For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Wednesday, August 22, 2018 USDL-18-1355 

Technical Information: (202) 691-6567 • QCEWInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cew 

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES

First Quarter 2018 

From March 2017 to March 2018, employment increased in 314 of the 349 largest U.S. counties, the 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Midland, Texas, had the largest percentage increase with 

a gain of 12.6 percent over the year, above the national job growth rate of 1.6 percent. Within Midland, 

the largest employment increase occurred in natural resources and mining, which gained 5,728 jobs over 

the year (26.5 percent). Kanawha, W.Va., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in 

employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a loss of 1.4 percent. Within Kanawha, the 

largest employment decrease occurred in state government, which lost 390 jobs (-3.4 percent) over the 

year. 

The U.S. average weekly wage increased 3.7 percent over the year, growing to $1,152 in the first 

quarter of 2018. Peoria, Ill., had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in average weekly wages, 

with a gain of 23.8 percent. Within Peoria, an average weekly wage gain of $1,802 (60.6 percent) in 

manufacturing made the largest contribution to the county’s increase in average weekly wages. Forsyth, 

N.C., had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 4.8

percent. Within Forsyth, professional and business services had the largest impact on the county’s

average weekly wage change with a decrease of $304 (-18.7 percent) over the year.

Chart 1. Large counties ranked by percent increase in 

employment, March 2017-18 

(U.S. average = 1.6 percent)

Chart 2. Large counties ranked by percent increase in 

average weekly wages, first quarter 2017-18 

(U.S. average = 3.7 percent)

4

6

8

10

12

Midland,

Texas

Utah,

Utah

Boone,

Ky.

Montgomery,

Texas

Calcasieu,

La.

Percent

8

12

16

20

24

Peoria,

Ill.

Suffolk,

Mass.

Clayton,

Ga.

King,

Wash.

San

Francisco,

Calif.

Percent
- 2 -

County employment and wage data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 

program, which provides the only detailed quarterly and annual universe count of establishments, 

employment, and wages at the county, metropolitan statistical area, state, and national levels by detailed 

industry. These data are published within 5 months following the end of each quarter. 

Large County Employment 

In March 2018, national employment was 144.6 million (as measured by the QCEW program). Over the 

year, employment increased by 1.6 percent, or 2.3 million. In March 2018, the 349 U.S. counties with 

75,000 or more jobs accounted for 73.1 percent of total U.S. employment and 79.2 percent of total 

wages. These 349 counties had a net job growth of 1.6 million over the year, accounting for 72.4 percent 

of the overall U.S. employment increase. (See chart 3.) The 5 counties with the largest increases in 

employment levels had a combined over-the-year employment gain of 237,600 jobs, which was 10.5 

percent of the overall job increase for the U.S. (See table A.) 

Employment declined in 31 of the largest counties from March 2017 to March 2018. Kanawha, W.Va.,

had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-1.4 percent), followed by Saginaw, 

Mich.; Alexandria City, Va.; Jefferson, Texas; Montgomery, Ala.; and Caddo, La. (See table 1.)

Table A. Large counties ranked by March 2018 employment, March 2017-18 employment increase, and

March 2017-18 percent increase in employment 

Employment in large counties

March 2018 employment Increase in employment, Percent increase in employment, 

(thousands) March 2017-18 March 2017-18

(thousands)

United States 144,562.9 United States 2,269.1 United States 1.6

Los Angeles, Calif. 4,424.4 Los Angeles, Calif. 69.8 Midland, Texas 12.6

Cook, Ill. 2,565.0 Maricopa, Ariz. 61.5 Utah, Utah 6.0

New York, N.Y. 2,446.5 King, Wash. 39.6 Boone, Ky. 5.9

Harris, Texas 2,287.9 Kings, N.Y. 33.9 Montgomery, Texas 5.6

Maricopa, Ariz. 1,983.6 Orange, Calif. 32.8 Calcasieu, La. 5.0

Dallas, Texas 1,684.9 San Diego, Calif. 29.7 Weld, Colo. 4.7

Orange, Calif. 1,617.5 Harris, Texas 29.2 Elkhart, Ind. 4.7

San Diego, Calif. 1,452.7 Orange, Fla. 28.4 Kings, N.Y. 4.7

King, Wash. 1,375.1 Fulton, Ga. 25.7 Adams, Colo. 4.5

Miami-Dade, Fla. 1,147.0 Dallas, Texas 25.7 Ada, Idaho 4.5

Clark, Wash. 4.5

Large County Average Weekly Wages 

Average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,152, a 3.7 percent increase, during the year ending 

in the first quarter of 2018. Among the 349 largest counties, 336 had over-the-year increases in average 

weekly wages. (See chart 4.) Peoria, Ill., had the largest percentage wage increase among the largest 

U.S. counties (23.8 percent). (See table B.) 
- 3 -

Of the 349 largest counties, 13 experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly wages. Forsyth, 

N.C., had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-4.8 percent), followed by 

Washington, Ark.; McLean, Ill.; Newport News City, Va.; and Lexington, S.C. (See table 1.)

Table B. Large counties ranked by first quarter 2018 average weekly wages, first quarter 2017-18

increase in average weekly wages, and first quarter 2017-18 percent increase in average weekly wages 

Average weekly wage in large counties

Average weekly wage, Increase in average weekly Percent increase in average 

first quarter 2018 wage, first quarter 2017-2018 weekly wage, first

quarter 2017-2018

United States $1,152 United States $41 United States 3.7

New York, N.Y. $3,087 Peoria, Ill. $277 Peoria, Ill. 23.8

Santa Clara, Calif. 2,651 Suffolk, Mass. 245 Suffolk, Mass. 12.1

San Mateo, Calif. 2,606 San Francisco, Calif. 225 Clayton, Ga. 11.3

San Francisco, Calif. 2,485 Santa Clara, Calif. 221 King, Wash. 10.1

Suffolk, Mass. 2,268 San Mateo, Calif. 169 San Francisco, Calif. 10.0

Somerset, N.J. 2,078 King, Wash. 162 Utah, Utah 9.7

Fairfield, Conn. 1,959 Clayton, Ga. 134 Santa Clara, Calif. 9.1

Arlington, Va. 1,925 Hudson, N.J. 125 Muscogee, Ga. 8.7

Washington, D.C. 1,917 Snohomish, Wash. 101 Hillsborough, N.H. 8.6

Morris, N.J. 1,808 Hillsborough, N.H. 98 Snohomish, Wash. 8.6

Ten Largest U.S. Counties 

All of the 10 largest counties had over-the-year percentage increases in employment in March 2018. 

Maricopa, Ariz., had the largest gain (3.2 percent). Within Maricopa, education and health services had 

the largest over-the-year employment level increase, with a gain of 12,239 jobs, or 4.1 percent. Cook, 

Ill., had the smallest percentage increase in employment among the 10 largest counties (0.7 percent). 

Within Cook, education and health services had the largest over-the-year employment level increase, 

with a gain of 6,161 jobs, or 1.4 percent. (See table 2.)

Average weekly wages increased over the year in all of the 10 largest U.S. counties. King, Wash., 

experienced the largest percentage gain in average weekly wages (10.1 percent). Within King, 

professional and business services had the largest impact on the county’s average weekly wage gain. 

Within professional and business services, average weekly wages increased by $305, or 16.9 percent, 

over the year. Los Angeles, Calif., had the smallest percentage gain in average weekly wages among the 

10 largest counties (2.3 percent). Within Los Angeles, manufacturing had the largest impact on the 

county’s average weekly wage growth with an increase of $73 (5.1 percent) over the year. 
- 4 -

For More Information

The tables and charts included in this release contain data for the nation and for the 349 U.S. counties 

with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2017. March 2018 employment and first 

quarter 2018 average weekly wages for all states are provided in table 3 of this release.

The data are derived from reports submitted by employers who are subject to unemployment insurance 

(UI) laws. The 10.0 million employer reports cover 144.6 million full- and part-time workers. The full 

set of data for the first quarter of 2018 will be available on September 5, 2018, at www.bls.gov/cew.

Additional information about the quarterly employment and wages data is available in the Technical 

Note. More information about QCEW data may be obtained by calling (202) 691-6567. 

The most current news release on quarterly measures of gross job flows is available from QCEW 

Business Employment Dynamics at www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewbd.pdf. 

Several BLS regional offices issue QCEW news releases targeted to local data users. Links to these 

releases are available at www.bls.gov/cew/cewregional.htm. 

The County Employment and Wages full data update for first quarter 2018 is scheduled to be 

released on Wednesday, September 5, 2018. 

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released 

on Wednesday, November 21, 2018. 

County Changes for the 2018 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2017 are included in this release and 

will be included in future 2018 releases. Three counties have been added to the publication tables: 

Cabarrus, N.C.; Pitt, N.C.; and Kent, R.I. 

Change in QCEW Oregon Classification of Services for the Elderly and Disabled

Prior to this release, some Oregon workers employed in the services for the elderly and disabled 

industry were classified in QCEW under state government ownership. Beginning with data in this 

release for first quarter 2018, QCEW classifies most of these workers in private ownership. This 

change in ownership resulted from the passage of state legislation in 2017. The industry 

classification for these workers has not changed. For more information, contact the Oregon Labor 

Market Information group at sf202_or@bls.gov.
Technical Note

These data are the product of a federal-state cooperative program, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 

program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived 

from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered 

by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and 

provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The summaries 

are a result of the administration of state unemployment insurance 

programs that require most employers to pay quarterly taxes based 

on the employment and wages of workers covered by UI. QCEW 

data in this release are based on the 2017 North American Industry 

Classification System (NAICS). Data for 2018 are preliminary and 

subject to revision. 

For purposes of this release, large counties are defined as having 

employment 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 349 counties 

presented in this release were derived using 2017 preliminary annual averages of employment. For 2018 data, three counties have 

been added to the publication tables: Cabarrus, N.C.; Pitt, N.C.; 

and Kent, R.I. These counties will be included in all 2018 quarterly 

releases. The counties in table 2 are selected and sorted each year 

based on the annual average employment from the preceding year.

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

QCEW BED CES

Source Count of UI administrative records 

submitted by 10.0 million establishments in first quarter of 2018 

Count of longitudinally-linked UI administrative records submitted by 7.9 

million private-sector employers

Sample survey: 651,000 establishments

Coverage UI and UCFE coverage, including 

all employers subject to state and 

federal UI laws

UI coverage, excluding government, 

private households, and establishments with zero employment

Nonfarm wage and salary jobs:

UI coverage, excluding agriculture, private 

households, and self-employed workers

Other employment, including railroads, 

religious organizations, and other nonUI-covered jobs

Publication frequency

Quarterly

— Within 5 months after the end of 

each quarter

Quarterly

— 7 months after the end of each 

quarter

Monthly

— Usually the 3rd Friday after the end 

of the week including the 12th of the 

month

Use of UI file Directly summarizes and publishes 

each new quarter of UI data

Links each new UI quarter to longitudinal database and directly summarizes gross job gains and lossesUses UI file as a sampling frame and to 

annually realign sample-based estimates 

to population counts (benchmarking)

Principal

products

Provides a quarterly and annual universe count of establishments, employment, and wages at the county, 

metropolitan statistical area (MSA), 

state, and national levels by detailed 

industry

Provides quarterly employer dynamics data on establishment openings,

closings, expansions, and contractions 

at the national level by NAICS supersectors and by size of firm, and at the 

state private-sector total level 

Future expansions will include data 

with greater industry detail and data 

at the county and MSA level 

Provides current monthly estimates of 

employment, hours, and earnings at the 

MSA, state, and national level by industry

Principal uses Major uses include:

— Detailed locality data

— Periodic universe counts for 

benchmarking sample survey estimates

— Sample frame for BLS establishment surveys

Major uses include:

— Business cycle analysis

— Analysis of employer dynamics 

underlying economic expansions 

and contractions

— Analysis of employment expansion and contraction by size of 

firm

Major uses include:

— Principal federal economic indicator

— Official time series for employment 

change measures

— Input into other major economic indicators

Program Web 

sites

www.bls.gov/cew www.bls.gov/bdm www.bls.gov/ces
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: QCEW, Business Employment 

Dynamics (BED), and Current Employment Statistics (CES). Each of 

these measures makes use of the quarterly UI employment reports in 

producing data; however, each measure has a somewhat different universe coverage, estimation procedure, and publication product. 

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat different measures of employment change over time. It is important to understand program differences and the intended uses of the 

program products. (See table.) Additional information on each program can be obtained from the program Web sites shown in the table.

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI 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 submitted by four major federal payroll processing centers on behalf of 

all federal agencies, with the exception of a few agencies which still 

report directly to the individual SWA. 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. QCEW employment and wage 

data are derived from microdata summaries of 9.8 million employer 

reports of employment and wages submitted by states to the BLS in 

2017. These reports are based on place of employment rather than 

place of residence.

UI and UCFE coverage is broad and has been basically comparable 

from state to state since 1978, when the 1976 amendments to the Federal Unemployment Tax Act became effective, expanding coverage to 

include most state and local government employees. In 2017, UI and 

UCFE programs covered workers in 143.9 million jobs. The estimated 

138.6 million workers in these jobs (after adjustment for multiple jobholders) represented 96.4 percent of civilian wage and salary employment. Covered workers received $7.968 trillion in pay, representing 

94.3 percent of the wage and salary component of personal income 

and 40.9 percent of the gross domestic product.

Major exclusions from UI coverage include self-employed workers, most agricultural workers on small farms, all members of the 

Armed Forces, elected officials in most states, most employees of railroads, some domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and 

employees of certain small nonprofit organizations.

State and federal UI laws change periodically. These changes may 

have an impact on the employment and wages reported by employers 

covered under the UI program. Coverage changes may affect the overthe-year comparisons presented in this news release.

Concepts and methodology

Monthly employment is based on the number of workers who 

worked during or received pay for the pay period including the 12th 

of the month. With few exceptions, all employees of covered firms are 

reported, including production and sales workers, corporation officials, executives, supervisory personnel, and clerical workers. Workers on paid vacations and part-time workers also are included.

Average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly 

total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels 

(all employees, as described above) and dividing the result by 13, for 

the 13 weeks in the quarter. These calculations are made using unrounded employment and wage values. The average wage values that 

can be calculated using rounded data from the BLS database may differ from the averages reported. Included in the quarterly wage data are 

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

lodging when supplied, tips and other gratuities, and, in some states, 

employer contributions to certain deferred compensation plans such 

as 401(k) plans and stock options. 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 parttime 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 workforce 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 including the 12th of 

the month. When comparing average weekly wage levels between industries, states, or quarters, these factors should be taken into consideration.

Wages measured by QCEW may be subject to periodic and sometimes large fluctuations. This variability may be due to calendar effects resulting from some quarters having more pay dates than others. 

The effect is most visible in counties with a dominant employer. In 

particular, this effect has been observed in counties where government 

employers represent a large fraction of overall employment. Similar 

calendar effects can result from private sector pay practices. However, 

these effects are typically less pronounced for two reasons: employment is less concentrated in a single private employer, and private employers use a variety of pay period types (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly). 

For example, the effect on over-the-year pay comparisons can be 

pronounced in federal government due to the uniform nature of federal 

payroll processing. Most federal employees are paid on a biweekly 

pay schedule. As a result, in some quarters federal wages include six 

pay dates, while in other quarters there are seven pay dates. Over-theyear comparisons of average weekly wages may also reflect this calendar effect. Growth in average weekly wages may be attributed, in 

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

include seven pay dates, with year-ago wages that reflect only six pay 

dates. An opposite effect will occur when wages in the current quarter 

reflecting six pay dates are compared with year-ago wages for a quarter including seven pay dates. 

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, states verify 

with employers and update, if necessary, the industry, location, and 

ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. 

Changes in establishment classification codes resulting from this process are introduced with the data reported for the first quarter of the 

year. Changes resulting from improved employer reporting also are 

introduced in the first quarter.
QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are 

simply the sums of individual establishment records and reflect the 

number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point 

in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for 

a number of reasons that reflect economic events or 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-theyear changes. Percent changes are calculated using an adjusted version of the final 2017 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 eliminate the effect of most of the 

administrative changes (those occurring when employers update the 

industry, location, and ownership information of their establishments). The most common adjustments for administrative change are 

the result of updated information about the county location of individual establishments. Included in these adjustments are administrative 

changes involving the classification of establishments that were previously reported in the unknown or statewide county or unknown industry categories. Adjusted data account for improvements in reporting employment and wages for individual and multi-unit establishments. To accomplish this, adjustments were implemented to account 

for: administrative changes caused by multi-unit employers who start 

reporting for each individual establishment rather than as a single entity (first quarter of 2008); selected large administrative changes in 

employment and wages (second quarter of 2011); and state verified 

improvements in reporting of employment and wages (third quarter of 

2014). These adjustments allow QCEW to include county employment and wage growth rates in this news release that would otherwise 

not meet publication standards.

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

measures presented in any County Employment and Wages news release are valid for comparisons between the starting and ending points 

(a 12-month period) used in that particular release. Comparisons may 

not be valid for any time period other than the one featured in a release 

even if the changes were calculated using adjusted data.

County definitions are assigned according to Federal Information 

Processing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) as issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, after approval by the 

Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 5131 of the Information 

Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 and the Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law 104-106. Areas shown as counties include those designated as independent cities in some jurisdictions and, 

in Alaska, those designated as census areas where counties have not 

been created. County data also are presented for the New England 

states for comparative purposes even though townships are the more 

common designation used in New England (and New Jersey). The regions referred to in this release are defined as census regions.

Additional statistics and other information

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2016 edition of this 

publication, which was published in September 2017, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on 

job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 

2017 version of this news release. Tables and additional content from

the 2016 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online 

are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn16.htm. The 2017 

edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be 

available in September 2018. 

News releases on quarterly measures of gross job flows also are 

available from BED at www.bls.gov/bdm, (202) 691-6467, or 

data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/forms/bdm.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD 

message referral phone number: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

United States4.............................. 10,008.0 144,562.9 1.6 - $1,152 3.7 -

Jefferson, AL................................ 18.7 347.1 1.7 129 1,134 3.3 141

Madison, AL................................. 9.7 198.3 2.5 62 1,152 2.6 206

Mobile, AL.................................... 10.2 169.7 -0.2 325 901 3.2 152

Montgomery, AL........................... 6.4 130.9 -0.9 344 870 0.7 322

Shelby, AL.................................... 5.8 84.8 1.2 181 1,101 4.0 85

Tuscaloosa, AL............................. 4.6 93.6 1.4 158 878 5.1 34

Anchorage, AK............................. 8.3 146.3 -0.1 319 1,120 2.5 214

Maricopa, AZ................................ 99.0 1,983.6 3.2 36 1,084 3.3 141

Pima, AZ....................................... 18.9 368.4 0.9 222 921 4.1 78

Benton, AR................................... 6.6 119.8 1.8 122 1,502 2.8 190

Pulaski, AR................................... 14.5 249.4 0.2 300 977 3.3 141

Washington, AR........................... 6.1 107.7 2.9 48 852 -3.1 348

Alameda, CA................................ 64.0 779.8 2.4 70 1,516 4.2 70

Butte, CA..................................... 8.6 83.3 1.7 129 800 3.6 121

Contra Costa, CA......................... 32.6 369.1 1.2 181 1,396 3.6 121

Fresno, CA................................... 35.8 377.1 0.8 232 834 3.7 111

Kern, CA....................................... 19.4 303.0 0.6 267 914 2.9 180

Los Angeles, CA........................... 492.3 4,424.4 1.6 140 1,252 2.3 243

Marin, CA..................................... 12.5 114.7 1.2 181 1,415 7.1 14

Merced, CA................................. 6.7 78.1 2.1 93 796 -1.1 342

Monterey, CA............................... 13.8 178.4 3.4 29 926 3.0 172

Napa, CA..................................... 5.9 77.1 1.1 200 1,059 5.4 27

Orange, CA.................................. 121.6 1,617.5 2.1 93 1,258 3.2 152

Placer, CA.................................... 13.2 166.0 3.4 29 1,081 2.0 273

Riverside, CA............................... 65.1 732.6 3.1 38 890 2.8 190

Sacramento, CA........................... 58.5 655.7 2.3 76 1,174 2.4 228

San Bernardino, CA..................... 59.8 744.5 3.1 38 902 3.0 172

San Diego, CA.............................. 111.7 1,452.7 2.1 93 1,218 3.9 93

San Francisco, CA....................... 60.7 730.5 2.9 48 2,485 10.0 5

San Joaquin, CA.......................... 18.0 248.2 2.0 103 879 3.3 141

San Luis Obispo, CA.................... 10.4 117.6 0.8 232 919 4.3 65

San Mateo, CA............................. 28.3 399.3 1.7 129 2,606 6.9 16

Santa Barbara, CA....................... 15.5 195.8 1.7 129 1,019 0.2 335

Santa Clara, CA........................... 73.1 1,085.4 2.2 84 2,651 9.1 7

Santa Cruz, CA............................ 9.6 101.2 1.0 212 992 3.9 93

Solano, CA................................... 11.5 139.5 2.0 103 1,194 6.0 20

Sonoma, CA................................. 20.1 206.9 1.6 140 1,030 5.2 29

Stanislaus, CA.............................. 15.8 186.9 2.4 70 905 2.7 197

Tulare, CA.................................... 10.6 154.9 -0.7 340 771 2.8 190

Ventura, CA.................................. 27.4 326.0 0.7 247 1,100 -0.9 340

Yolo, CA....................................... 6.8 101.9 1.9 113 1,189 2.9 180

Adams, CO................................... 11.2 209.0 4.5 9 1,046 2.4 228

Arapahoe, CO.............................. 22.3 328.0 1.7 129 1,377 3.5 124

Boulder, CO.................................. 15.5 181.2 2.3 76 1,312 2.5 214

Denver, CO.................................. 33.0 511.0 2.9 48 1,458 4.1 78

Douglas, CO................................. 12.2 123.1 2.3 76 1,337 3.9 93

El Paso, CO.................................. 20.1 272.4 2.2 84 977 3.2 152

Jefferson, CO............................... 20.5 235.4 2.2 84 1,155 2.6 206

Larimer, CO.................................. 12.4 158.4 3.1 38 1,026 4.4 59

Weld, CO...................................... 7.5 108.2 4.7 6 1,040 6.0 20

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

Fairfield, CT................................. 35.7 414.5 -0.3 335 $1,959 0.4 329

Hartford, CT.................................. 28.2 504.6 0.2 300 1,467 3.7 111

New Haven, CT............................ 24.5 362.0 0.3 293 1,100 2.3 243

New London, CT.......................... 7.6 122.3 -0.2 325 1,167 3.3 141

New Castle, DE............................ 19.9 286.6 0.8 232 1,386 1.2 315

Sussex, DE.................................. 6.9 77.0 3.6 21 788 3.8 101

Washington, DC........................... 41.3 770.2 1.2 181 1,917 1.9 278

Alachua, FL.................................. 7.2 132.0 1.4 158 940 7.3 13

Bay, FL......................................... 5.7 78.3 1.0 212 756 2.0 273

Brevard, FL................................... 16.1 213.9 3.3 32 940 2.1 264

Broward, FL.................................. 70.1 808.9 1.3 170 1,047 4.9 39

Collier, FL..................................... 14.2 152.0 1.3 170 929 5.2 29

Duval, FL..................................... 29.8 513.4 3.3 32 1,100 5.0 36

Escambia, FL............................... 8.2 134.8 1.4 158 879 3.4 132

Hillsborough, FL........................... 43.0 686.9 1.6 140 1,105 4.0 85

Lake, FL....................................... 8.3 98.6 1.8 122 712 4.2 70

Lee, FL......................................... 22.4 267.9 3.0 41 858 2.9 180

Leon, FL....................................... 8.8 150.8 2.3 76 865 3.3 141

Manatee, FL................................. 11.1 125.6 1.5 149 821 4.3 65

Marion, FL.................................... 8.5 103.0 1.4 158 723 4.0 85

Miami-Dade, FL............................ 99.8 1,147.0 1.4 158 1,101 4.5 56

Okaloosa, FL................................ 6.5 85.1 2.1 93 855 1.3 310

Orange, FL................................... 43.0 846.8 3.5 25 982 4.1 78

Osceola, FL.................................. 7.2 94.5 4.0 16 713 1.9 278

Palm Beach, FL............................ 57.3 613.1 1.6 140 1,086 3.1 160

Pasco, FL..................................... 11.1 120.1 2.9 48 733 2.4 228

Pinellas, FL................................... 33.5 435.9 2.4 70 947 4.1 78

Polk, FL........................................ 13.5 219.6 1.2 181 824 1.4 307

Sarasota, FL................................ 16.1 173.0 1.8 122 924 7.7 11

Seminole, FL................................ 15.1 193.8 3.6 21 940 4.3 65

Volusia, FL................................... 14.5 174.4 1.2 181 762 2.6 206

Bibb, GA....................................... 4.2 82.8 1.0 212 855 2.4 228

Chatham, GA................................ 8.1 156.3 3.5 25 932 3.1 160

Clayton, GA.................................. 4.0 121.3 1.8 122 1,320 11.3 3

Cobb, GA...................................... 22.1 361.3 2.0 103 1,218 1.7 293

DeKalb, GA................................. 17.9 298.7 0.8 232 1,169 2.4 228

Fulton, GA.................................... 43.9 868.9 3.0 41 1,672 0.3 332

Gwinnett, GA................................ 25.2 353.2 2.2 84 1,054 0.4 329

Hall, GA....................................... 4.5 87.4 2.2 84 879 1.9 278

Muscogee, GA.............................. 4.6 94.9 1.2 181 963 8.7 8

Richmond, GA.............................. 4.4 106.3 1.9 113 867 -0.1 337

Honolulu, HI.................................. 26.2 474.8 -0.2 325 1,015 1.8 285

Maui + Kalawao, HI...................... 6.3 78.1 0.8 232 882 4.4 59

Ada, ID......................................... 15.8 239.9 4.5 9 943 5.1 34

Champaign, IL.............................. 4.0 89.6 0.3 293 912 2.5 214

Cook, IL........................................ 138.7 2,565.0 0.7 247 1,420 3.7 111

DuPage, IL................................. 34.6 612.0 -0.1 319 1,309 2.7 197

Kane, IL........................................ 12.5 211.6 0.6 267 953 2.6 206

Lake, IL........................................ 20.3 328.8 2.0 103 1,686 4.6 51

McHenry, IL.................................. 7.8 95.7 0.7 247 861 2.0 273

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

McLean, IL.................................... 3.4 82.7 -0.3 335 $1,114 -2.5 347

Madison, IL................................... 5.4 100.6 2.6 59 837 1.3 310

Peoria, IL...................................... 4.2 105.4 2.8 53 1,440 23.8 1

St. Clair, IL.................................... 5.1 93.0 -0.7 340 809 0.9 321

Sangamon, IL............................... 4.8 128.9 -0.2 325 1,069 4.4 59

Will, IL.......................................... 14.7 239.1 1.0 212 911 2.5 214

Winnebago, IL.............................. 6.0 125.5 0.4 282 942 2.3 243

Allen, IN........................................ 8.9 185.1 1.1 200 929 3.8 101

Elkhart, IN..................................... 4.7 137.5 4.7 6 1,006 3.8 101

Hamilton, IN.................................. 9.5 139.8 2.3 76 1,134 3.8 101

Lake, IN........................................ 10.4 185.9 0.7 247 920 2.1 264

Marion, IN..................................... 24.2 591.9 0.5 273 1,218 5.0 36

St. Joseph, IN............................... 5.8 122.3 -0.1 319 857 3.8 101

Tippecanoe, IN............................. 3.4 83.9 1.2 181 964 6.6 17

Vanderburgh, IN........................... 4.8 108.4 1.9 113 888 2.3 243

Johnson, IA.................................. 4.3 84.0 0.5 273 976 2.4 228

Linn, IA......................................... 6.9 129.3 0.7 247 1,039 1.9 278

Polk, IA........................................ 17.6 296.6 1.1 200 1,163 1.7 293

Scott, IA........................................ 5.7 89.4 -0.2 325 876 2.5 214

Johnson, KS................................. 23.3 344.0 1.8 122 1,131 1.8 285

Sedgwick, KS............................... 12.5 247.8 0.3 293 967 2.4 228

Shawnee, KS................................ 5.0 96.3 -0.5 339 903 2.3 243

Wyandotte, KS............................. 3.4 88.2 1.1 200 1,025 2.1 264

Boone, KY................................... 4.5 91.1 5.9 3 905 0.1 336

Fayette, KY................................... 11.1 191.4 0.1 310 925 2.5 214

Jefferson, KY................................ 25.4 464.4 0.6 267 1,118 2.0 273

Caddo, LA.................................... 7.2 111.6 -0.9 344 833 2.2 253

Calcasieu, LA............................... 5.4 101.9 5.0 5 969 4.1 78

East Baton Rouge, LA.................. 15.8 267.8 0.4 282 1,024 2.4 228

Jefferson, LA................................ 14.0 188.3 -0.8 342 935 1.0 319

Lafayette, LA................................ 9.7 129.3 0.0 315 889 2.2 253

Orleans, LA.................................. 12.9 194.8 0.7 247 1,059 4.0 85

St. Tammany, LA.......................... 8.4 87.3 1.1 200 901 2.9 180

Cumberland, ME.......................... 13.8 183.9 4.0 16 1,055 3.9 93

Anne Arundel, MD........................ 15.2 268.7 0.7 247 1,165 3.9 93

Baltimore, MD............................... 21.2 375.6 0.2 300 1,109 3.1 160

Frederick, MD............................... 6.4 101.4 1.4 158 984 -0.1 337

Harford, MD.................................. 5.8 92.8 1.8 122 989 -1.4 343

Howard, MD................................. 10.0 168.3 -0.2 325 1,348 2.6 206

Montgomery, MD.......................... 32.7 469.1 0.2 300 1,586 5.9 22

Prince George's, MD.................... 16.0 316.2 0.5 273 1,112 2.2 253

Baltimore City, MD....................... 13.6 343.1 2.5 62 1,277 1.8 285

Barnstable, MA............................. 9.6 86.4 0.2 300 926 2.2 253

Bristol, MA.................................... 17.8 222.6 0.0 315 954 -1.5 344

Essex, MA.................................... 26.2 320.6 0.5 273 1,180 3.1 160

Hampden, MA.............................. 18.6 206.1 0.7 247 982 1.8 285

Middlesex, MA.............................. 55.7 908.8 1.7 129 1,795 4.2 70

Norfolk, MA................................... 25.5 349.8 0.8 232 1,288 1.3 310

Plymouth, MA............................... 16.2 189.6 1.3 170 1,003 4.2 70

Suffolk, MA................................... 30.5 669.0 1.8 122 2,268 12.1 2

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

Worcester, MA.............................. 25.8 345.4 0.7 247 $1,094 1.3 310

Genesee, MI................................. 6.8 132.5 0.4 282 889 1.7 293

Ingham, MI................................... 6.0 151.1 0.2 300 1,034 4.7 46

Kalamazoo, MI............................. 5.0 119.1 0.8 232 1,046 1.7 293

Kent, MI....................................... 14.5 403.4 2.2 84 950 2.3 243

Macomb, MI.................................. 17.6 329.1 2.2 84 1,141 2.6 206

Oakland, MI.................................. 39.4 727.9 1.3 170 1,277 3.1 160

Ottawa, MI.................................... 5.6 124.7 1.6 140 935 4.8 41

Saginaw, MI.................................. 3.9 82.1 -1.3 348 901 5.3 28

Washtenaw, MI............................. 8.2 213.5 1.6 140 1,132 2.3 243

Wayne, MI.................................... 31.0 716.5 0.7 247 1,268 3.8 101

Anoka, MN.................................... 7.3 122.0 0.7 247 985 3.7 111

Dakota, MN.................................. 10.1 185.5 -0.2 325 1,100 2.4 228

Hennepin, MN.............................. 41.4 919.2 1.0 212 1,497 1.7 293

Olmsted, MN................................ 3.5 98.0 1.7 129 1,270 3.5 124

Ramsey, MN................................. 13.6 328.1 0.4 282 1,346 -1.0 341

St. Louis, MN................................ 5.4 96.4 0.2 300 870 4.7 46

Stearns, MN................................. 4.4 85.3 -0.1 319 932 1.6 302

Washington, MN........................... 5.7 84.6 2.1 93 954 2.6 206

Harrison, MS................................ 4.6 85.2 0.1 310 754 2.9 180

Hinds, MS..................................... 5.8 120.6 -0.8 342 903 1.9 278

Boone, MO................................... 5.0 93.6 0.2 300 829 0.5 326

Clay, MO...................................... 5.7 102.6 1.5 149 951 1.8 285

Greene, MO.................................. 9.1 165.8 1.2 181 813 1.2 315

Jackson, MO................................ 22.2 366.2 -0.3 335 1,087 1.7 293

St. Charles, MO............................ 9.7 146.5 0.7 247 959 5.2 29

St. Louis, MO................................ 39.5 600.9 0.7 247 1,202 4.9 39

St. Louis City, MO........................ 14.8 227.8 1.4 158 1,249 3.9 93

Yellowstone, MT........................... 6.6 80.2 -0.1 319 912 1.4 307

Douglas, NE................................. 19.0 336.5 0.3 293 1,034 3.0 172

Lancaster, NE............................... 10.3 169.5 1.3 170 877 3.7 111

Clark, NV..................................... 55.0 982.8 2.6 59 970 5.0 36

Washoe, NV................................. 14.9 218.2 2.3 76 956 5.2 29

Hillsborough, NH.......................... 12.1 201.9 0.4 282 1,242 8.6 9

Merrimack, NH............................. 5.1 77.2 1.1 200 1,002 4.2 70

Rockingham, NH.......................... 10.9 145.9 0.8 232 1,085 3.8 101

Atlantic, NJ................................... 6.6 119.8 -0.2 325 907 2.3 243

Bergen, NJ................................... 33.3 439.3 1.3 170 1,315 2.1 264

Burlington, NJ............................... 11.1 202.5 1.4 158 1,138 3.2 152

Camden, NJ................................. 12.1 203.9 0.4 282 1,045 3.7 111

Essex, NJ.................................... 20.7 341.8 0.6 267 1,506 2.6 206

Gloucester, NJ.............................. 6.4 110.2 2.7 56 893 2.1 264

Hudson, NJ................................... 15.3 262.3 0.7 247 1,753 7.7 11

Mercer, NJ.................................... 11.2 247.4 1.3 170 1,531 2.4 228

Middlesex, NJ.............................. 22.5 424.1 1.0 212 1,363 2.9 180

Monmouth, NJ.............................. 20.2 255.6 1.4 158 1,120 4.8 41

Morris, NJ..................................... 17.2 289.7 1.2 181 1,808 1.5 305

Ocean, NJ.................................... 13.5 164.0 3.2 36 862 1.7 293

Passaic, NJ.................................. 12.7 165.1 0.4 282 1,043 2.2 253

Somerset, NJ............................... 10.3 184.7 0.7 247 2,078 2.5 214

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

Union, NJ..................................... 14.5 225.3 2.1 93 $1,400 0.4 329

Bernalillo, NM............................... 18.7 326.0 0.3 293 916 2.1 264

Albany, NY................................... 10.4 231.2 -0.2 325 1,102 2.7 197

Bronx, NY..................................... 19.1 316.8 1.7 129 1,040 2.7 197

Broome, NY.................................. 4.5 85.5 0.1 310 869 4.6 51

Dutchess, NY............................... 8.4 111.9 0.9 222 1,036 2.4 228

Erie, NY........................................ 24.7 464.6 0.6 267 996 3.0 172

Kings, NY..................................... 63.8 756.7 4.7 6 920 2.0 273

Monroe, NY.................................. 19.0 384.0 0.8 232 1,002 3.2 152

Nassau, NY.................................. 54.3 628.7 1.5 149 1,195 2.7 197

New York, NY............................... 128.9 2,446.5 1.0 212 3,087 2.9 180

Oneida, NY................................... 5.3 105.0 0.3 293 843 3.2 152

Onondaga, NY.............................. 12.8 241.6 0.8 232 1,002 3.0 172

Orange, NY.................................. 10.5 144.0 2.4 70 899 1.2 315

Queens, NY.................................. 53.8 693.7 1.9 113 1,071 1.8 285

Richmond, NY.............................. 10.0 120.7 1.4 158 971 2.8 190

Rockland, NY............................... 11.0 124.1 2.4 70 1,064 2.2 253

Saratoga, NY................................ 6.0 86.7 2.9 48 992 3.3 141

Suffolk, NY................................... 53.2 645.1 -0.1 319 1,143 1.2 315

Westchester, NY.......................... 36.4 424.6 0.9 222 1,526 3.3 141

Buncombe, NC............................. 9.4 131.1 2.2 84 815 2.5 214

Cabarrus, NC............................... 4.8 75.7 2.2 84 793 2.1 264

Catawba, NC................................ 4.4 87.8 0.5 273 841 1.8 285

Cumberland, NC........................... 6.3 120.1 0.9 222 800 1.4 307

Durham, NC................................. 8.4 202.0 1.9 113 1,428 2.9 180

Forsyth, NC.................................. 9.2 185.4 1.4 158 1,052 -4.8 349

Guilford, NC.................................. 14.5 281.1 0.9 222 953 2.5 214

Mecklenburg, NC.......................... 38.4 688.2 2.0 103 1,518 3.5 124

New Hanover, NC........................ 8.3 113.1 1.5 149 874 2.2 253

Pitt, NC....................................... 3.8 77.4 2.8 53 853 2.8 190

Wake, NC..................................... 35.2 552.2 3.0 41 1,151 3.7 111

Cass, ND...................................... 7.2 116.0 0.7 247 970 3.1 160

Butler, OH..................................... 7.9 153.2 1.5 149 1,005 1.3 310

Cuyahoga, OH.............................. 36.0 715.6 0.9 222 1,150 3.0 172

Delaware, OH............................... 5.4 86.2 1.9 113 1,205 2.7 197

Franklin, OH................................. 32.3 744.3 1.6 140 1,148 3.0 172

Hamilton, OH................................ 23.9 510.5 0.5 273 1,209 0.6 325

Lake, OH...................................... 6.3 93.8 0.7 247 888 2.1 264

Lorain, OH.................................... 6.2 96.4 1.1 200 848 2.8 190

Lucas, OH.................................... 10.1 207.3 0.2 300 998 5.7 23

Mahoning, OH.............................. 5.9 96.1 0.5 273 747 2.5 214

Montgomery, OH.......................... 11.9 253.6 1.2 181 920 2.4 228

Stark, OH..................................... 8.6 158.7 1.5 149 816 4.6 51

Summit, OH................................. 14.3 262.8 0.4 282 981 1.0 319

Warren, OH................................. 5.1 91.7 1.0 212 1,035 3.5 124

Cleveland, OK.............................. 5.9 81.1 2.1 93 759 2.2 253

Oklahoma, OK.............................. 28.3 452.0 2.1 93 1,064 4.0 85

Tulsa, OK..................................... 22.7 355.0 1.5 149 1,010 2.5 214

Clackamas, OR............................ 15.3 163.7 1.1 200 1,008 4.0 85

Deschutes, OR............................. 8.8 81.2 4.1 14 868 3.7 111

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

Jackson, OR................................ 7.6 88.5 3.3 32 $791 2.3 243

Lane, OR...................................... 12.3 155.4 1.2 181 827 3.4 132

Marion, OR................................... 11.0 152.7 2.0 103 867 2.8 190

Multnomah, OR............................ 35.6 507.2 1.7 129 1,170 5.2 29

Washington, OR........................... 19.7 293.6 2.5 62 1,419 4.7 46

Allegheny, PA............................... 35.5 691.3 1.2 181 1,238 3.1 160

Berks, PA..................................... 9.0 171.8 1.2 181 976 4.2 70

Bucks, PA..................................... 20.0 261.8 1.2 181 1,002 2.5 214

Butler, PA..................................... 5.1 84.9 0.1 310 967 0.5 326

Chester, PA.................................. 15.6 247.7 1.3 170 1,479 4.2 70

Cumberland, PA........................... 6.5 132.7 0.4 282 997 3.5 124

Dauphin, PA................................ 7.5 180.5 1.9 113 1,085 2.5 214

Delaware, PA............................... 14.2 222.5 1.2 181 1,272 4.3 65

Erie, PA........................................ 7.0 120.2 0.0 315 825 3.1 160

Lackawanna, PA.......................... 5.7 97.2 1.2 181 808 4.1 78

Lancaster, PA............................... 13.6 238.3 2.1 93 902 2.2 253

Lehigh, PA.................................... 8.8 188.9 2.0 103 1,073 0.7 322

Luzerne, PA.................................. 7.4 143.6 1.3 170 837 1.6 302

Montgomery, PA........................... 27.7 490.0 1.0 212 1,497 3.5 124

Northampton, PA.......................... 6.8 113.4 0.4 282 932 1.7 293

Philadelphia, PA........................... 34.9 677.2 1.5 149 1,322 3.4 132

Washington, PA............................ 5.5 86.0 1.6 140 1,228 3.3 141

Westmoreland, PA....................... 9.3 131.9 0.5 273 880 4.5 56

York, PA....................................... 9.2 178.0 0.9 222 936 3.3 141

Kent, RI....................................... 5.5 74.2 0.9 222 978 2.2 253

Providence, RI.............................. 18.5 284.0 0.8 232 1,145 3.1 160

Charleston, SC............................. 15.6 249.3 2.5 62 981 3.4 132

Greenville, SC.............................. 14.5 271.6 2.5 62 936 2.7 197

Horry, SC..................................... 9.2 126.6 2.8 53 631 0.5 326

Lexington, SC............................... 6.8 118.8 3.4 29 803 -2.2 345

Richland, SC................................ 10.4 221.6 0.1 310 945 1.9 278

Spartanburg, SC........................... 6.4 141.1 3.7 20 927 4.6 51

York, SC....................................... 5.9 94.3 3.0 41 935 3.4 132

Minnehaha, SD............................. 7.3 125.3 1.1 200 948 2.7 197

Davidson, TN................................ 23.2 488.4 2.7 56 1,228 6.2 19

Hamilton, TN................................ 9.9 203.5 2.0 103 963 2.4 228

Knox, TN...................................... 12.4 237.3 0.9 222 982 4.4 59

Rutherford, TN.............................. 5.8 129.3 3.5 25 906 0.3 332

Shelby, TN.................................... 20.8 492.5 1.1 200 1,074 1.6 302

Williamson, TN............................. 9.0 132.7 4.2 13 1,280 2.1 264

Bell, TX......................................... 5.5 118.4 0.8 232 876 0.7 322

Bexar, TX..................................... 41.6 860.6 1.2 181 1,009 2.5 214

Brazoria, TX................................. 5.9 110.9 1.7 129 1,206 3.5 124

Brazos, TX.................................... 4.6 105.8 3.3 32 805 5.5 25

Cameron, TX................................ 6.5 139.3 1.5 149 628 2.3 243

Collin, TX...................................... 25.6 409.9 3.6 21 1,374 3.4 132

Dallas, TX..................................... 77.4 1,684.9 1.6 140 1,426 3.4 132

Denton, TX.................................. 15.3 242.1 2.3 76 984 0.3 332

El Paso, TX.................................. 15.3 304.0 0.8 232 744 2.9 180

Fort Bend, TX............................... 13.6 185.3 4.3 12 1,050 3.2 152

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 350 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 2

County1

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-183

Ranking by

percent

change

Galveston, TX............................... 6.2 109.0 0.0 315 $1,013 7.0 15

Harris, TX..................................... 115.4 2,287.9 1.3 170 1,495 3.5 124

Hidalgo, TX................................... 12.5 261.3 1.9 113 657 2.7 197

Jefferson, TX................................ 5.9 122.2 -1.1 346 1,172 4.5 56

Lubbock, TX................................. 7.6 139.0 0.9 222 830 4.3 65

McLennan, TX.............................. 5.3 111.8 0.2 300 895 4.8 41

Midland, TX.................................. 5.6 99.6 12.6 1 1,510 5.7 23

Montgomery, TX........................... 11.6 185.0 5.6 4 1,150 5.5 25

Nueces, TX.................................. 8.3 163.3 -0.3 335 920 1.8 285

Potter, TX..................................... 3.9 77.7 0.3 293 847 3.8 101

Smith, TX..................................... 6.3 102.4 1.0 212 856 3.8 101

Tarrant, TX................................... 43.9 887.6 2.1 93 1,108 4.4 59

Travis, TX..................................... 41.4 738.6 2.7 56 1,307 4.0 85

Webb, TX..................................... 5.5 100.9 1.1 200 690 2.4 228

Williamson, TX............................. 11.1 169.7 3.8 19 1,171 3.4 132

Davis, UT..................................... 8.6 127.1 2.0 103 867 4.7 46

Salt Lake, UT................................ 44.9 692.1 2.5 62 1,081 4.1 78

Utah, UT....................................... 16.4 239.9 6.0 2 930 9.7 6

Weber, UT.................................... 6.1 106.1 3.5 25 808 3.1 160

Chittenden, VT............................. 6.9 100.4 1.1 200 1,055 3.6 121

Arlington, VA................................ 9.3 175.9 1.2 181 1,925 3.9 93

Chesterfield, VA........................... 9.2 136.2 1.9 113 942 3.1 160

Fairfax, VA.................................... 37.5 603.9 1.4 158 1,802 3.0 172

Henrico, VA.................................. 11.7 189.9 1.3 170 1,113 1.5 305

Loudoun, VA................................ 12.5 165.4 2.6 59 1,289 3.1 160

Prince William, VA........................ 9.4 128.4 2.5 62 936 4.0 85

Alexandria City, VA...................... 6.4 91.5 -1.2 347 1,499 2.4 228

Chesapeake City, VA................... 6.1 101.1 2.0 103 850 2.2 253

Newport News City, VA................ 3.9 100.7 4.1 14 1,037 -2.4 346

Norfolk City, VA........................... 6.0 142.7 0.7 247 1,052 2.9 180

Richmond City, VA....................... 7.8 155.1 0.7 247 1,308 4.4 59

Virginia Beach City, VA................ 12.3 175.6 -0.2 325 823 3.4 132

Benton, WA.................................. 5.7 87.8 3.6 21 1,060 1.9 278

Clark, WA..................................... 14.6 159.8 4.5 9 1,011 4.8 41

King, WA...................................... 86.3 1,375.1 3.0 41 1,761 10.1 4

Kitsap, WA.................................... 6.6 88.5 3.0 41 960 3.7 111

Pierce, WA................................... 21.8 306.9 2.4 70 979 3.7 111

Snohomish, WA............................ 20.7 284.6 0.7 247 1,278 8.6 9

Spokane, WA............................... 15.6 220.8 2.5 62 934 3.3 141

Thurston, WA............................... 8.3 115.7 3.0 41 981 4.7 46

Whatcom, WA.............................. 7.3 90.3 2.3 76 923 4.8 41

Yakima, WA................................. 7.7 111.9 4.0 16 758 4.6 51

Kanawha, WV............................... 5.7 98.2 -1.4 349 934 1.7 293

Brown, WI..................................... 7.0 156.6 1.7 129 997 3.9 93

Dane, WI...................................... 15.8 332.1 0.8 232 1,144 4.2 70

Milwaukee, WI.............................. 26.8 485.5 0.5 273 1,096 3.8 101

Outagamie, WI............................. 5.4 106.6 0.6 267 930 3.2 152

Waukesha, WI.............................. 13.3 239.9 0.4 282 1,142 6.5 18

Winnebago, WI............................. 3.8 93.2 0.8 232 1,006 -0.7 339

San Juan, PR............................... 10.4 241.8 -1.0 (5) 696 10.1 (5)

1 Includes areas not officially designated as counties. See Technical Note.

2 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.

3 Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. See Technical Note.

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

5 This county was not included in the U.S. rankings.

Note: Data are preliminary. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees

(UCFE) programs. These 349 U.S. counties comprise 73.1 percent of the total covered workers in the U.S.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 10 largest counties,

first quarter 2018

Employment Average weekly wage 1

County by NAICS supersector

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-182

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-182

United States3................................................................. 10,008.0 144,562.9 1.6 $1,152 3.7

 Private industry............................................................. 9,709.0 122,643.6 1.8 1,164 3.8

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 137.1 1,792.7 2.3 1,280 5.7

 Construction............................................................... 796.3 6,896.4 4.0 1,166 3.4

 Manufacturing............................................................ 349.7 12,529.8 1.6 1,407 4.3

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 1,919.3 26,979.5 1.1 942 3.4

 Information................................................................. 167.1 2,804.9 0.3 2,373 6.5

 Financial activities...................................................... 883.7 8,108.5 1.3 2,388 4.8

 Professional and business services........................... 1,812.1 20,497.9 1.9 1,530 3.7

 Education and health services................................... 1,684.4 22,524.5 1.8 942 2.7

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 849.9 15,763.7 1.6 446 3.5

 Other services............................................................ 846.2 4,427.1 1.0 734 3.2

 Government.................................................................. 298.9 21,919.3 0.2 1,088 2.4

Los Angeles, CA.............................................................. 492.3 4,424.4 1.6 1,252 2.3

 Private industry............................................................. 486.0 3,847.1 1.8 1,227 2.2

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.5 6.1 -19.5 1,172 20.3

 Construction............................................................... 14.4 140.4 3.8 1,262 6.4

 Manufacturing............................................................ 12.2 342.6 -2.2 1,518 5.1

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 54.4 826.0 0.6 1,016 2.8

 Information................................................................. 10.3 207.9 4.9 2,572 1.1

 Financial activities...................................................... 26.7 219.1 0.3 2,385 -0.1

 Professional and business services........................... 48.8 600.5 0.8 1,535 0.7

 Education and health services................................... 233.7 794.9 1.9 896 4.7

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 33.6 520.7 1.7 639 2.7

 Other services............................................................ 26.5 148.5 -1.0 732 4.3

 Government.................................................................. 6.2 577.3 0.0 1,421 3.4

Cook, IL........................................................................... 138.7 2,565.0 0.7 1,420 3.7

 Private industry............................................................. 137.5 2,273.1 0.8 1,441 3.9

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.1 1.2 4.7 1,048 1.3

 Construction............................................................... 10.7 70.5 2.9 1,517 3.0

 Manufacturing............................................................ 5.8 183.5 0.4 1,378 2.1

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 27.9 464.6 0.1 1,101 3.6

 Information................................................................. 2.4 52.2 -0.3 2,340 6.1

 Financial activities...................................................... 13.9 196.9 0.4 3,882 5.6

 Professional and business services........................... 29.0 472.3 0.9 1,737 3.8

 Education and health services................................... 15.5 450.9 1.4 992 2.7

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 13.8 279.0 0.8 518 2.6

 Other services............................................................ 15.8 100.3 2.6 980 4.4

 Government.................................................................. 1.2 291.9 -0.5 1,260 2.9

New York, NY.................................................................. 128.9 2,446.5 1.0 3,087 2.9

 Private industry............................................................. 127.5 2,217.8 1.2 3,248 2.9

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.0 0.2 16.3 2,326 -6.7

 Construction............................................................... 2.3 42.4 3.6 1,967 3.1

 Manufacturing............................................................ 2.0 24.1 -3.3 1,831 7.0

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 19.4 249.7 -1.4 1,525 3.0

 Information................................................................. 5.0 173.5 3.6 3,536 4.8

 Financial activities...................................................... 19.5 379.2 2.1 9,440 0.9

 Professional and business services........................... 27.3 581.1 0.9 2,757 3.6

 Education and health services................................... 10.2 354.8 0.8 1,345 5.1

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 14.8 303.8 1.2 910 4.2

 Other services............................................................ 20.4 104.1 1.3 1,281 2.2

 Government.................................................................. 1.4 228.7 -0.2 1,521 2.5

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 10 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 1

County by NAICS supersector

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-182

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-182

Harris, TX........................................................................ 115.4 2,287.9 1.3 $1,495 3.5

 Private industry............................................................. 114.9 2,007.9 1.4 1,545 3.6

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 1.6 65.8 -1.3 4,887 4.8

 Construction............................................................... 7.5 159.9 2.2 1,463 2.7

 Manufacturing............................................................ 4.8 171.1 1.8 1,926 6.2

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 24.8 464.9 1.7 1,393 3.2

 Information................................................................. 1.2 26.0 -4.4 1,643 2.1

 Financial activities...................................................... 12.2 127.4 1.4 2,423 3.5

 Professional and business services........................... 23.2 396.6 1.5 1,900 4.7

 Education and health services................................... 16.1 292.6 1.1 1,019 2.1

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 10.2 234.1 1.4 456 2.9

 Other services............................................................ 11.7 66.4 0.2 837 1.6

 Government.................................................................. 0.6 280.0 0.5 1,129 1.5

Maricopa, AZ.................................................................... 99.0 1,983.6 3.2 1,084 3.3

 Private industry............................................................. 98.3 1,771.3 3.6 1,089 3.3

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.4 8.3 2.5 1,319 9.7

 Construction............................................................... 7.4 117.5 9.2 1,131 5.6

 Manufacturing............................................................ 3.2 122.2 5.3 1,632 7.2

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 18.6 378.6 2.5 995 3.2

 Information................................................................. 1.5 36.8 0.9 1,715 10.6

 Financial activities...................................................... 11.5 179.7 3.1 1,638 6.7

 Professional and business services........................... 21.7 332.1 2.7 1,144 0.5

 Education and health services................................... 11.4 310.4 4.1 1,005 0.4

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 8.2 226.9 3.2 496 3.8

 Other services............................................................ 6.5 52.3 1.2 757 -6.5

 Government.................................................................. 0.7 212.3 -0.3 1,039 2.6

Dallas, TX........................................................................ 77.4 1,684.9 1.6 1,426 3.4

 Private industry............................................................. 76.8 1,510.0 1.7 1,456 3.5

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.5 8.3 20.0 5,013 0.1

 Construction............................................................... 4.7 86.9 1.0 1,318 3.3

 Manufacturing............................................................ 2.8 111.8 1.4 1,956 2.2

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 15.9 343.8 3.4 1,165 3.3

 Information................................................................. 1.4 49.7 -3.5 2,659 4.0

 Financial activities...................................................... 9.6 163.1 0.8 2,375 2.9

 Professional and business services........................... 17.6 344.4 1.8 1,628 4.6

 Education and health services................................... 9.6 197.8 0.9 1,107 3.7

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 6.9 159.5 1.6 509 0.4

 Other services............................................................ 7.0 42.4 -1.2 913 10.9

 Government.................................................................. 0.6 174.9 0.0 1,164 2.5

Orange, CA...................................................................... 121.6 1,617.5 2.1 1,258 3.2

 Private industry............................................................. 120.2 1,460.6 2.2 1,240 3.5

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.2 2.5 -15.5 850 -4.4

 Construction............................................................... 6.8 103.0 4.5 1,426 6.1

 Manufacturing............................................................ 5.0 158.2 -0.9 1,682 5.9

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 17.1 255.3 1.0 1,086 1.7

 Information................................................................. 1.4 25.7 -2.2 2,381 4.8

 Financial activities...................................................... 11.6 117.5 -0.3 2,101 2.9

 Professional and business services........................... 20.8 305.7 2.2 1,455 4.1

 Education and health services................................... 34.3 216.1 3.0 977 4.2

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 8.7 217.8 2.1 501 5.5

 Other services............................................................ 6.8 45.1 -2.3 715 1.7

 Government.................................................................. 1.4 157.0 0.9 1,428 0.6

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 10 largest counties,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 1

County by NAICS supersector

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-182

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-182

San Diego, CA................................................................ 111.7 1,452.7 2.1 $1,218 3.9

 Private industry............................................................. 109.8 1,217.5 2.5 1,196 3.9

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.6 9.5 5.8 755 7.5

 Construction............................................................... 6.9 82.2 5.9 1,257 5.1

 Manufacturing............................................................ 3.3 109.4 1.5 1,865 4.6

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 14.4 219.7 0.5 947 3.4

 Information................................................................. 1.2 23.3 -1.5 1,888 0.7

 Financial activities...................................................... 10.2 74.4 0.9 1,745 1.0

 Professional and business services........................... 18.4 243.8 3.4 1,733 5.4

 Education and health services................................... 32.2 200.9 1.8 984 3.1

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 8.3 193.0 1.0 505 3.5

 Other services............................................................ 7.3 50.2 -0.7 638 2.7

 Government.................................................................. 1.9 235.2 -0.2 1,330 4.1

King, WA......................................................................... 86.3 1,375.1 3.0 1,761 10.1

 Private industry............................................................. 85.8 1,204.3 3.4 1,814 10.9

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.4 2.7 -5.2 1,183 1.4

 Construction............................................................... 6.7 71.5 4.6 1,426 4.2

 Manufacturing............................................................ 2.5 101.3 -0.3 2,113 11.8

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 14.0 267.1 4.3 1,709 11.8

 Information................................................................. 2.3 105.9 5.4 4,461 13.5

 Financial activities...................................................... 6.7 69.6 4.4 2,237 6.3

 Professional and business services........................... 18.0 226.9 2.6 2,105 16.9

 Education and health services................................... 18.6 176.6 3.9 1,043 -1.1

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 7.3 138.3 2.9 566 3.5

 Other services............................................................ 9.2 44.5 1.5 912 4.9

 Government.................................................................. 0.5 170.9 0.3 1,385 2.9

Miami-Dade, FL............................................................... 99.8 1,147.0 1.4 1,101 4.5

 Private industry............................................................. 99.5 1,007.6 1.6 1,080 4.7

 Natural resources and mining.................................... 0.5 10.0 0.2 615 5.1

 Construction............................................................... 6.8 49.2 1.4 1,066 7.5

 Manufacturing............................................................ 2.9 40.4 0.9 930 3.2

 Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 25.3 283.8 1.0 1,011 4.6

 Information................................................................. 1.6 18.8 0.2 2,003 0.9

 Financial activities...................................................... 10.8 76.2 0.5 2,087 3.5

 Professional and business services........................... 22.4 161.1 2.5 1,300 6.5

 Education and health services................................... 10.8 182.7 2.8 972 1.7

 Leisure and hospitality............................................... 7.5 144.4 1.2 652 10.9

 Other services............................................................ 8.5 39.5 -0.2 656 4.8

 Government.................................................................. 0.3 139.4 -0.2 1,248 3.0

1 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.

2 Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. See Technical Note.

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

Note: Data are preliminary. Counties selected are based on 2017 annual average employment. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance

(UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state,

first quarter 2018

Employment Average weekly wage 1

State

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-18

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-18

United States2.......................................... 10,008.0 144,562.9 1.6 $1,152 3.7

Alabama.................................................... 126.2 1,948.9 1.1 919 2.9

Alaska........................................................ 22.0 311.2 -0.5 1,074 2.3

Arizona...................................................... 162.2 2,822.5 2.8 1,025 3.5

Arkansas................................................... 90.7 1,211.4 0.9 879 2.4

California................................................... 1,548.3 17,152.5 2.1 1,352 4.4

Colorado.................................................... 202.6 2,639.5 2.5 1,175 3.4

Connecticut............................................... 120.1 1,651.9 0.1 1,447 2.4

Delaware................................................... 32.2 438.7 1.2 1,202 1.3

District of Columbia................................... 41.3 770.2 1.2 1,917 1.9

Florida....................................................... 693.2 8,716.8 2.2 988 4.1

Georgia...................................................... 281.4 4,409.1 2.3 1,095 2.3

Hawaii........................................................ 42.5 658.4 0.3 974 2.3

Idaho......................................................... 61.2 712.6 3.5 809 4.3

Illinois........................................................ 373.7 5,909.3 1.0 1,241 3.9

Indiana....................................................... 166.9 3,018.8 1.2 954 3.9

Iowa........................................................... 102.6 1,525.8 0.5 921 2.4

Kansas...................................................... 88.3 1,370.6 0.2 912 2.7

Kentucky.................................................... 123.4 1,873.7 0.5 901 2.5

Louisiana................................................... 132.3 1,914.7 0.5 932 3.0

Maine......................................................... 53.8 592.1 0.9 891 3.6

Maryland.................................................... 171.4 2,646.9 0.9 1,209 3.2

Massachusetts.......................................... 257.1 3,509.9 1.1 1,510 5.6

Michigan.................................................... 245.5 4,289.0 1.4 1,078 3.4

Minnesota.................................................. 174.2 2,823.6 0.7 1,175 2.1

Mississippi................................................. 73.8 1,125.9 0.1 765 2.1

Missouri..................................................... 207.4 2,777.6 0.5 960 3.1

Montana.................................................... 48.6 455.5 1.0 819 2.4

Nebraska................................................... 72.2 966.0 0.4 898 3.6

Nevada...................................................... 81.8 1,351.6 3.0 977 4.8

New Hampshire......................................... 52.1 648.2 0.8 1,122 4.9

New Jersey............................................... 273.7 3,997.6 1.3 1,373 3.0

New Mexico............................................... 59.3 813.3 1.0 862 2.9

New York.................................................. 649.1 9,318.9 1.8 1,597 3.4

North Carolina........................................... 279.2 4,370.6 1.8 1,022 3.0

North Dakota............................................. 31.6 408.2 0.6 988 3.7

Ohio........................................................... 297.5 5,328.5 0.9 1,005 2.9

Oklahoma.................................................. 111.3 1,600.9 1.8 914 3.5

Oregon...................................................... 154.9 1,894.3 2.0 1,026 4.3

Pennsylvania............................................. 358.1 5,787.2 1.4 1,115 3.4

Rhode Island............................................. 37.6 469.9 1.1 1,086 3.2

South Carolina.......................................... 133.6 2,067.4 2.2 877 1.7

South Dakota............................................ 33.5 417.5 1.0 842 2.8

Tennessee................................................. 161.0 2,950.0 1.6 978 3.5

Texas......................................................... 686.3 12,179.2 2.0 1,168 3.9

Utah........................................................... 100.7 1,458.8 3.3 949 4.9

Vermont..................................................... 25.7 307.1 0.4 917 3.1

Virginia...................................................... 276.4 3,854.4 1.5 1,162 3.0

Washington............................................... 239.1 3,316.1 2.8 1,306 7.7

West Virginia............................................. 50.8 684.8 0.6 868 3.6

Wisconsin.................................................. 173.2 2,831.7 1.0 968 3.8

 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state,

first quarter 2018 - Continued

Employment Average weekly wage 1

State

Establishments,

first quarter

2018

(thousands)

March

2018

(thousands)

Percent

change,

March

2017-18

First

quarter

2018

Percent

change,

first quarter

2017-18

Wyoming................................................... 26.2 263.7 0.3 $914 3.9

Puerto Rico............................................... 44.3 856.7 -3.8 563 7.0

Virgin Islands............................................ 3.3 33.3 -15.5 969 24.4

1 Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.

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

Note: Data are preliminary. Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for

Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Chart 3. Percent change in employment in counties with 75,000 or more employees,

March 2017-18 (U.S. average = 1.6 percent)

Higher than U.S. average

U.S. average or lower

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Chart 4. Percent change in average weekly wage in counties with 75,000 or more

employees, first quarter 2017-18 (U.S. average = 3.7 percent)

Higher than U.S. average

U.S. average or lower

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics