Southwest Information Office

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:                                                                      FOR RELEASE:
Cheryl Abbot, Regional Economist                                                              August 4, 2009    
(972) 850-4800                                                  
http://www.bls.gov/ro6/                 


                      COUNTY EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES IN NEW MEXICO: FOURTH QUARTER 2008

     Employment declined 2.0 percent in New Mexico's only large county, Bernalillo, from December 2007 to 
December 2008.  (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2007 
annual average employment.)  Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that 285 of the 334 largest U.S. 
counties experienced job losses from December 2007 to December 2008.

     Nationally, employment decreased 2.3 percent over the 12 months ending December 2008.  Elkhart County, 
Ind., recorded the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment in the country, down 17.8 percent.  
Lee County, Fla., had the next largest decline (-9.2 percent), followed by the counties of Sarasota, Fla. 
(-8.1 percent), Collier, Fla., (-8.0 percent), and Marion, Fla., Macomb, Mich., and Washoe, Nev. (-7.9 percent 
each).  Employment rose in only 37 large U.S. counties during this period, led by 4 Texas counties:  Montgomery 
(2.7 percent), Jefferson (2.5 percent), Lubbock (2.4 percent) and Fort Bend (2.2 percent).

     Employment in Bernalillo County stood at 329,900 in December 2008, accounting for 40.2 percent of total 
New Mexico employment.  Nationwide, the largest 334 counties made up 71.5 percent of total U.S. employment, 
which stood at 133.9 million in December 2008.  These 334 counties had a net job loss of 2,467,500 over the 
year, accounting for 77.8 percent of the overall U.S. employment decrease.

     The average weekly wage in Bernalillo County rose 3.0 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the 
fourth quarter of 2008.  This increase ranked Bernalillo 122nd for wage growth among the 334 largest U.S. 
counties.  (See table 1.)  Over the year, the national average weekly wage increased 2.2 percent.  St. Louis 
City, Mo., ranked first in the country for wage growth, with an increase of 56.8 percent coming predominantly 
from the professional and business services and manufacturing supersectors.  Clayton County, Ga., was second 
with a wage gain of 9.9 percent.  These two top-ranked areas were followed by Calcasieu and East Baton Rouge, 
La., and Jefferson, Texas, areas still recovering from previous hurricane-related losses.

     Wage growth was below the national average in 137 large counties in the United States, with 43 of these 
experiencing over-the-year declines.  Pulaski, Ark., had the largest decrease in the nation and was the only 
county to experience a double-digit decline (-14.3 percent).  Pulaski was followed by the counties of Lake, 
Ill. (-9.9 percent), Santa Clara, Calif. (-7.8 percent), Douglas, Colo. (-5.9 percent), and San Mateo, Calif. 
(-5.4 percent).

     The average weekly wage in Bernalillo stood at $812 in the fourth quarter of 2008, placing it 209th in the 
national ranking for average wages.  Nationally, the average weekly wage in the fourth quarter of 2008 was 
$918.  More than two-thirds of the largest U.S. counties (228) reported weekly wages below the national 
average.  The lowest was in Hidalgo, Texas ($574), followed by the counties of Horry, S.C. ($581), Cameron, 
Texas ($584), and Webb, Texas ($600).  Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the 
average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, New York.

     Nationally, average weekly wages were higher than average in 106 large counties in the fourth quarter of 
2008.  As mentioned, New York, N.Y., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an 
average weekly wage of $1,856.  Fairfield, Conn., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,596, followed by 
Washington, D.C. ($1,570), Suffolk, Mass. ($1,568), and Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,566).


Average Weekly Wages in New Mexico's Smaller Counties
     Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 32 counties in New 
Mexico with employment levels below 75,000.  Thirty of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below 
the national average of $918.  The two exceptions were Los Alamos County, where wages averaged $1,406 per week, 
more than 50 percent above the U.S. average, and Lea ($948).  Eddy County had the third-highest wage at $911.  
Guadalupe County reported the lowest weekly wage in the State at $461 in the fourth quarter of 2008.  (See 
table 2.)

     When all 33 counties in New Mexico were considered, 6 had wages averaging $549 or less.  Nineteen 
counties, or almost 60 percent, averaged from $550 to $699 per week, 5 reported wages from $700 to $849, and 3 
had wages exceeding $850.  (See chart 1.)


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 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 are also included on the CD which accompanies the 
hardcopy version of the Annual Bulletin.  Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2007 is available online as a 
chartbook or for sale 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: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 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 Dallas Information Office at 972-850-4800 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 
a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.


                                               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.    

Chart 1. Average weekly wages by county in New Mexico, fourth quarter 2008

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Last Modified Date: August 5, 2009