Employment increased in each of Florida’s 24 large counties from September 2017 to September 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with 2017 average annual employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that 3 counties in Florida ranked among the top 5 in the national ranking by percent increase in employment. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.6 percent from September 2017 to September 2018 as 295 of the 349 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, TX, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 11.9 percent. New Hanover, NC, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 2.0 percent.

Among the 24 largest counties in Florida, employment was highest in Miami-Dade (1,142,100) in September 2018, while Bay County had the smallest employment level (79,600). Together, Florida’s large counties accounted for 86.8 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 73.0 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 146.8 million in September 2018.

Each of Florida’s 24 large counties had over-the-year wage increases with the largest gain in Seminole County (5.9 percent). Hillsborough County had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s largest counties ($1,009), followed by Miami-Dade ($1,001). Nationally, the average weekly wage increased to $1,055, a 3.3 percent increase over the year. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 43 counties in Florida with 2017 average annual employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $827 to $588. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Among Florida’s 24 largest counties, average weekly wage increases in Seminole (5.9 percent, 13^th) and Osceola (5.1 percent, 23^rd) were in the top tenth of the national ranking. Average weekly wage growth in Florida’s other 22 large counties ranged from 3.9 to 1.3 percent.

Nationally, 336 of the 349 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2018. Chatham, GA, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 8.5 percent, followed by King, WA (7.9 percent).

Of the 349 largest U.S. counties, 11 had over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages (-4.2 percent), followed by Union, NJ (-3.7 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in five of Florida’s large counties placed in the top half of the national ranking in the third quarter of 2018. However, no large county in Florida had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,055. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 94 large counties had average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,055 in the third quarter of 2018. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $2,460, followed by San Mateo, CA ($2,363), and San Francisco, CA ($2,097).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 255 had weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2018. Cameron, TX, had the lowest wage ($632), followed by Horry, SC ($635), and Hidalgo, TX ($662).

Average weekly wages in Florida’s smaller counties

All 43 counties in Florida with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,055. Among these counties, St. Johns had the highest average weekly wage at $827. Holmes County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $588 in the third quarter of 2018. (See table 2.)

When all 67 counties in Florida were considered, 9 had average weekly wages below $650, 30 had wages from $650-$749, 15 had wages from $750-$849, 8 had wages from $850 to $949, and 5 had wages above $950. (See chart 1.)

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 2017 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 2018 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2017 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn17.htm. The 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2019.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

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 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 24 largest counties in Florida, third quarter 2018

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2017-18 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	146,824.1	1.6	--	$1,055	--	3.3	--
Florida	8,690.7	4.6	--	924	29	3.1	25
Alachua, Fla.	132.7	2.3	72	911	223	3.4	122
Bay, Fla.	79.6	2.6	62	757	336	3.7	95
Brevard, Fla.	215.6	6.6	4	938	191	3.9	73
Broward, Fla.	811.3	3.9	22	966	172	3.0	163
Collier, Fla.	142.6	10.5	2	884	254	2.9	169
Duval, Fla.	515.6	3.4	38	976	165	2.5	215
Escambia, Fla.	136.0	2.3	72	820	313	2.2	259
Hillsborough, Fla.	685.5	3.5	33	1,009	132	3.3	128
Lake, Fla.	99.0	5.0	9	717	343	3.3	128
Lee, Fla.	258.6	7.8	3	824	311	1.9	280
Leon, Fla.	151.6	3.5	33	863	275	1.3	312
Manatee, Fla.	122.0	4.9	12	804	324	1.5	304
Marion, Fla.	103.1	3.6	30	711	344	2.3	241
Miami-Dade, Fla.	1,142.1	3.9	22	1,001	138	1.8	283
Okaloosa, Fla.	84.2	1.1	168	843	292	3.2	141
Orange, Fla.	850.5	4.6	15	931	194	3.9	73
Osceola, Fla.	95.3	4.9	12	707	345	5.1	23
Palm Beach, Fla.	599.1	4.0	20	986	155	3.6	101
Pasco, Fla.	121.2	5.2	8	728	341	2.0	272
Pinellas, Fla.	434.0	3.5	33	902	234	2.5	215
Polk, Fla.	221.5	5.0	9	801	325	3.0	163
Sarasota, Fla.	168.7	4.3	18	866	273	2.7	196
Seminole, Fla.	195.5	5.0	9	916	212	5.9	13
Volusia, Fla.	174.0	4.3	18	744	339	3.6	101
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 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2018

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
	September 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2017-18	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2017-18	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	146,824.1	1.6	$1,055	--	3.3	--
Alabama	1,966.0	1.2	885	38	3.1	25
Alaska	334.0	-0.4	1,065	13	3.7	12
Arizona	2,838.6	2.8	974	23	2.9	31
Arkansas	1,222.1	0.7	811	49	2.9	31
California	17,457.5	1.8	1,260	5	3.8	9
Colorado	2,684.0	2.1	1,104	9	3.5	18
Connecticut	1,681.5	0.3	1,209	6	2.5	41
Delaware	447.8	0.6	1,046	15	2.4	42
District of Columbia	770.7	0.7	1,807	1	2.8	36
Florida	8,690.7	4.6	924	29	3.1	25
Georgia	4,448.8	2.3	993	20	3.3	21
Hawaii	654.7	0.0	975	22	2.4	42
Idaho	743.5	3.0	805	50	3.2	23
Illinois	6,029.2	0.8	1,087	10	3.0	28
Indiana	3,072.3	0.9	883	39	2.4	42
Iowa	1,555.0	0.6	887	37	3.7	12
Kansas	1,390.4	1.0	867	42	3.5	18
Kentucky	1,898.7	0.5	855	43	2.2	47
Louisiana	1,915.4	0.5	901	33	3.7	12
Maine	626.5	0.6	851	45	3.7	12
Maryland	2,683.9	0.7	1,130	8	2.4	42
Massachusetts	3,598.1	0.7	1,305	2	3.2	23
Michigan	4,366.5	0.8	991	21	2.8	36
Minnesota	2,904.3	0.8	1,074	12	4.2	5
Mississippi	1,133.7	0.2	754	51	3.4	20
Missouri	2,812.0	0.4	907	31	3.3	21
Montana	473.3	1.0	815	48	2.8	36
Nebraska	980.3	0.6	873	41	2.8	36
Nevada	1,382.9	3.4	936	28	2.4	42
New Hampshire	662.3	0.5	1,040	16	1.7	49
New Jersey	4,072.6	0.8	1,181	7	2.1	48
New Mexico	826.2	1.2	855	43	3.9	7
New York	9,467.5	1.4	1,272	4	4.2	5
North Carolina	4,398.0	1.1	938	26	3.8	9
North Dakota	424.3	1.1	995	19	4.4	3
Ohio	5,424.4	0.7	947	25	2.9	31
Oklahoma	1,616.8	1.2	874	40	3.6	16
Oregon	1,939.8	1.5	1,005	18	3.8	9
Pennsylvania	5,894.8	1.0	1,031	17	3.0	28
Rhode Island	489.4	1.0	963	24	-1.3	51
South Carolina	2,088.2	2.8	834	46	0.8	50
South Dakota	431.5	1.3	827	47	3.0	28
Tennessee	3,005.6	1.7	938	26	3.9	7
Texas	12,327.0	2.6	1,064	14	3.1	25
Utah	1,494.4	3.4	911	30	3.6	16
Vermont	310.9	0.0	892	36	2.6	40
Virginia	3,889.6	1.1	1,082	11	2.9	31
Washington	3,425.6	2.4	1,280	3	6.2	2
West Virginia	706.0	1.7	894	35	8.1	1
Wisconsin	2,888.9	0.7	901	33	2.9	31
Wyoming	278.2	0.6	905	32	4.3	4
Puerto Rico	862.5	0.2	534	(3)	5.3	(3)
Virgin Islands	33.4	-8.0	888	(3)	18.6	(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.