Employment increased 2.4 percent in Alaska’s only large county, Anchorage Municipality, from June 2021 to June 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are counties or designated county-equivalent entities with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that in June 2022, Anchorage Municipality’s employment totaled 144,300 and accounted for 43.8 percent of total employment within the state. (See 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.

Alaska additionally consists of 17 smaller boroughs, 11 census areas, and 1 municipality, each of which is considered a county-level equivalent. Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are available for these 29 county equivalents in Alaska with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in 24 of the 29 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,294 in the second quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022, the average weekly wage in Anchorage Municipality rose 5.0 percent, compared to a 4.3-percent increase nationwide.

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

Anchorage Municipality’s $1,306 average weekly wage ranked 84^th nationwide 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 Alaska’s smaller counties

Five of the 29 counties in Alaska with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages higher than the national average of $1,294: North Slope Borough ($2,124), Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ($1,579), Northwest Arctic Borough ($1,550), Aleutians West Census Area ($1,541), and Nome Census Area ($1,315). The Kusilvak Census Area reported the lowest weekly wage among the smaller counties, averaging $815, followed by the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area ($824) and the Lake and Peninsula Borough ($830). (See table 2.)

When all 30 counties in Alaska were considered, 6 had average weekly wages below $900, 5 had wages ranging from $900 to $999, 6 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, 5 had wages from $1,100 to $1,199, and 8 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 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 largest borough in Alaska, 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	--
Alaska	24.4	329.5	4.4	--	1,237	17	4.7	36
Anchorage	8.5	144.3	2.4	220	1,306	84	5.0	151
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 county-equivalent entities in Alaska, second quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment June 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,460,819	149,901,995	$1,294
Alaska	24,410	329,540	1,237
Aleutians East Borough	102	2,800	1,049
Aleutians West Census Area	167	3,327	1,541
Anchorage Municipality	8,522	144,286	1,306
Bethel Census Area	339	7,053	940
Bristol Bay Borough	135	1,809	1,053
Chugach Census Area	422	4,441	1,225
Copper River Census Area	158	1,296	943
Denali Borough	150	3,237	945
Dillingham Census Area	161	2,238	1,116
Fairbanks North Star Borough	2,364	35,682	1,184
Haines Borough	156	1,102	864
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area	141	1,245	824
Juneau City and Borough	1,142	17,730	1,212
Kenai Peninsula Borough	2,304	22,958	1,106
Ketchikan Gateway Borough	609	7,658	1,067
Kodiak Island Borough	465	5,770	1,064
Kusilvak Census Area	135	1,901	815
Lake and Peninsula Borough	119	1,010	830
Mantanuska-Susitna Borough	2,607	28,846	1,004
Nome Census Area	299	4,013	1,315
North Slope Borough	233	9,915	2,124
Northwest Arctic Borough	161	2,713	1,550
Petersburg Borough	165	1,299	978
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area	255	2,263	918
Sitka City and Borough	381	4,440	1,119
Skagway Municipality	126	1,229	885
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	251	2,900	1,579
Wrangell City and Borough	98	698	1,038
Yakutat City and Borough	48	401	1,134
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	256	2,319	873
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.