3     655      3.0
Minnehaha, SD............           5.8         105.7      1.4     594      4.9
Shelby, TN...............          20.0         494.3      1.5     730      2.4
Harris, TX...............          87.7       1,830.8     -0.9     860     -0.5
Salt Lake, UT............          32.3         508.2     -1.7     647     -1.1
Chittenden, VT...........           5.6          91.6     -1.4     718      0.8
Fairfax, VA..............          29.6         525.1      0.4   1,091      4.0
King, WA.................          85.3       1,080.7     -1.0     919     -1.1
Kanawha, WV..............           6.1         107.8     -1.2     636      1.6
Milwaukee, WI............          22.3         496.4     -1.4     739      2.1
                                                                               
Laramie, WY..............           2.8          38.1      3.5     560      2.4
                                                                               
San Juan, PR.............          11.6         313.4     -1.8     464      4.7
St. Thomas, VI...........           1.7          23.2      2.0     572      6.5

  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 annual 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.