Employment increased 4.8 percent in Alaska’s only large county, Anchorage Municipality, from June 2020 to June 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 in June 2021, Anchorage Borough’s employment totaled 140,800 and accounted for 44.6 percent of total employment within the state. (See table 1.)

National employment increased 6.7 percent over the year, with 339 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting increases. Calcasieu, LA, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment with a loss of 0.9 percent. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 36.8 percent. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.2 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 boroughs in Alaska with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 23 of the 29 smaller counties were below the national average of in the second quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021, the average weekly wage in Anchorage Municipality fell 1.5 percent, compared to a 4.5-percent increase nationwide.

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 302 had over-the-year wage increases. San Francisco, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+29.7 percent). Thirty-six large counties had wage declines during the period. Atlantic, NJ, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-7.4 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Anchorage Municipality’s $1,244 average weekly wage ranked 88^th nationwide in the second quarter of 2021. Among the largest U.S. counties, 90 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,241. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,516. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 253 counties. At $728 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Alaska’s smaller counties

Alaska additionally consists of 17 smaller boroughs, 11 census areas, and 1 municipality, each of which is considered a county level equivalent. Twenty-three of the 29 counties in Alaska with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,241. The exceptions were North Slope Borough ($1,988), Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ($1,503), Aleutians West Census Area ($1,397), Northwest Arctic Borough ($1,361), Nome Census Area ($1,284), and Chugach Census Area ($1,253). The Hoonah-Angoon Census Area reported the lowest weekly wage among the smaller counties, averaging $791. (See table 2.)

When all 30 counties in Alaska were considered, 7 had average weekly wages below $900, 8 had wages ranging from $900 to $999, 5 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, 3 had wages from $1,100 to $1,199, and 7 had wages of $1,200 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 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

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 establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the largest county in Alaska, second quarter 2021

Area	Establishments, second quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		June 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Second quarter 2021	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	10,863.2	144,044.8	6.7	--	$1,241	--	4.5	--
Alaska	23.7	315.5	6.7	--	1,181	17	-1.2	51
Anchorage	8.5	140.8	4.8	226	1,244	88	-1.5	327
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 Alaska, second quarter 2021

Area	Establishments	Employment June 2021	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	10,863,217	144,044,799	$1,241
Alaska	23,676	315,497	1,181
Aleutians East Borough	105	2,812	996
Aleutians West Census Area	164	2,809	1,397
Anchorage Municipality	8,470	140,782	1,244
Bethel Census Area	345	6,542	929
Chugach Census Area	423	4,218	1,253
Copper River Census Area	152	1,145	963
Bristol Bay Borough	133	2,115	901
Denali Borough	147	2,153	1,106
Dillingham Census Area	160	2,287	1,027
Fairbanks North Star Borough	2,353	35,387	1,129
Haines Borough	157	933	809
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area	140	943	791
Juneau City and Borough	1,155	16,175	1,171
Kenai Peninsula Borough	2,263	21,702	1,052
Ketchikan Gateway Borough	609	6,486	1,074
Kodiak Island Borough	480	5,758	988
Kusilvak Census Area	137	1,841	815
Lake and Peninsula Borough	122	908	810
Mantanuska-Susitna Borough	2,531	27,114	961
Nome Census Area	304	3,774	1,284
North Slope Borough	240	9,710	1,998
Northwest Arctic Borough	160	2,736	1,361
Petersburg Borough	162	1,541	942
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area	261	2,318	897
Sitka City and Borough	378	4,147	1,035
Skagway Municipality	119	539	900
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	250	2,799	1,503
Wrangell City and Borough	96	731	886
Yakutat City and Borough	48	419	1,071
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	265	2,328	868
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 2021

State	Establishments, second quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		June 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2020–21	Second quarter 2021	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, second quarter 2020–21	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (2)	10,863.2	144,044.8	6.7	$1,241	--	4.5	--
Alabama	137.8	1,952.0	4.4	1,010	35	4.8	15
Alaska	23.7	315.5	6.7	1,181	17	-1.2	51
Arizona	180.2	2,857.8	5.3	1,154	20	5.9	6
Arkansas	96.1	1,205.3	4.4	974	45	5.2	12
California	1,662.9	16,992.1	7.0	1,579	3	7.5	5
Colorado	228.9	2,723.9	7.1	1,283	10	4.4	19
Connecticut	130.1	1,604.1	7.9	1,411	6	0.6	47
Delaware	35.1	440.1	5.1	1,165	19	1.7	41
District of Columbia	44.0	724.6	3.3	2,096	1	5.4	8
Florida	782.5	8,654.0	6.7	1,113	24	7.7	3
Georgia	337.0	4,453.5	6.5	1,139	22	5.9	6
Hawaii	48.7	590.5	12.7	1,117	23	0.7	46
Idaho	76.4	801.8	7.3	930	50	5.3	10
Illinois	394.6	5,743.5	6.5	1,260	11	3.5	25
Indiana	178.2	3,011.8	5.2	1,013	34	5.4	8
Iowa	106.1	1,528.0	4.8	999	38	2.1	38
Kansas	90.5	1,356.0	4.0	995	41	2.7	30
Kentucky	132.4	1,851.2	5.6	999	38	2.9	28
Louisiana	142.7	1,806.6	5.4	1,005	36	2.0	39
Maine	57.0	623.0	8.7	1,005	36	2.4	33
Maryland	175.6	2,599.7	6.8	1,319	9	1.0	44
Massachusetts	277.4	3,497.0	10.1	1,591	2	1.1	43
Michigan	270.2	4,175.6	8.4	1,143	21	2.5	32
Minnesota	192.8	2,814.5	6.4	1,240	13	3.3	26
Mississippi	75.7	1,107.1	4.1	843	51	3.8	22
Missouri	221.6	2,759.3	5.3	1,052	32	3.6	23
Montana	55.1	490.7	7.0	959	47	4.5	18
Nebraska	74.4	976.6	4.8	997	40	3.9	21
Nevada	93.9	1,353.9	14.0	1,106	25	5.3	10
New Hampshire	58.5	657.4	8.7	1,345	8	10.6	1
New Jersey	300.4	3,993.8	12.0	1,387	7	0.8	45
New Mexico	63.0	790.6	4.3	987	42	2.9	28
New York	667.9	8,885.4	9.2	1,540	5	1.3	42
North Carolina	311.1	4,511.3	7.2	1,092	27	5.1	14
North Dakota	32.6	407.4	4.3	1,067	29	0.6	47
Ohio	312.4	5,266.7	4.3	1,068	28	3.6	23
Oklahoma	114.6	1,568.7	3.1	963	46	2.4	33
Oregon	169.2	1,899.6	5.6	1,196	15	4.8	15
Pennsylvania	370.9	5,674.7	6.9	1,193	16	2.0	39
Rhode Island	42.1	472.2	10.0	1,168	18	-0.3	50
South Carolina	150.1	2,091.9	4.9	977	44	5.2	12
South Dakota	36.3	442.3	6.4	936	49	2.6	31
Tennessee	182.3	3,012.4	5.9	1,094	26	7.6	4
Texas	758.0	12,466.7	5.7	1,210	14	4.7	17
Utah	119.9	1,586.0	7.6	1,060	30	4.2	20
Vermont	27.8	292.4	7.5	1,053	31	-0.2	49
Virginia	293.6	3,854.3	6.1	1,257	12	3.2	27
Washington	263.6	3,376.7	5.7	1,547	4	8.3	2
West Virginia	52.7	663.8	4.8	955	48	2.2	37
Wisconsin	186.5	2,845.7	5.7	1,037	33	2.3	35
Wyoming	28.2	275.1	5.6	987	42	2.3	35
Puerto Rico	47.6	867.2	8.6	567	(3)	2.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.5	35.7	0.0	923	(3)	-8.4	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (3) Data not included in the national ranking. (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.