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News Release Information

15-1024-SAN
Thursday, May 28, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

County Employment and Wages in Washington – Third Quarter 2014

Employment increased in all 10 of Washington’s large counties from September 2013 to September 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2013 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that employment increases ranged from 5.0 percent in Clark County to 1.1 percent in Whatcom County.

Nationally, employment advanced 2.0 percent from September 2013 to September 2014 as 306 of the 339 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Weld, Colo., had the largest percentage increase over the year (8.8 percent). Atlantic, N.J., had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 4.0 percent.

Among the 10 largest counties in Washington, employment was highest in King County (1,252,800) in September 2014, while Benton County had the smallest employment level (82,700). Together, Washington’s large counties accounted for 84.5 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 339 largest counties made up 71.8 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 137.7 million in September 2014.

Average weekly wages increased in all 10 of Washington’s largest counties from the third quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2014. King County had the highest average weekly wage ($1,452) followed by Snohomish County ($1,019). Both counties exceeded the national average weekly wage of $949, which rose 2.9 percent over the year in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 counties in Washington with employment below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All 10 large counties in Washington recorded increases in average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2014. King County’s 5.1-percent wage gain placed 16th among the nation’s 339 large counties. Kitsap County’s 3.3-percent wage increase (ranked 81st) also placed in the top 100 of the national rankings. Wage gains in three additional large counties—Yakima and Spokane (both up 3.1 percent, tied at 103rd), and Pierce (3.0 percent, 117th)--exceeded the national percentage increase of 2.9 percent in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 328 of the 339 largest counties registered over-the-year wage increases. Olmsted, Minn., had the largest wage gain, up 11.1 percent from the third quarter of 2013. San Francisco, Calif., was second with a wage increase of 8.6 percent, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. (7.4 percent), and San Mateo, Calif. and Brazoria, Texas (7.1 percent each).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 10 experienced over-the-year wage decreases. Collier, Fla., had the largest wage decrease with a loss of 3.9 percent. Dane, Wis., had the second largest decrease in average weekly wages, down 2.2 percent from the third quarter 2013, followed by Williamson, Texas. (-0.8 percent), Hamilton, Ind. (-0.7 percent), and Shawnee, Kan. (-0.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in two of Washington’s large counties placed in the top 100 of the national ranking. As noted, King County ($1,452, 8th) and Snohomish ($1,019, 72nd) exceeded the national average in the third quarter of 2014. Average wages for six of the largest counties fell within the middle third of the rankings. The two counties with the lowest average weekly wages in the state—Whatcom ($782, 268th) and Yakima ($658, 331st)—ranked within the bottom third of the United States.

Nationwide, average weekly wages were above the U.S. average ($949) in 99 of the 339 largest counties in the third quarter of 2014. Santa Clara, Calif., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $2,012, followed by San Mateo, Calif. ($1,824), New York, N.Y. ($1,733), San Francisco, Calif. ($1,685), and Washington, D.C. ($1,631).

There were 237 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2014. Horry County, S.C. ($580), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($603), Hidalgo, Texas ($616), Marion, Fla. ($644), and Pasco, Fla. ($650).

Average weekly wages in Washington’s smaller counties

All 29 counties in Washington with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $949. Among these counties, Cowlitz County had the highest average weekly wage at $845. Okanogan County reported the lowest weekly wage among all counties in the state, averaging $548 in the third quarter of 2014. (See table 2.)

When all 39 counties in Washington were considered, 2 had wages below $600. Fifteen counties had average weekly wages ranging from $600 to $699, 10 had wages from $700 to $799, 8 had wages from $800 to $899, and 4 had wages at or above $900. (See chart 1.)

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. The 2013 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2014, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2014 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2013 are now available online at https://www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2013/home.htm. The 2014 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2015.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2014 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.


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 9.4 million employer reports cover 137.8 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 10 largest counties in Washington, third quarter 2014
Area Employment Average Weekly Wage (1)
September 2014 (thousands) Percent change, September 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, third quarter 2013-14 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

137,724.1 2.0 -- $949 -- 2.9 --

Washington

3,112.8 3.2 -- 1,087 6 3.9 4

Benton, Wash.

82.7 3.4 57 930 118 1.5 282

Clark, Wash.

143.0 5.0 12 890 160 2.8 129

King, Wash.

1,252.8 3.4 57 1,452 8 5.1 16

Kitsap, Wash.

83.1 3.0 77 904 139 3.3 81

Pierce, Wash.

282.3 2.8 86 870 172 3.0 117

Snohomish, Wash.

269.9 2.2 128 1,019 72 0.5 317

Spokane, Wash.

208.5 2.1 137 823 226 3.1 103

Thurston, Wash.

104.3 3.7 48 877 168 1.6 274

Whatcom, Wash.

83.5 1.1 212 782 268 2.2 206

Yakima, Wash.

119.2 3.1 73 658 331 3.1 103

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 Washington, third quarter 2014
Area Employment September 2014 Average Weekly Wage (1)

United States (2)

137,724,117 $949

Washington

3,112,844 1,087

Adams

8,490 672

Asotin

5,919 636

Benton

82,655 930

Chelan

45,723 673

Clallam

22,546 675

Clark

142,950 890

Columbia

1,294 713

Cowlitz

38,253 845

Douglas

12,738 585

Ferry

1,754 752

Franklin

34,525 680

Garfield

768 815

Grant

43,193 669

Grays Harbor

21,999 726

Island

15,423 682

Jefferson

8,123 680

King

1,252,756 1,452

Kitsap

83,134 904

Kittitas

14,195 703

Klickitat

7,620 815

Lewis

23,656 731

Lincoln

2,968 665

Mason

13,900 704

Okanogan

21,390 548

Pacific

6,444 643

Pend Oreille

2,988 796

Pierce

282,262 870

San Juan

5,911 631

Skagit

49,710 789

Skamania

2,146 633

Snohomish

269,877 1,019

Spokane

208,456 823

Stevens

9,978 699

Thurston

104,346 877

Wahkiakum

723 649

Walla Walla

27,638 736

Whatcom

83,544 782

Whitman

17,793 831

Yakima

119,226 658

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

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, third quarter 2014
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2014 (thousands) Percent change, September 2013-14 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, third quarter 2013-14 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

137,724.1 2.0 $949 -- 2.9 --

Alabama

1,871.2 1.3 815 34 2.5 30

Alaska

344.7 -0.1 1,019 9 3.0 19

Arizona

2,539.6 1.8 876 24 2.0 40

Arkansas

1,170.9 1.3 737 47 1.8 44

California

16,013.4 3.1 1,095 5 3.7 7

Colorado

2,443.0 3.7 982 12 3.0 19

Connecticut

1,663.2 0.8 1,124 4 1.4 49

Delaware

426.1 1.9 961 16 2.2 37

District of Columbia

732.9 0.8 1,631 1 4.5 2

Florida

7,748.4 3.3 826 32 2.1 38

Georgia

4,059.0 3.4 891 21 2.8 23

Hawaii

625.1 0.9 870 25 3.9 4

Idaho

658.4 2.1 721 50 2.6 26

Illinois

5,807.4 1.2 982 12 2.5 30

Indiana

2,924.7 1.4 799 39 1.9 42

Iowa

1,528.8 1.1 800 38 3.6 10

Kansas

1,363.1 1.2 794 40 2.3 35

Kentucky

1,827.8 1.8 781 42 2.5 30

Louisiana

1,928.3 1.7 852 27 3.1 16

Maine

604.5 0.3 754 46 2.6 26

Maryland

2,574.5 1.1 1,042 8 3.1 16

Massachusetts

3,386.7 1.8 1,164 2 3.0 19

Michigan

4,141.0 1.7 896 19 2.4 33

Minnesota

2,757.9 1.1 965 15 2.9 22

Mississippi

1,105.0 0.5 697 51 1.3 50

Missouri

2,686.4 1.0 828 31 2.7 25

Montana

449.5 0.7 732 49 3.7 7

Nebraska

950.0 1.1 779 43 1.8 44

Nevada

1,215.8 4.0 840 28 0.5 51

New Hampshire

633.5 1.4 927 18 3.6 10

New Jersey

3,880.4 0.8 1,087 6 1.7 47

New Mexico

804.0 1.1 786 41 2.6 26

New York

8,902.1 2.0 1,145 3 3.2 15

North Carolina

4,085.5 1.9 839 29 2.8 23

North Dakota

455.9 4.3 977 14 6.1 1

Ohio

5,219.1 1.4 863 26 3.1 16

Oklahoma

1,592.3 1.0 826 32 3.6 10

Oregon

1,752.8 2.4 887 22 3.6 10

Pennsylvania

5,676.2 1.0 937 17 2.6 26

Rhode Island

471.8 1.4 895 20 1.8 44

South Carolina

1,902.7 2.4 768 45 2.4 33

South Dakota

415.8 1.7 733 48 3.7 7

Tennessee

2,775.5 2.4 837 30 2.1 38

Texas

11,433.6 3.1 988 11 3.8 6

Utah

1,304.7 3.1 803 37 1.5 48

Vermont

306.5 1.2 805 36 2.3 35

Virginia

3,667.9 0.6 989 10 2.0 40

Washington

3,112.8 3.2 1,087 6 3.9 4

West Virginia

709.3 -0.2 778 44 3.5 14

Wisconsin

2,783.1 1.1 808 35 1.9 42

Wyoming

291.3 1.7 877 23 4.4 3

Puerto Rico

896.7 -1.5 505 (3) 0.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

37.5 -1.0 720 (3) 2.0 (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.
 

 Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in Washington, third quarter 2014

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, May 28, 2015