COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: THIRD QUARTER 2008
Both large counties in New Hampshire reported declines in their employment levels from September 2007 to September 2008. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2007 annual average employment.) Rockingham County had the largest drop, down 1.8 percent, followed by Hillsborough, down 0.6 percent. Regional Commissioner Denis M. McSweeney noted that the rate of employment decline in Rockingham County was faster than that of the United States, while Hillsborough County's rate was slower than the national average.
Nationally, employment declined 0.8 percent during this 12-month period, as only 109 of the 334 large counties nationwide added jobs. The largest over-the-year percentage decline in employment in the nation was recorded in Elkhart, Ind. (-10.8 percent); Yakima County, Wash., experienced the fastest growth (3.2 percent).
Employment in Hillsborough County (196,500) and Rockingham County (138,600) accounted for 52.8 percent of the State's total employment in September 2008. Nationwide, the 334 largest counties made up 71.2 percent of total U.S. employment.
The average weekly wage in Hillsborough County rose 2.7 percent from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008 to $924. Rockingham County's wage grew by 1.7 percent over the year to $796. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 2.8 percent over the year to $841 in the third quarter of 2008.
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the eight counties in New Hampshire with employment below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average. (See table 2.)
Large County Wage Changes
Neither of New Hampshire's large counties recorded wage growth that outpaced the national increase of 2.8 percent. (See table 1.) Hillsborough's 2.7 percent wage gain placed 161st and Rockingham's 1.7-percent wage growth ranked 244th among the nation's 334 largest counties.
Nationwide, Rutherford, Tenn., ranked first in average weekly wage growth, with an increase of 17.3 percent from the third quarter 2007. Yolo, Calif., was second with growth of 9.7 percent, followed by the counties of Madison, Ill. (9.2 percent), Suffolk, N.Y. (8.6 percent), and Calcasieu, La. (7.8 percent).
Twenty-one large counties experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages. Clayton, Ga., had the largest decrease (-14.6 percent), followed by the counties of Santa Clara, Calif. and Duval, Fla. (-3.4 percent each), Gwinnett, Ga. (-3.1 percent), and Rock Island, Ill. (-2.6 percent).
Large County Average Weekly Wages
The average weekly wage in Hillsborough County ($924) ranked in the top quartile at 62nd among the largest U.S. counties. In Rockingham County, even though its $796 wage was below the national average, it ranked in the top half at 151st.
Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 108 of the largest 334 U.S. counties. New York, N.Y., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,552. Santa Clara, Calif., was second at $1,530, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,391), San Mateo, Calif. ($1,374), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,350).
Among the 226 counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2008 the lowest average weekly wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($537), followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($538), Hidalgo, Texas ($549), Webb, Texas ($559), and Yakima, Wash. ($580). Wages in the lowest-ranked county, Horry, S.C., were less than 65 percent of average weekly wages across the U.S.
Average Weekly Wages in New Hampshire's Smaller Counties
All of the counties in New Hampshire with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $841. Grafton County had the highest wage, $836. Carroll County posted the lowest, $546. (See table 2.)
When all 10 counties in New Hampshire were considered, all but 1 had wages below the national average of $841. Two reported average weekly wages under $599, two reported wages from $600 to $699, four had wages from $700 to $799, and two had wages greater than $800. (See chart 1.) The county with the highest wage encompassed the principal cities of Manchester and Nashua. The lower-paid counties, those with wages under $599, were located in the northern part of the State.
Additional Statistics and other Information
QCEW data for states has been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit the QCEW Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/.
An annual bulletin, Employment and Wages, features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2007 edition of this bulletin contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2008 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from the 2007 Employment and Wages Annual Bulletin are now available online at www. bls.gov/cew/cewbultn07.htm. These tables present final 2007 annual averages. The tables will also be included on the CD which accompanies the hardcopy version of the Annual Bulletin. Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2007 is expected to be available for sale by the end of the second quarter of 2009 from the United States Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250, telephone (866) 512-1800, outside Washington, D.C. Within Washington, D.C., the telephone number is (202) 512-1800. The fax number is (202) 512-2104.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 617-565-2072; Federal Relay Services: 1-800-877-8339.
For personal assistance or further information on the Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages Program, as well as other Bureau
programs, contact the Boston Information Office at (617) 565-2327
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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 9.1 million employer reports cover 136.6 million full- and part-time workers. 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.
Table 1. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and the 2 largest counties in New Hampshire, third quarter 2008(2)
Area |
Employment |
Average Weekly Wage(3) |
September 2008 (thousands) |
Percent change, September 2007-08(4) |
National ranking by percent change(5) |
Average weekly wage |
National ranking by level(5) |
Percent change, third quarter 2007-08(4) |
National ranking by percent change(5) |
United States(6) |
135,173.8 |
-0.8 |
-- |
$841 |
-- |
2.8 |
-- |
New Hampshire |
634.6 |
-0.5 |
-- |
822 |
16 |
2.8 |
29 |
Hillsborough |
196.5 |
-0.6 |
162 |
924 |
62 |
2.7 |
161 |
Rockingham |
138.6 |
-1.8 |
250 |
796 |
151 |
1.7 |
244 |
Table 2. Covered(1) employment and wages in the United States and all of the counties in New Hampshire, third quarter 2008(2)
Area |
Employment September 2008 |
Average Weekly Wage(3) |
United States(4) |
135,173,800 |
$841 |
New Hampshire |
634,582 |
822 |
Belknap |
27,389 |
651 |
Carroll |
21,415 |
546 |
Cheshire |
33,966 |
716 |
Coos |
13,710 |
581 |
Grafton |
53,189 |
836 |
Hillsborough |
196,454 |
924 |
Merrimack |
74,695 |
770 |
Rockingham |
138,626 |
796 |
Strafford |
46,686 |
770 |
Sullivan |
14,081 |
636 |
Table 3. Covered(1) employment and wages by state, third quarter 2008(2)
State |
Employment |
Average weekly wage(3) |
September 2008 (thousands) |
Percent change, September 2007-08 |
Average weekly wage |
National ranking by level |
Percent change, third quarter 2007-08 |
National ranking by percent change |
United States(4) |
135,173.8 |
-0.8 |
$841 |
- |
2.8 |
- |
Alabama |
1,936.4 |
-1.2 |
730 |
32 |
3.3 |
17 |
Alaska |
332.1 |
1.4 |
872 |
13 |
3.7 |
13 |
Arizona |
2,570.1 |
-3.0 |
798 |
20 |
2.0 |
45 |
Arkansas |
1,185.0 |
-0.1 |
649 |
47 |
3.0 |
22 |
California |
15,527.1 |
-1.4 |
959 |
6 |
2.9 |
24 |
Colorado |
2,322.7 |
0.4 |
877 |
11 |
3.8 |
12 |
Connecticut |
1,692.5 |
-0.3 |
1,032 |
2 |
1.0 |
50 |
Delaware |
420.6 |
-1.1 |
879 |
10 |
2.1 |
42 |
District of Columbia |
688.2 |
1.4 |
1,391 |
1 |
1.0 |
50 |
Florida |
7,546.4 |
-4.1 |
756 |
27 |
2.2 |
40 |
Georgia |
4,018.6 |
-1.6 |
794 |
21 |
1.5 |
47 |
Hawaii |
613.0 |
-2.1 |
774 |
24 |
1.8 |
46 |
Idaho |
665.7 |
-1.4 |
643 |
48 |
1.3 |
49 |
Illinois |
5,872.8 |
-0.7 |
891 |
9 |
2.9 |
24 |
Indiana |
2,897.6 |
-1.4 |
718 |
35 |
2.3 |
37 |
Iowa |
1,499.0 |
0.2 |
696 |
40 |
4.2 |
8 |
Kansas |
1,368.9 |
0.0 |
711 |
38 |
4.6 |
6 |
Kentucky |
1,795.3 |
-1.0 |
692 |
42 |
2.4 |
36 |
Louisiana |
1,877.4 |
-0.2 |
756 |
27 |
5.6 |
4 |
Maine |
610.8 |
-0.6 |
683 |
43 |
3.5 |
14 |
Maryland |
2,543.4 |
-0.8 |
920 |
7 |
3.1 |
19 |
Massachusetts |
3,265.7 |
0.0 |
1,025 |
4 |
2.3 |
37 |
Michigan |
4,093.9 |
-3.0 |
820 |
18 |
1.5 |
47 |
Minnesota |
2,699.6 |
-0.5 |
862 |
14 |
4.7 |
5 |
Mississippi |
1,128.3 |
-1.3 |
631 |
49 |
4.0 |
11 |
Missouri |
2,736.1 |
-0.4 |
739 |
31 |
2.8 |
29 |
Montana |
446.4 |
0.1 |
628 |
50 |
3.1 |
19 |
Nebraska |
925.7 |
0.2 |
694 |
41 |
4.2 |
8 |
Nevada |
1,253.0 |
-2.7 |
809 |
19 |
2.1 |
42 |
New Hampshire |
634.6 |
-0.5 |
822 |
16 |
2.8 |
29 |
New Jersey |
3,952.9 |
-0.7 |
990 |
5 |
2.5 |
33 |
New Mexico |
835.2 |
0.7 |
712 |
37 |
3.5 |
14 |
New York |
8,633.8 |
0.5 |
1,030 |
3 |
2.2 |
40 |
North Carolina |
4,064.2 |
-1.0 |
741 |
30 |
3.1 |
19 |
North Dakota |
357.0 |
2.8 |
665 |
45 |
6.9 |
1 |
Ohio |
5,251.1 |
-1.5 |
766 |
25 |
2.8 |
29 |
Oklahoma |
1,562.8 |
1.2 |
698 |
39 |
4.5 |
7 |
Oregon |
1,734.1 |
-1.0 |
766 |
25 |
2.1 |
42 |
Pennsylvania |
5,679.0 |
0.0 |
822 |
16 |
2.5 |
33 |
Rhode Island |
476.0 |
-2.0 |
778 |
23 |
2.5 |
33 |
South Carolina |
1,874.6 |
-1.5 |
683 |
43 |
2.9 |
24 |
South Dakota |
401.3 |
1.0 |
623 |
51 |
4.2 |
8 |
Tennessee |
2,730.4 |
-1.5 |
745 |
29 |
2.8 |
29 |
Texas |
10,438.3 |
1.4 |
850 |
15 |
2.9 |
24 |
Utah |
1,229.3 |
-0.1 |
717 |
36 |
2.9 |
24 |
Vermont |
304.2 |
-0.5 |
722 |
34 |
3.3 |
17 |
Virginia |
3,676.1 |
-0.3 |
877 |
11 |
2.3 |
37 |
Washington |
3,007.5 |
1.0 |
903 |
8 |
3.0 |
22 |
West Virginia |
716.4 |
0.6 |
661 |
46 |
5.9 |
3 |
Wisconsin |
2,788.7 |
-0.6 |
730 |
32 |
3.4 |
16 |
Wyoming |
294.0 |
3.3 |
781 |
22 |
6.4 |
2 |
Puerto Rico |
992.8 |
-1.6 |
477 |
(5) |
5.5 |
(5) |
Virgin Islands |
44.9 |
-0.9 |
709 |
(5) |
4.3 |
(5) |
Chart 1. Average weekly wages, counties in New Hampshire, third quarter 2008
|
![Chart 1: Average weekly wages, counties in New Hampshire](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090508042951im_/http://stats.bls.gov/ro1/mapnh.gif) |
Last Modified Date: April 28, 2009
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