News Release Information
12-1422-ATL
Friday, July 13, 2012
Contacts
- Technical Information: (404) 893-4222
- Media Contact: (404) 893-4220, option 1
- BLSInfoAtlanta@bls.gov
- www.bls.gov/ro4
County Employment and Wages in North Carolina-Fourth Quarter 2011
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.
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: |
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: |
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: |
Last Modified Date: July 13, 2012