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News Release Information

19-1838-SAN
Friday, October 18, 2019

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

County Employment and Wages in Idaho – First Quarter 2019

Idaho’s only large county, Ada, had an employment increase of 2.9 percent from March 2018 to March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the rate of employment growth in Ada County was faster-paced than the national increase of 1.4 percent. (See table 1.)

Employment increased in 298 of the 355 largest U.S. counties from March 2018 to March 2019. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage increase, up 5.8 percent over the year. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 5.9 percent.

Employment in Ada County was 248,700 in March 2019, accounting for one-third of the total employment in Idaho. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.5 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 43 counties in Idaho with employment below 75,000. Average weekly wages were below the national average in 42 of the 43 smaller counties in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

From the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019, the average weekly wage in Ada County increased 2.5 percent, ranking it 176th among the 355 largest U.S. counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 2.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 325 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Francisco, CA, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 10.2 percent from the first quarter of 2018.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 28 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a decline of 7.6 percent

Large county average weekly wages

Ada County’s $967 average weekly wage ranked in the bottom half of the 355 largest U.S. counties. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019.

Nationally, 92 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019. New York, NY, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $3,153, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,759), and Santa Clara, CA ($2,758).

Among the largest U.S. counties, 263 reported average weekly wages below the national average. The lowest weekly wages were Cameron, TX ($648), followed by Horry, SC ($652) and Hidalgo, TX ($662).

Average weekly wages in Idaho’s smaller counties

Among the 43 counties in Idaho with employment below 75,000, only Butte County ($1,792) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,184. Boise County reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state, averaging $481 in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)

When all 44 counties in Idaho were considered, 5 reported average weekly wages under $600, 17 reported wages from $600 to $699, 15 had wages from $700 to $799, 3 had wages from $800 to $899, and 4 had wages at $900 or above. (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 2018 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2018 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 20, 2019.


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.

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 largest county in Idaho, first quarter 2019
Area Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2019 (thousands) Percent change, March 2018-19 (2) National ranking by percent change (3) Average weekly wage National ranking by level (3) Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 (2) National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

146,497.6 1.4 -- $1,184 -- 2.8 --

Idaho

732.3 2.7 -- 828 50 2.3 34

Ada, Idaho

248.7 2.9 30 967 216 2.5 176

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 Idaho, first quarter 2019
Area Employment March 2019 Average Weekly Wage(1)

United States(2)

146,497,599 $1,184

Idaho

732,325 828

Ada

248,654 967

Adams

889 737

Bannock

33,812 701

Bear Lake

1,631 566

Benewah

3,338 779

Bingham

15,068 686

Blaine

12,689 804

Boise

1,789 481

Bonner

13,979 691

Bonneville

52,311 767

Boundary

3,434 753

Butte

8,039 1,792

Camas

377 952

Canyon

69,607 703

Caribou

3,524 1,039

Cassia

11,169 703

Clark

323 879

Clearwater

2,489 699

Custer

1,250 635

Elmore

6,928 647

Franklin

3,548 585

Fremont

2,726 684

Gem

3,717 645

Gooding

5,660 748

Idaho

4,153 685

Jefferson

6,816 622

Jerome

10,353 731

Kootenai

60,864 762

Latah

13,684 695

Lemhi

2,320 716

Lewis

1,636 602

Lincoln

1,623 716

Madison

15,512 583

Minidoka

8,006 713

Nez Perce

20,682 815

Oneida

1,164 530

Owyhee

3,060 651

Payette

6,323 708

Power

3,223 774

Shoshone

4,539 673

Teton

3,116 695

Twin Falls

39,252 685

Valley

4,641 696

Washington

2,623 624

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, first quarter 2019
State Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2019 (thousands) Percent change, March 2018-19 Average weekly wage National ranking by level Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

146,497.6 1.4 $1,184 -- 2.8 --

Alabama

1,978.0 1.6 944 38 2.5 32

Alaska

312.4 0.3 1,108 18 3.3 9

Arizona

2,895.1 2.5 1,056 22 3.0 21

Arkansas

1,218.5 0.7 896 45 2.2 38

California

17,436.4 1.8 1,401 5 3.8 4

Colorado

2,690.3 1.9 1,231 9 4.8 2

Connecticut

1,650.6 0.0 1,487 4 2.3 34

Delaware

444.1 1.3 1,199 13 -0.1 51

District of Columbia

773.5 0.5 1,921 1 0.2 49

Florida

8,894.3 2.1 1,015 26 2.7 25

Georgia

4,488.6 2.1 1,121 17 2.6 28

Hawaii

658.1 -0.4 1,006 27 3.4 8

Idaho

732.3 2.7 828 50 2.3 34

Illinois

5,912.0 0.1 1,275 8 2.7 25

Indiana

3,059.1 1.2 963 33 0.9 48

Iowa

1,527.1 0.1 942 39 2.3 34

Kansas

1,379.3 0.6 940 40 3.2 12

Kentucky

1,882.6 0.6 920 41 2.2 38

Louisiana

1,916.8 -0.1 954 34 2.5 32

Maine

599.8 1.2 919 42 3.1 16

Maryland

2,670.3 0.9 1,228 10 1.7 45

Massachusetts

3,558.1 1.1 1,561 3 3.5 7

Michigan

4,307.4 0.6 1,078 20 0.1 50

Minnesota

2,840.8 0.5 1,203 12 2.3 34

Mississippi

1,129.8 0.4 779 51 1.8 43

Missouri

2,788.4 0.5 986 31 2.6 28

Montana

458.8 0.9 844 49 3.1 16

Nebraska

965.6 0.1 917 43 2.2 38

Nevada

1,392.2 3.0 992 29 1.5 47

New Hampshire

656.2 1.2 1,156 15 3.1 16

New Jersey

4,040.2 1.3 1,399 6 1.7 45

New Mexico

825.4 1.3 890 47 3.2 12

New York

9,453.5 1.5 1,639 2 2.6 28

North Carolina

4,458.5 2.0 1,054 23 3.2 12

North Dakota

414.3 1.5 1,021 25 3.3 9

Ohio

5,363.2 0.7 1,035 24 3.0 21

Oklahoma

1,617.0 1.1 953 35 4.3 3

Oregon

1,921.9 1.3 1,060 21 3.3 9

Pennsylvania

5,850.3 1.1 1,146 16 2.8 24

Rhode Island

474.7 0.8 1,104 19 1.8 43

South Carolina

2,110.0 2.0 901 44 3.0 21

South Dakota

419.0 0.4 865 48 2.7 25

Tennessee

3,004.2 2.0 996 28 1.9 42

Texas

12,455.6 2.2 1,204 11 3.1 16

Utah

1,501.4 3.0 978 32 3.1 16

Vermont

309.1 0.4 950 36 3.7 5

Virginia

3,896.9 1.2 1,186 14 2.1 41

Washington

3,371.1 1.8 1,368 7 4.9 1

West Virginia

687.1 0.3 896 45 3.2 12

Wisconsin

2,838.9 0.1 992 29 2.6 28

Wyoming

269.0 1.9 948 37 3.7 5

Puerto Rico

875.8 2.2 553 (3) -2.1 (3)

Virgin Islands

36.6 9.6 966 (3) -1.0 (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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, October 18, 2019