October 24, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employment growth fastest in Loudoun County, Virginia

At 12 percent, Loudoun County, Virginia had the largest percent increase in employment among the Nation's largest counties from 1999 to 2000.

[Chart data—TXT]

The second fastest-growing county was Williamson, Texas (9.5 percent), followed by the counties of Placer, California (8.8 percent), Boulder, Colorado (8.2 percent) and Collier, Florida (7.0 percent). All five of these counties are located in the southern and western states.

Employment declined in 23 counties from 1999 to 2000. The largest percentage declines in employment were in Gaston County, North Carolina (-3.5 percent), followed by the counties of Cumberland, Pennsylvania (-1.3 percent), Hinds, Mississippi (-1.3 percent), Genessee, Michigan (-1.1 percent) and Trumbull, Ohio (-1.1 percent).

The BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program produced these data. Pay data presented here are for all workers covered by State and Federal unemployment insurance programs. Find more information on employment in large counties in 2000 in "Employment and Average Annual Pay for Large Counties, 2000," news release USDL 01-352. The largest counties are defined as those with covered employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2000.