Average weekly wages in all 18 large counties in New York increased from the second quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are those with 2015 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that Albany County had the largest growth in average weekly wages, 7.0 percent, followed by Nassau County, 6.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Seven of New York’s large counties reported average weekly wages above the $989 national average in the second quarter of 2016. Average weekly wages in five counties (New York, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and Albany) exceeded $1,000.

Seventeen of the 18 large counties in New York had employment gains from June 2015 to June 2016. Kings County had the largest gain, up 3.8 percent, while Dutchess County had the smallest gain, at 0.2 percent. Nationally, employment grew 1.5 percent from June 2015 to June 2016 as 291 of the 344 largest U.S. counties added jobs. (See chart 2.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 44 counties in New York with employment levels below 75,000. Average wages in all but three of these smaller counties were below the national average in the second quarter of 2016. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Ten of New York’s large counties had average weekly wage growth above the national average of 2.2 percent from the second quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2016. (See table 1.) Albany County ranked fifth and Nassau County ranked seventh among the 344 large counties in the nation with over-the-year wage increases of 7.0 and 6.4 percent, respectively. Five other counties had annual wage gains of at least 3.5 percent and placed in the top fifth of the national ranking: Suffolk, Erie, Broome, Richmond, and Queens Counties.

Nationally, 304 of the 344 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. McLean, Ill., had the largest wage gain, up 21.0 percent from the second quarter of 2015. Elkhart, Ind., was second with a wage increase of 8.5 percent, followed by King, Wash. (8.1 percent). Among the 36 counties with declining weekly wages, Ventura, Calif., had the largest loss (-8.4 percent) followed by Forsyth, N.C. (-6.5 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

New York County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,866 and ranked third among the 344 largest U.S. counties. Westchester County ($1,294) ranked in the top 25 in the nation, at 18^th. Five additional counties (Nassau, Albany, Suffolk, Rockland, and Dutchess) had average weekly wages that placed them in the top 100 nationwide. Broome ($801) and Oneida ($788) reported the lowest average weekly wages among the state’s large counties and ranked 285^th and 296^th, respectively.

Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than average in 102 of the largest 344 counties. Santa Clara., Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $2,252. San Mateo, Calif., was second at $1,871, followed by New York, N.Y. at $1,866.

Among the 241 counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2016, Horry County, S.C., reported the lowest wage ($598), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($602) and Hidalgo ($626). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif.

Large county employment

Employment rose in 17 of the 18 largest counties in New York State from June 2015 to June 2016. Five of these counties—Kings, Richmond, Nassau, Orange, and Queens—had employment growth above the national rate of 1.5 percent. Only Broome County lost jobs, down 0.1 percent.

Nationally, employment grew in 291 of the 344 largest counties nationwide. Over-the-year growth was led by Williamson, Tenn. (6.7 percent) and Utah, Utah (6.5 percent). Midland, Texas, had the largest over-the-year decrease (-8.3 percent).

In New York, employment was highest in New York County (2,415,600) followed by Kings (690,400), Suffolk (672,200), and Nassau (635,300). Altogether, New York’s large counties accounted for 85.4 percent of total state employment. Nationwide, the 344 largest counties made up 72.5 percent of total U.S. employment.

Average weekly wages in New York’s smaller counties

Forty-one of New York’s 44 counties with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average of $989. Schenectady ($1,097), Steuben ($1,000), and Putnam ($996) were the exceptions. (See table 2.) Hamilton and Yates Counties reported the lowest average weekly wages at $624 and $645, respectively.

When all 62 counties in New York were considered, all but 12 had wages below $950. Ten counties reported average weekly wages less than $749, 28 had wages from $750 to $849, and 12 had wages from $850 to $949. Nine of the 12 counties with an average weekly wage at or above $950 were in the eastern part of the state. The counties with the lowest average weekly wage, under $749, were all located in the northern and western parts of the state. (See chart 3.)

 

Additional statistics and other information

Quarterly data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2015 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2016 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are now available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2015/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2016 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from 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 9.7 million employer reports cover 142.7 million full- and part-time workers. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 18 largest counties in New York, second quarter 2016

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2016 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2015-16 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2015-16 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	142,717.2	1.5	--	$989	--	2.2	--
New York	9,264.0	1.5	--	1,210	4	2.5	15
Albany, N.Y.	233.3	0.6	257	1,082	59	7.0	5
Bronx, N.Y.	300.6	0.7	253	943	140	1.5	241
Broome, N.Y.	87.2	-0.1	298	801	285	3.6	61
Dutchess, N.Y.	112.1	0.2	283	992	100	1.2	259
Erie, N.Y.	471.3	0.6	257	879	196	3.9	54
Kings, N.Y.	690.4	3.8	23	823	264	1.6	235
Monroe, N.Y.	388.7	0.6	257	933	152	1.7	229
Nassau, N.Y.	635.3	1.9	134	1,168	38	6.4	7
New York, N.Y.	2,415.6	1.5	169	1,866	3	1.2	259
Oneida, N.Y.	105.7	0.8	238	788	296	0.9	277
Onondaga, N.Y.	246.6	0.8	238	921	162	3.4	73
Orange, N.Y.	143.3	1.7	148	881	192	3.2	87
Queens, N.Y.	648.7	1.6	160	941	143	3.5	66
Richmond, N.Y.	115.6	2.4	95	887	187	3.6	61
Rockland, N.Y.	123.3	1.3	188	998	92	1.3	254
Saratoga, N.Y.	86.9	0.9	229	938	146	2.4	156
Suffolk, N.Y.	672.2	0.7	253	1,080	60	4.7	24
Westchester, N.Y.	431.1	1.0	218	1,294	18	1.2	259
Footnotes: (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. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in New York, second quarter 2016

Area	Employment June 2016	Average weekly wage(1)
United States(2)	142,717,157	$989
New York	9,263,975	1,210
Albany	233,255	1,082
Allegany	13,535	738
Bronx	300,574	943
Broome	87,193	801
Cattaraugus	30,022	763
Cayuga	26,845	804
Chautauqua	50,511	723
Chemung	36,011	858
Chenango	18,024	838
Clinton	33,648	808
Columbia	22,546	780
Cortland	18,020	736
Delaware	14,893	790
Dutchess	112,141	992
Erie	471,258	879
Essex	15,196	750
Franklin	18,476	797
Fulton	17,681	758
Genesee	24,761	748
Greene	15,053	791
Hamilton	2,103	624
Herkimer	17,453	730
Jefferson	43,143	768
Kings	690,439	823
Lewis	6,673	751
Livingston	20,364	707
Madison	21,287	755
Monroe	388,662	933
Montgomery	19,406	751
Nassau	635,275	1,168
New York	2,415,593	1,866
Niagara	75,231	789
Oneida	105,674	788
Onondaga	246,627	921
Ontario	53,971	921
Orange	143,297	881
Orleans	13,116	776
Oswego	34,985	854
Otsego	24,484	773
Putnam	27,347	996
Queens	648,706	941
Rensselaer	52,900	948
Richmond	115,570	887
Rockland	123,328	998
Saratoga	86,865	938
Schenectady	64,330	1,097
Schoharie	8,998	715
Schuyler	5,331	694
Seneca	11,815	795
St. Lawrence	35,492	822
Steuben	37,932	1,000
Suffolk	672,186	1,080
Sullivan	27,099	768
Tioga	13,540	965
Tompkins	51,679	957
Ulster	61,474	808
Warren	40,953	783
Washington	15,811	818
Wayne	29,528	787
Westchester	431,078	1,294
Wyoming	14,120	781
Yates	7,235	645
Footnotes (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. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, second quarter 2016

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	June 2016 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2015-16	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2015-16	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	142,717.2	1.5	$989	--	2.2	--
Alabama	1,923.5	1.2	835	37	2.0	29
Alaska	338.7	-2.4	1,011	10	-1.7	49
Arizona	2,619.6	2.6	921	22	1.9	33
Arkansas	1,197.5	1.1	785	47	3.0	7
California	16,754.1	2.5	1,157	5	2.4	19
Colorado	2,574.5	2.3	999	14	1.0	43
Connecticut	1,689.9	-0.1	1,213	3	3.0	7
Delaware	444.0	0.9	990	16	-0.6	48
District of Columbia	756.0	1.7	1,623	1	1.1	42
Florida	8,161.8	3.2	883	25	2.6	14
Georgia	4,269.5	2.7	929	21	2.7	11
Hawaii	643.4	1.0	906	24	3.5	5
Idaho	699.7	3.3	740	50	3.8	3
Illinois	5,945.0	0.2	1,038	9	2.4	19
Indiana	2,995.4	1.0	828	39	2.1	27
Iowa	1,566.0	0.3	825	40	2.9	9
Kansas	1,378.4	-0.2	829	38	1.2	39
Kentucky	1,877.2	1.5	838	36	1.9	33
Louisiana	1,905.2	-1.4	852	32	0.2	46
Maine	622.8	1.0	795	46	3.5	5
Maryland	2,656.0	0.9	1,070	8	2.5	15
Massachusetts	3,538.2	1.2	1,233	2	2.0	29
Michigan	4,300.9	1.9	942	19	2.7	11
Minnesota	2,846.8	0.7	997	15	2.0	29
Mississippi	1,120.1	0.5	727	51	2.5	15
Missouri	2,785.6	1.4	863	30	2.4	19
Montana	468.6	2.2	767	48	1.7	35
Nebraska	978.3	0.9	805	43	2.4	19
Nevada	1,289.4	3.3	874	27	2.2	26
New Hampshire	655.1	1.1	1,003	12	3.7	4
New Jersey	4,051.2	1.7	1,147	6	1.7	35
New Mexico	808.1	-0.3	812	42	0.9	44
New York	9,264.0	1.5	1,210	4	2.5	15
North Carolina	4,285.3	2.5	865	29	2.1	27
North Dakota	423.3	-4.9	908	23	-3.3	51
Ohio	5,353.1	0.8	882	26	2.0	29
Oklahoma	1,570.5	-1.4	823	41	0.6	45
Oregon	1,867.8	2.7	933	20	4.1	2
Pennsylvania	5,786.8	0.4	971	17	1.4	37
Rhode Island	482.9	0.6	949	18	2.5	15
South Carolina	2,013.7	2.4	804	44	2.8	10
South Dakota	432.7	1.0	760	49	2.7	11
Tennessee	2,900.4	2.4	874	27	1.3	38
Texas	11,810.7	1.0	1,000	13	1.2	39
Utah	1,395.9	3.8	840	35	2.3	25
Vermont	310.6	-0.1	850	33	2.4	19
Virginia	3,833.4	1.6	1,011	10	1.2	39
Washington	3,281.6	2.8	1,083	7	5.4	1
West Virginia	693.2	-1.9	800	45	-0.4	47
Wisconsin	2,869.1	0.9	856	31	2.4	19
Wyoming	281.7	-3.7	849	34	-2.2	50
Puerto Rico	879.5	-0.7	512	(3)	0.2	(3)
Virgin Islands	38.4	0.9	743	(3)	-0.4	(3)
Footnotes: (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. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.