Among Mississippi’s two largest counties, employment in Harrison increased 2.4 percent from June 2021 to June 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 Victoria G. Lee noted that employment in Hinds County declined 0.1 percent over the year. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 4.0 percent over the year, with 338 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orange, FL, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 9.7 percent. Kanawha, WV, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 1.0 percent.

Among Mississippi’s two large counties, employment was higher in Hinds County (111,200) in June 2022. Within Hinds County’s private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Together, Hinds and Harrison Counties accounted for 17.4 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment. 

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 80 counties in Mississippi with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 79 of the 80 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,294 in the second quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages increased in both of Mississippi’s large counties from the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Hinds County (+5.3 percent) had a rate of wage gain that was above the national rate of 4.3 percent.

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 340 had over-the-year wage increases. Saratoga, NY, had the largest percentage wage increase (+16.3 percent). Benton, AR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-16.1 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in Hinds County ($1,018) and Harrison County ($853) were below the U.S. average of $1,294 and ranked 295^th and 350^th nationwide, respectively, in the second quarter of 2022.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the second quarter of 2022. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,262. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $767 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Mississippi’s smaller counties

Among the 80 smaller counties in Mississippi—those with employment below 75,000—Claiborne ($1,341) reported an average weekly wage above the national average. Simpson County ($635) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 82 counties in Mississippi were considered, 22 had average weekly wages of less than $750, 23 had wages from $750 to $799, 17 had wages from $800 to $849, 7 had wages from $850 to $899, and 13 had wages of $900 or higher.

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 third quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

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.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the two largest counties in Mississippi, second quarter 2022

Area	Establishments, second quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		June 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Second quarter 2022	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,460.8	149,902.0	4.0	--	$1,294	--	4.3	--
Mississippi	79.5	1,136.6	2.4	--	887	51	5.3	28
Harrison	4.7	87.0	2.4	220	853	350	3.1	271
Hinds	5.5	111.2	-0.1	340	1,018	295	5.3	128
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 Mississippi, second quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment June 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,460,819	149,901,995	$1,294
Mississippi	79,452	1,136,558	887
Adams	798	10,077	766
Alcorn	827	13,288	807
Amite	201	1,910	847
Attala	387	4,550	787
Benton	88	1,053	821
Bolivar	810	10,088	789
Calhoun	262	3,010	692
Carroll	137	1,105	698
Chickasaw	356	5,092	732
Choctaw	151	2,198	922
Claiborne	135	3,088	1,341
Clarke	235	2,685	748
Clay	379	6,379	829
Coahoma	580	6,623	775
Copiah	459	6,345	691
Covington	371	5,868	767
De Soto	3,386	69,740	810
Forrest	1,871	39,461	885
Franklin	128	1,461	870
George	373	4,851	747
Greene	149	1,867	689
Grenada	564	9,845	775
Hancock	926	14,086	1,087
Harrison	4,737	87,005	853
Hinds	5,549	111,248	1,018
Holmes	280	2,974	757
Humphreys	171	2,111	640
Issaquena	34	169	662
Itawamba	395	5,918	762
Jackson	2,505	49,235	1,037
Jasper	229	3,901	892
Jefferson	68	944	755
Jefferson Davis	149	1,417	742
Jones	1,365	26,662	841
Kemper	128	1,723	780
Lafayette	1,463	23,902	865
Lamar	1,481	20,107	765
Lauderdale	1,829	31,257	824
Lawrence	205	2,588	903
Leake	331	4,864	746
Lee	2,533	54,548	899
Leflore	797	14,044	754
Lincoln	836	12,857	791
Lowndes	1,505	24,179	944
Madison	3,665	55,629	986
Marion	587	8,214	824
Marshall	504	10,424	863
Monroe	629	10,133	846
Montgomery	231	2,421	719
Neshoba	548	11,733	834
Newton	372	5,306	779
Noxubee	224	2,167	760
Oktibbeha	1,011	19,758	826
Panola	626	10,127	792
Pearl River	923	10,848	730
Perry	170	2,291	840
Pike	989	14,624	738
Pontotoc	536	12,043	755
Prentiss	526	7,545	735
Quitman	139	1,022	662
Rankin	4,228	63,762	908
Scott	512	12,893	834
Sharkey	141	1,027	666
Simpson	458	7,018	635
Smith	190	2,312	921
Stone	310	4,759	754
Sunflower	524	8,009	703
Tallahatchie	210	2,405	802
Tate	412	5,727	749
Tippah	379	6,832	777
Tishomingo	451	6,638	789
Tunica	253	5,735	760
Union	576	12,002	945
Walthall	213	2,398	666
Warren	1,059	19,089	997
Washington	1,181	14,860	756
Wayne	389	4,514	811
Webster	201	2,039	750
Wilkinson	138	1,508	729
Winston	345	4,893	832
Yalobusha	206	2,675	811
Yazoo	434	5,951	903
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, second quarter 2022

State	Establishments, second quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		June 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2021–22	Second quarter 2022	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2021–22	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,460.8	149,902.0	4.0	$1,294	--	4.3	--
Alabama	147.8	2,007.0	2.1	1,069	37	6.2	16
Alaska	24.4	329.5	4.4	1,237	17	4.7	36
Arizona	199.8	2,962.1	3.3	1,220	21	5.8	22
Arkansas	98.5	1,240.4	2.8	997	49	2.4	47
California	1,706.1	17,915.3	5.6	1,572	4	-0.6	51
Colorado	242.3	2,838.5	4.1	1,361	9	6.2	16
Connecticut	137.6	1,654.7	3.1	1,458	6	3.5	42
Delaware	39.1	456.4	2.5	1,227	18	5.8	22
District of Columbia	48.2	747.6	3.2	2,139	1	2.0	48
Florida	858.7	9,126.7	5.0	1,186	22	6.5	10
Georgia	369.2	4,669.6	4.9	1,221	20	7.2	5
Hawaii	51.6	612.6	3.4	1,152	26	3.2	44
Idaho	83.2	824.2	2.7	1,009	48	8.5	1
Illinois	408.0	5,959.3	3.7	1,325	11	5.2	29
Indiana	184.6	3,087.8	2.5	1,083	35	6.9	8
Iowa	110.2	1,555.3	1.7	1,057	40	5.8	22
Kansas	93.8	1,381.2	1.5	1,039	44	4.6	38
Kentucky	140.9	1,886.9	1.8	1,070	36	7.1	7
Louisiana	149.9	1,837.0	1.2	1,067	38	6.5	10
Maine	61.6	637.6	1.9	1,086	34	8.0	3
Maryland	184.9	2,640.3	1.5	1,378	8	4.6	38
Massachusetts	288.5	3,654.3	4.3	1,637	2	2.8	46
Michigan	289.6	4,326.6	3.7	1,183	23	3.5	42
Minnesota	197.8	2,876.6	2.0	1,289	13	4.0	40
Mississippi	79.5	1,136.6	2.4	887	51	5.3	28
Missouri	231.6	2,852.0	3.3	1,106	32	5.1	32
Montana	59.4	504.8	2.7	1,028	45	7.4	4
Nebraska	79.9	988.5	1.2	1,060	39	6.3	13
Nevada	106.9	1,462.4	7.8	1,163	24	5.2	29
New Hampshire	62.4	671.9	2.0	1,349	10	0.4	50
New Jersey	321.7	4,221.9	5.8	1,440	7	3.8	41
New Mexico	69.6	822.4	3.6	1,040	43	5.5	25
New York	672.2	9,341.5	5.1	1,587	3	3.1	45
North Carolina	344.0	4,695.0	4.0	1,160	25	6.3	13
North Dakota	33.9	416.9	2.3	1,131	30	6.0	19
Ohio	322.7	5,404.1	2.6	1,127	31	5.4	26
Oklahoma	121.9	1,610.4	2.5	1,016	46	5.4	26
Oregon	176.7	1,956.6	2.7	1,253	15	4.8	35
Pennsylvania	387.9	5,901.3	3.9	1,252	16	4.9	34
Rhode Island	45.7	488.6	3.3	1,227	18	5.0	33
South Carolina	162.7	2,170.7	3.5	1,043	42	6.8	9
South Dakota	38.4	454.0	2.6	997	49	6.5	10
Tennessee	201.0	3,151.9	4.7	1,152	26	5.2	29
Texas	796.9	13,135.7	5.2	1,284	14	6.1	18
Utah	130.3	1,644.0	3.7	1,137	28	7.2	5
Vermont	29.9	297.7	1.2	1,135	29	8.1	2
Virginia	320.6	3,949.1	2.4	1,316	12	4.7	36
Washington	264.9	3,547.2	4.7	1,569	5	1.6	49
West Virginia	56.5	672.1	1.2	1,013	47	6.0	19
Wisconsin	197.9	2,897.0	1.6	1,097	33	5.9	21
Wyoming	29.5	280.6	1.6	1,048	41	6.3	13
Puerto Rico	49.2	910.1	4.8	597	(3)	5.3	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.6	33.7	-5.2	1,014	(3)	9.1	(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.