Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

21-1666-SAN
Wednesday, September 15, 2021

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

County Employment and Wages in Hawaii – First Quarter 2021

Employment fell in Hawaii’s only large county, Honolulu, from March 2020 to March 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that Honolulu County had an over-the-year employment decline of 13.4 percent. (See table 1.)

National employment decreased 4.5 percent over the year, with 324 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting declines. Calcasieu, LA, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 14.9 percent. Utah, UT, experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment with a gain of 6.1 percent.

Employment in Honolulu County was 405,600 in March 2021, accounting for 71.9 percent of total employment in Hawaii. Within Honolulu County’s private industry, healthcare and social assistance accounted for the largest employment. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.3 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the three counties in Hawaii with employment below 75,000. All three smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in the first quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021, the average weekly wage in Honolulu County increased 6.0 percent, above the national rate of 5.6 percent.

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 312 had over-the-year wage increases. Nationally, across most industries, increases in average weekly wages reflect substantial employment declines combined with wage increases. The lowest paying industry, leisure and hospitality, had the largest employment loss, which resulted in higher average weekly wages for the industry and the nation. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+33.9 percent). Clayton, GA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-14.2 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

The average weekly wage in Honolulu County ($1,147, 144th) placed in the top half of the 343 largest U.S. counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $1,289 in the first quarter of 2021.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 84 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2021. New York, NY had the highest average weekly wage at $3,967. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 259 counties. At $685 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

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 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2021.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.


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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the largest county in Hawaii, first quarter 2021
AreaEstablishments,
first quarter 2021
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
March 2021
(thousands)
Percent change,
March 2020–21 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
First quarter
2021
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
first quarter 2020–21 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

10,755.4140,455.8-4.5--$1,289--5.6--

Hawaii

48.0564.4-14.1--1,091265.79

Honolulu

28.3405.6-13.43311,1471446.086

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 employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Hawaii, first quarter 2021(1)
AreaEmployment March 2021Average Weekly Wage(2)

United States(1)

140,455,819$1,289

Hawaii

564,4301,091

Hawaii

64,210926

Honolulu

405,5991,147

Kauai

25,781960

Maui + Kalawao

65,932926

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(2) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.

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, first quarter 2021
StateEstablishments,
first quarter 2021
(thousands)
EmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
March 2021
(thousands)
Percent change,
March 2020–21
First quarter
2021
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
first quarter 2020–21
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

10,755.4140,455.8-4.5$1,289--5.6--

Alabama

135.91,924.3-3.0996372.540

Alaska

23.3295.0-5.51,12523-0.648

Arizona

176.52,894.2-2.31,150214.817

Arkansas

95.31,194.2-2.0957433.730

California

1,651.416,507.7-5.91,623411.31

Colorado

224.72,634.7-3.51,335104.125

Connecticut

128.31,550.5-5.41,57554.719

Delaware

35.2425.6-4.11,264131.644

District of Columbia

44.0708.1-9.02,16618.74

Florida

780.88,701.9-3.11,104245.113

Georgia

329.24,393.8-2.61,198173.633

Hawaii

48.0564.4-14.11,091265.79

Idaho

74.2768.61.9906504.915

Illinois

390.05,559.6-5.51,38786.77

Indiana

176.22,956.4-2.51,026343.337

Iowa

105.11,473.6-3.31,004352.639

Kansas

90.41,335.4-3.3986391.943

Kentucky

130.71,835.2-2.5965412.342

Louisiana

141.51,787.6-5.9977401.046

Maine

56.2585.0-2.81,000364.719

Maryland

174.32,522.1-5.01,38698.55

Massachusetts

271.23,334.9-6.61,73237.86

Michigan

267.54,026.6-5.91,155204.817

Minnesota

189.72,695.4-5.11,290114.622

Mississippi

75.31,098.4-2.5811511.145

Missouri

221.82,705.5-3.01,055303.730

Montana

53.2465.20.1915485.410

Nebraska

73.4944.7-2.8990383.633

Nevada

92.81,291.5-8.41,080274.719

New Hampshire

56.8631.8-3.91,258155.410

New Jersey

297.03,818.6-5.51,53375.312

New Mexico

65.2774.5-7.4958423.828

New York

664.68,587.8-8.71,869210.42

North Carolina

302.74,423.2-1.71,137224.125

North Dakota

32.3388.7-6.11,03732-0.951

Ohio

310.15,136.8-3.91,098253.337

Oklahoma

114.41,549.7-3.793946-0.850

Oregon

169.41,841.9-5.21,172186.48

Pennsylvania

369.75,531.3-5.41,226164.323

Rhode Island

41.2447.8-5.61,171193.435

South Carolina

150.12,056.2-2.6957433.828

South Dakota

35.6417.1-0.9932473.435

Tennessee

180.22,968.7-2.11,077285.014

Texas

750.112,216.7-3.41,261142.441

Utah

117.31,548.81.51,065293.730

Vermont

27.0283.7-6.91,028334.915

Virginia

291.33,765.8-3.91,285124.224

Washington

261.23,252.0-5.11,54069.13

West Virginia

52.3648.6-3.8911490.847

Wisconsin

183.12,730.0-3.71,047313.927

Wyoming

27.8255.9-4.695345-0.648

Puerto Rico

47.1856.5-3.1562(3)2.0(3)

Virgin Islands

3.634.7-14.0961(3)-8.0(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. Aveage weekly wages by county in Hawaii, first quarter 2021

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2021