North Carolina's nine largest counties each reported employment gains from December 2010 to December 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2010 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that employment increases ranged from 3.1 percent in Mecklenburg County to 0.8 percent in both Buncombe and Cumberland Counties. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment increased 1.4 percent during the 12-month period, as 266 of the 322 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Kern, Calif., posted the largest increase, with a gain of 5.3 percent over the year. Benton, Wash., experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 3.4 percent.

Among the largest counties in North Carolina, employment was highest in Mecklenburg County (565,500) in December 2011. Two other counties—Wake and Guilford—had employment levels exceeding 250,000. Together, North Carolina's nine large counties accounted for 52.6 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 322 largest counties accounted for 70.7 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 131.3 million in December 2011.

Cumberland County had the only increase in average weekly wages among North Carolina's largest counties from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter of 2011 with an increase of 0.5 percent. Three of the nine large counties experienced wage declines of at least 3.0 percent—Durham (-6.5 percent), Forsyth (-3.4 percent) and Mecklenburg (-3.3 percent). Durham County had the highest average weekly wage in the state at $1,205, followed by the counties of Mecklenburg ($1,047) and Wake ($945). Nationally, the average weekly wage decreased 1.7 percent over the year to $955 in the fourth quarter of 2011. (See table 1.)

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 91 counties with employment levels below 75,000 in North Carolina. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $946 to $504. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages decreased in eight of North Carolina's large counties from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter of 2011. At 6.5 percent, Durham's wage decline ranked 316th among the nation's 322 large counties. Two other counties placed in the bottom quartile of the rankings—Forsyth (-3.4 percent, 267th) and Mecklenburg (-3.3 percent, 263rd). (See table 1.)

Nationwide, 282 large counties experienced declines in average weekly wages. Olmsted, Minn., had the largest wage loss (-21.3 percent). Douglas, Colo., had the second largest decrease (-8.6 percent), followed by Williamson, Tenn. (-6.7 percent).

Among the 322 largest U.S. counties, 36 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2011. Tulsa, Okla., had the largest average weekly wage increase with a gain of 8.6 percent, followed by the counties of Harford, Md. (5.8 percent), Lake, Ohio (4.9 percent), Snohomish, Wash. (3.0 percent) and Westmoreland, Pa (2.9 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Durham and Mecklenburg Counties, with average weekly wages of $1,205 and $1,047, respectively, placed in the top third of the national ranking among the 322 largest U.S. counties in the fourth quarter of 2011. Wake ($945) and Forsyth ($853) fell in the middle third of the national ranking and the state's remaining five large counties fell in the bottom third.

Nationally, New York, N.Y., recorded the highest average weekly wage at $1,889, followed by Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,836), Washington, D.C. ($1,668), Suffolk, Mass. ($1,599), and San Francisco, Calif. ($1,597).

There were 219 large counties with an average weekly wage below the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2011. Horry, S.C. ($569), reported the lowest wage, followed by the counties of Cameron, Texas ($597), Hidalgo, Texas ($601), and Yakima, Wash.

Average weekly wages in North Carolina’s smaller counties

Among the 91 counties in North Carolina with employment below 75,000, none registered an average weekly wage above the national average of $955. Orange County ($946) reported the highest weekly wage among the smaller counties, followed by the counties of Iredell ($793) and Craven ($782). Tyrrell County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state, averaging $504 in the fourth quarter of 2011. (See table 2.)

When all 100 counties in North Carolina were considered, 27 reported average weekly wages under $600, 51 reported wages from $600 to $699, 16 had wages from $700 to $799, and 6 had wages above $800. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

Quarterly 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 the QCEW Web site at 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 2010 edition of this publication, which was published in November 2011, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2011 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2010 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn10.htm. The 2011 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available later in 2012.

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.

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 9.2 million employer reports cover 131.3 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 9 largest counties in North Carolina, fourth quarter 2011 (2)

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage (3)
	December 2011 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2010-11 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level (5)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2010-11 (4)	National ranking by percent change (5)
United States (6)	131,254.2	1.4	--	$955	--	-1.7	--
North Carolina	3,885.9	1.3	--	824	33	-2.0	33
Buncombe, N.C.	113.0	0.8	179	734	295	-1.5	126
Catawba, N.C.	79.2	1.0	156	730	298	-0.3	54
Cumberland, N.C.	120.2	0.8	179	771	275	0.5	28
Durham, N.C.	182.4	1.6	97	1,205	25	-6.5	316
Forsyth, N.C.	174.4	1.2	130	853	188	-3.4	267
Guilford, N.C.	265.3	1.1	144	819	231	-2.4	212
Mecklenburg, N.C.	565.5	3.1	24	1,047	59	-3.3	263
New Hanover, N.C.	96.6	1.1	144	790	261	-1.9	167
Wake, N.C.	447.9	2.1	70	945	109	-1.6	137
Footnotes: (1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. (2) Data are preliminary. (3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (4) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (5) Ranking does not include the county of San Juan, Puerto Rico. (6) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Table 2. Covered (1) employment and wages in the United States and all counties in North Carolina, 4th quarter 2011 (2)

Area	Employment December 2011	Average Weekly Wage (3)
United States (4)	131254162	$955
North Carolina	3885855	824
Alamance	57366	676
Alexander	8966	570
Alleghany	3165	536
Anson	7695	617
Ashe	7266	590
Avery	6322	538
Beaufort	16364	659
Bertie	6576	598
Bladen	12203	636
Brunswick	26720	679
Buncombe	113017	734
Burke	28372	659
Cabarrus	63312	678
Caldwell	23961	620
Camden	2196	769
Carteret	20920	591
Caswell	3129	580
Catawba	79170	730
Chatham	13528	673
Cherokee	7670	571
Chowan	4644	688
Clay	1930	556
Cleveland	32459	657
Columbus	15434	612
Craven	37976	782
Cumberland	120161	771
Currituck	4597	570
Dare	15294	609
Davidson	39764	644
Davie	9342	618
Duplin	19116	614
Durham	182410	1205
Edgecombe	18341	729
Forsyth	174400	853
Franklin	11895	666
Gaston	66340	711
Gates	1416	584
Graham	2028	604
Granville	20038	767
Greene	4533	569
Guilford	265312	819
Halifax	16551	597
Harnett	21750	606
Haywood	16449	632
Henderson	33685	680
Hertford	8990	655
Hoke	7666	531
Hyde	1784	580
Iredell	63812	793
Jackson	11614	628
Johnston	42433	662
Jones	1887	617
Lee	24875	749
Lenoir	26803	642
Lincoln	19685	656
McDowell	14807	582
Macon	10452	602
Madison	3797	521
Martin	7542	604
Mecklenburg	565463	1047
Mitchell	5084	599
Montgomery	8522	623
Moore	31178	724
Nash	40926	695
New Hanover	96632	790
Northampton	5044	617
Onslow	47185	603
Orange	61792	946
Pamlico	3044	586
Pasquotank	15788	669
Pender	9161	618
Perquimans	1793	542
Person	9898	641
Pitt	71007	771
Polk	4741	607
Randolph	44978	630
Richmond	13584	591
Robeson	38874	578
Rockingham	26434	633
Rowan	45409	743
Rutherford	17741	609
Sampson	18614	641
Scotland	11607	636
Stanly	18221	602
Stokes	6808	568
Surry	27545	605
Swain	7888	605
Transylvania	7820	609
Tyrrell	1157	504
Union	52713	717
Vance	14251	654
Wake	447866	945
Warren	3496	604
Washington	3130	558
Watauga	21344	639
Wayne	43683	665
Wilkes	21185	616
Wilson	36977	743
Yadkin	9963	574
Yancey	3772	584
Footnotes: (1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. (2) Data are preliminary. (3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Table 3. Covered (1) employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2011 (2)

State	Employment		Average weekly wage (3)
	December 2011 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2010-11	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2010-11	National ranking by percent change
United States (4)	131,254.2	1.4	$955	--	-1.7	--
Alabama	1,828.3	0.2	832	31	-0.8	14
Alaska	311.3	1.6	982	11	-0.5	10
Arizona	2,458.4	1.7	882	21	-1.1	17
Arkansas	1,157.1	0.9	736	47	-1.2	19
California	14,731.8	1.3	1,100	6	-2.7	47
Colorado	2,250.1	2.1	975	13	-2.6	46
Connecticut	1,642.0	0.9	1,188	4	-3.1	49
Delaware	405.9	0.4	984	10	-1.6	26
District of Columbia	708.0	1.3	1,668	1	-1.2	19
Florida	7,364.1	1.4	847	29	-2.8	48
Georgia	3,826.9	1.0	885	20	-2.2	39
Hawaii	607.0	1.4	845	30	-1.5	23
Idaho	606.4	0.8	717	50	-2.2	39
Illinois	5,635.9	1.1	1,013	8	-2.1	35
Indiana	2,799.2	2.0	789	41	-1.9	32
Iowa	1,464.2	1.1	793	40	-0.8	14
Kansas	1,320.1	0.7	800	38	-1.5	23
Kentucky	1,770.2	1.3	786	42	-1.0	16
Louisiana	1,870.8	1.0	850	27	-1.7	28
Maine	580.9	0.4	755	46	-1.8	30
Maryland	2,516.4	1.1	1,058	7	-2.0	33
Massachusetts	3,230.8	1.3	1,192	3	-2.1	35
Michigan	3,911.8	2.4	933	18	-0.5	10
Minnesota	2,636.4	2.1	936	16	-3.9	51
Mississippi	1,083.8	0.3	699	51	-1.1	17
Missouri	2,617.0	0.8	825	32	-1.7	28
Montana	426.7	1.8	727	48	0.7	4
Nebraska	910.5	0.8	762	45	-1.3	21
Nevada	1,124.1	0.8	852	26	-3.2	50
New Hampshire	615.4	0.9	971	15	-0.7	13
New Jersey	3,811.6	0.6	1,138	5	-2.1	35
New Mexico	784.3	-0.3	799	39	-2.2	39
New York	8,618.4	1.4	1,197	2	-1.8	30
North Carolina	3,885.9	1.3	824	33	-2.0	33
North Dakota	397.0	7.6	871	23	7.7	1
Ohio	5,027.6	1.3	855	25	-1.3	21
Oklahoma	1,530.0	1.3	817	34	2.6	2
Oregon	1,629.8	1.2	850	27	-0.2	6
Pennsylvania	5,595.1	0.7	936	16	-1.6	26
Rhode Island	451.9	0.1	919	19	-2.1	35
South Carolina	1,796.1	1.3	763	44	-1.5	23
South Dakota	397.0	1.5	724	49	1.4	3
Tennessee	2,654.9	2.1	858	24	-2.3	42
Texas	10,607.9	2.4	973	14	-0.3	8
Utah	1,202.8	2.8	806	37	-2.5	45
Vermont	303.9	1.3	809	36	-0.5	10
Virginia	3,625.0	1.3	1,004	9	-2.4	43
Washington	2,843.6	1.4	979	12	-0.2	6
West Virginia	714.0	2.2	776	43	-0.3	8
Wisconsin	2,689.6	0.7	817	34	-2.4	43
Wyoming	276.9	2.3	876	22	0.6	5
Puerto Rico	960.9	0.1	552	(5)	-1.1	(5)
Virgin Islands	43.2	-4.0	772	(5)	-3.4	(5)
Footnotes: (1) Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. (2) Data are preliminary. (3) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (5) Data not included in the national ranking.

---

 

Last Modified Date: July 13, 2012