Employment rose in Kentucky’s three largest counties from March 2021 to March 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Fayette County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 5.4 percent, followed by Boone County at 5.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 5.0 percent over the year, with 349 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Clark, NV, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 12.5 percent. Jefferson, LA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.8 percent.

Among the three largest counties in Kentucky, employment was highest in Jefferson County (465,800) in March 2022. Within Jefferson County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, the three largest Kentucky counties accounted for 40 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 117 counties in Kentucky with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 115 of the 117 smaller counties were below the national average in the first quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All three large Kentucky counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022. Fayette County (+9.5 percent) and Boone County (+7.9 percent) each had a rate of wage gain that was above the national rate of 6.7 percent. (See chart 2.)

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 348 had over-the-year wage increases. Peoria, IL, had the largest percentage wage increase (+25.8 percent). San Francisco, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-9.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Weekly wages in all of Kentucky’s three largest counties were below the national average of $1,374 in the first quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in Jefferson County ($1,293, 113^th) ranked in the top third nationwide.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 87 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2022. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $4,064. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 268 counties. At $736 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Kentucky’s smaller counties

Among the 117 smaller counties in Kentucky—those with employment below 75,000—Hancock ($1,553) and Gallatin ($1,390) counties reported an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,374. Magoffin County ($592) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 120 counties in Kentucky were considered, 22 reported average weekly wages of less than $700, 46 registered wages from $700 to $799, 19 had wages from $800 to $899, 20 had wages from $900 to $999, and 13 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW 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. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the three largest counties in Kentucky, first quarter 2022

Area	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2022	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,299.0	147,648.4	5.0	--	$1,374	--	6.7	--
Kentucky	137.5	1,911.5	4.0	--	1,038	44	7.6	27
Boone	5.3	104.6	5.1	104	1,002	300	7.9	119
Fayette	12.9	194.1	5.4	89	1,116	214	9.5	54
Jefferson	29.3	465.8	2.8	254	1,293	113	6.4	207
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from 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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Kentucky, first quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment March 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,299,030	147,648,359	$1,374
Kentucky	137,498	1,911,484	1,038
Adair	435	4,599	677
Allen	345	4,776	753
Anderson	459	5,000	779
Ballard	210	2,484	745
Barren	1,144	15,118	807
Bath	222	2,061	779
Bell	564	7,975	699
Boone	5,338	104,603	1,002
Bourbon	566	6,999	888
Boyd	1,614	24,232	966
Boyle	936	14,416	887
Bracken	171	1,393	788
Breathitt	336	2,645	715
Breckinridge	397	3,576	751
Bullitt	1,488	29,532	888
Butler	260	2,885	762
Caldwell	354	4,909	752
Calloway	1,147	15,321	791
Campbell	2,694	30,440	969
Carlisle	120	1,030	732
Carroll	337	7,541	1,342
Carter	586	5,647	693
Casey	320	3,985	696
Christian	1,868	30,524	925
Clark	926	13,310	931
Clay	385	4,008	751
Clinton	260	3,620	656
Crittenden	191	1,929	643
Cumberland	153	2,051	794
Daviess	3,118	45,542	933
Edmonson	156	1,515	707
Elliott	88	816	704
Estill	222	2,204	789
Fayette	12,939	194,072	1,116
Fleming	374	3,206	776
Floyd	994	10,570	795
Franklin	2,390	32,330	993
Fulton	207	2,218	679
Gallatin	141	2,561	1,390
Garrard	350	2,365	703
Grant	520	5,046	903
Graves	950	11,092	829
Grayson	616	7,523	753
Green	208	1,788	662
Greenup	676	6,819	783
Hancock	199	4,255	1,553
Hardin	3,207	45,628	900
Harlan	498	6,036	719
Harrison	367	5,171	903
Hart	362	5,036	857
Henderson	1,250	18,117	961
Henry	335	2,694	795
Hickman	101	856	683
Hopkins	1,071	16,737	914
Jackson	173	1,749	651
Jefferson	29,319	465,778	1,293
Jessamine	1,598	17,708	895
Johnson	555	5,132	725
Kenton	4,985	72,448	1,303
Knott	269	2,097	613
Knox	583	7,678	704
Larue	261	2,518	758
Laurel	1,631	26,579	795
Lawrence	304	4,093	722
Lee	150	1,635	721
Leslie	168	1,600	701
Letcher	447	4,220	753
Lewis	239	1,991	683
Lincoln	431	4,025	748
Livingston	216	2,853	994
Logan	672	8,850	944
Lyon	254	2,389	723
McCracken	2,587	39,183	968
McCreary	257	2,830	712
McLean	224	1,737	720
Madison	2,486	34,549	852
Magoffin	227	1,932	592
Marion	465	8,300	872
Marshall	904	10,779	1,018
Martin	180	1,868	815
Mason	575	7,759	896
Meade	469	4,542	1,007
Menifee	110	947	694
Mercer	503	6,472	1,049
Metcalfe	211	1,938	748
Monroe	268	3,269	732
Montgomery	764	11,136	802
Morgan	239	2,801	733
Muhlenberg	648	7,816	855
Nelson	1,330	16,881	923
Nicholas	102	902	612
Ohio	451	7,160	728
Oldham	1,998	16,112	1,006
Owen	153	1,388	856
Owsley	80	639	639
Pendleton	235	2,224	913
Perry	849	11,051	850
Pike	1,465	20,066	909
Powell	258	2,922	653
Pulaski	1,866	25,488	782
Robertson	54	297	649
Rockcastle	253	3,749	688
Rowan	679	10,696	783
Russell	436	5,781	721
Scott	1,497	28,724	1,016
Shelby	1,357	16,022	897
Simpson	581	9,138	822
Spencer	363	2,100	736
Taylor	761	11,949	702
Todd	279	2,429	776
Trigg	291	2,943	671
Trimble	135	991	1,168
Union	350	4,688	986
Warren	4,381	65,751	948
Washington	320	3,227	852
Wayne	390	5,268	645
Webster	279	2,649	920
Whitley	908	13,572	769
Wolfe	162	1,538	601
Woodford	890	9,248	884
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 establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2022

State	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		March 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2021–22	First quarter 2022	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2021–22	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,299.0	147,648.4	5.0	$1,374	--	6.7	--
Alabama	143.7	1,990.4	2.5	1,072	39	8.2	21
Alaska	24.2	303.9	2.8	1,178	25	4.9	45
Arizona	195.8	3,048.2	5.0	1,234	21	7.5	29
Arkansas	98.3	1,232.7	3.1	1,060	40	10.9	2
California	1,667.6	17,720.8	7.7	1,644	5	1.0	51
Colorado	238.0	2,767.9	5.1	1,455	9	8.8	11
Connecticut	135.7	1,618.6	4.3	1,716	4	9.2	6
Delaware	38.1	447.8	3.9	1,362	14	7.5	29
District of Columbia	46.9	749.1	5.8	2,221	1	2.6	49
Florida	844.0	9,249.2	6.1	1,222	23	10.8	3
Georgia	359.6	4,615.2	5.0	1,301	17	8.8	11
Hawaii	50.4	612.1	7.9	1,135	30	4.2	47
Idaho	83.6	806.4	4.7	982	49	8.5	18
Illinois	403.8	5,808.8	4.5	1,487	8	7.3	33
Indiana	183.0	3,071.1	3.7	1,127	32	9.8	5
Iowa	108.2	1,511.6	2.5	1,080	36	7.6	27
Kansas	93.1	1,369.8	2.5	1,073	38	9.0	10
Kentucky	137.5	1,911.5	4.0	1,038	44	7.6	27
Louisiana	147.6	1,820.6	1.3	1,058	42	8.6	16
Maine	60.4	604.1	2.8	1,103	35	10.3	4
Maryland	179.9	2,623.1	3.9	1,410	10	2.0	50
Massachusetts	286.6	3,516.0	5.3	1,827	3	5.9	43
Michigan	282.2	4,212.5	4.6	1,225	22	6.2	41
Minnesota	194.1	2,772.6	2.7	1,374	11	6.8	37
Mississippi	77.9	1,134.2	2.9	879	51	8.5	18
Missouri	227.1	2,788.2	3.0	1,128	31	7.0	34
Montana	57.5	479.9	3.1	991	48	8.3	20
Nebraska	78.7	965.4	1.5	1,079	37	9.2	6
Nevada	102.7	1,441.3	11.6	1,164	27	8.0	23
New Hampshire	61.1	659.9	4.3	1,361	15	7.8	25
New Jersey	317.9	4,085.1	7.2	1,606	6	4.6	46
New Mexico	68.0	817.4	5.1	1,018	45	6.5	40
New York	681.3	9,107.2	6.0	1,972	2	5.6	44
North Carolina	335.8	4,638.3	4.8	1,241	20	9.2	6
North Dakota	33.3	400.5	2.7	1,106	34	6.9	35
Ohio	320.5	5,299.0	3.1	1,179	24	7.5	29
Oklahoma	120.7	1,601.8	2.9	1,012	46	8.0	23
Oregon	175.1	1,921.9	4.0	1,259	18	7.4	32
Pennsylvania	384.0	5,778.2	4.3	1,309	16	6.9	35
Rhode Island	45.0	469.3	4.7	1,249	19	6.8	37
South Carolina	164.1	2,142.9	3.9	1,043	43	9.2	6
South Dakota	37.8	432.0	3.5	1,012	46	8.6	16
Tennessee	198.1	3,104.1	4.6	1,172	26	8.8	11
Texas	788.4	12,985.4	6.1	1,369	12	8.7	14
Utah	126.5	1,625.6	4.5	1,152	28	8.2	21
Vermont	29.3	295.8	3.9	1,107	33	7.7	26
Virginia	310.8	3,889.4	3.1	1,366	13	6.6	39
Washington	277.3	3,453.4	6.0	1,596	7	3.8	48
West Virginia	55.2	668.1	2.9	968	50	6.1	42
Wisconsin	193.9	2,816.5	2.9	1,137	29	8.7	14
Wyoming	28.9	263.6	2.6	1,059	41	11.2	1
Puerto Rico	48.7	917.1	6.8	579	(3)	2.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.5	34.8	-0.3	947	(3)	-3.7	(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.