County Employment and Wages in Maryland – Second Quarter 2011

Harford County Employment and Wage Gains Rank in Top 25 Nationwide

Employment rose in four of the eight large counties in Maryland from June 2010 to June 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.) Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that Harford County recorded the largest employment gain, up 2.8 percent over the year. Anne Arundel and Howard Counties followed with gains of 1.5 percent each. The largest employment decrease was recorded in Frederick County, which lost 1.4 percent of its jobs since June 2010. No other county had an employment decline greater than 0.4 percent.

Nationally, employment grew 0.9 percent during this 12-month period, as 215 of the 322 large counties gained jobs. Ottawa County, Mich., posted the largest increase, with a gain of 4.7 percent over the year. San Joaquin, Calif., experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 4.0 percent.

Among the eight largest counties in Maryland, employment was highest in Montgomery County (453,000), in June 2011. Three other counties—Baltimore, Baltimore City, and Prince George’s—each had an employment level exceeding 300,000. Together, Maryland’s large counties accounted for 80.0 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 322 largest counties made up 70.5 percent of total U.S. employment.

Harford County recorded the fastest over-the-year wage growth among Maryland’s eight large counties and the third-fastest nationwide, rising 8.8 percent from the second quarter of 2010 to the second quarter of 2011. Howard County had the second-highest rate of wage growth at 4.9 percent. Montgomery County reported the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties at $1,213. Two other counties had weekly wages above $1,000—Howard ($1,080) and Baltimore City ($1,034). (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 3.0 percent over the year to $891 in the second quarter of 2011.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 16 counties in Maryland with employment below 75,000. Fifteen of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Four of Maryland’s eight large counties recorded wage increases larger than the national advance of 3.0 percent from the second quarter of 2010 to the second quarter of 2011. The wage advances in two of these counties ranked in the top 30 among the 322 largest counties in the U.S., with Harford County placing 3rd and Howard County, 30th. The four remaining large counties in Maryland had wage gains below that of the nation. (See table 1.)

Among the 322 largest counties nationwide, 307 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Williamson, Texas, had the largest wage gain, up 18.0 percent from the second quarter of 2010. Middlesex, Mass., was second with 10.2-percent growth, followed by Harford, Md. (8.8 percent), and Santa Clara, Calif. (8.5 percent).

Eleven large counties in the U.S. experienced over-the-year declines in average weekly wages, led by Champaign, Ill., with a loss of 3.6 percent over the year. Benton, Ark. (-2.7 percent), had the second-largest weekly wage decline among the large counties, followed by Rutherford, Tenn. (-2.2 percent), New York, N.Y. (-1.1 percent), and Elkhart, Ind. (-1.0 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in 6 of Maryland’s 8 large counties were above the U.S. average of $891; these 6 counties all placed in the top 100 among the 322 largest counties in the United States in the second quarter of 2011. Three of these counties—Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore City—ranked in the top 50 nationwide, placing 15th, 34th, and 43rd, respectively.

The average weekly wages in Maryland’s other two large counties, Harford and Frederick, also placed in the top half of the national ranking, at 108th and 135th, respectively.

Average wages in Maryland’s smaller counties

Fifteen of the 16 counties in Maryland with employment under 75,000 had average weekly wages below the national average. The exception was St. Mary’s with an average wage of $1,173. Worcester County reported the lowest weekly wage in the state, averaging $519 in the second quarter of 2011. (See table 2.)

When all 24 counties in Maryland were considered, 17 had wages below the national average of $891. Seven of these reported average weekly wages below $700. (See chart 1.) Of the seven counties with wages above the national average, all reported wages above $900, including two (Montgomery and St. Mary’s) with average weekly wages above $1,100. Four of the seven counties with above-average wages were concentrated in the Baltimore metropolitan area, while two were located in the Washington metropolitan area. Five of the seven lower-paid counties, those with wages below $700, were located on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW 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/.

An annual bulletin, 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 bulletin, 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 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 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.

For personal assistance or further information on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program, as well as other Bureau programs, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office at 215-597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 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 130.5 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 8 largest counties in Maryland, second quarter 2011(2)

Area	Employment			Average Weekly Wage(3)
	June 2011 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2010-11(4)	National ranking by percent change(5)	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level(5)	Percent change, second quarter 2010-11(4)	National ranking by percent change(5)
United States(6)	130,469.9	0.9	--	891	--	3.0	--
Maryland	2,513.5	0.5	--	987	7	3.1	18
Anne Arundel, Md.	233.4	1.5	82	960	72	1.8	238
Baltimore, Md.	329.0	-0.2	237	1,034	43	3.3	101
Baltimore City, Md.	363.3	-0.4	248	906	95	1.1	280
Frederick, Md.	92.1	-1.4	293	861	135	1.1	280
Harford, Md.	84.8	2.8	22	890	108	8.8	3
Howard, Md.	153.7	1.5	82	1,080	34	4.9	30
Montgomery, Md.	453.0	1.1	114	1,213	15	3.3	101
Prince George's, Md.	301.7	-0.4	248	981	63	2.1	209
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 of the counties in Maryland, second quarter 2011(2)

Area	Employment June 2011 (thousands)	Average weekly wage(3)
United States(4)	130,469.9	$891
Maryland	2,513.5	987
Allegany	29.4	639
Anne Arundel	233.4	960
Baltimore County	363.3	906
Baltimore City	329.0	1,034
Calvert	21.9	790
Caroline	8.5	642
Carroll	55.5	731
Cecil	28.4	776
Charles	41.0	768
Dorchester	11.5	652
Frederick	92.1	861
Garrett	11.8	582
Harford	84.8	890
Howard	153.7	1,080
Kent	8.0	676
Montgomery	453.0	1,213
Prince George's	301.7	981
Queen Anne's	13.9	638
St. Mary's	42.5	1,173
Somerset	6.7	733
Talbot	18.6	701
Washington	64.7	707
Wicomico	44.2	708
Worcester	29.0	519
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, second quarter 2010(2)

State	Employment		Average weekly wage(3)
	June 2010 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2009-10	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2009-10	National ranking by percent change
United States(4)	130,469.9	0.9	$891	--	3.0	--
Alabama	1,824.8	-0.4	767	34	2.3	41
Alaska	335.9	1.6	941	9	2.6	27
Arizona	2,336.3	1.1	842	20	2.7	26
Arkansas	1,140.4	-1.3	703	47	2.6	27
California	14,664.6	0.3	1,019	6	4.0	7
Colorado	2,234.7	1.4	900	13	3.4	16
Connecticut	1,630.2	0.8	1,116	3	3.8	9
Delaware	408.4	0.5	926	12	5.9	2
District of Columbia	711.3	1.4	1,541	1	2.4	36
Florida	7,092.3	0.8	802	25	2.6	27
Georgia	3,803.1	1.0	832	21	2.5	32
Hawaii	590.5	0.7	799	26	2.4	36
Idaho	616.6	0.0	667	49	2.3	41
Illinois	5,633.0	1.0	939	10	3.2	17
Indiana	2,769.2	1.3	749	41	2.2	46
Iowa	1,476.9	0.7	726	43	2.5	32
Kansas	1,313.2	-0.1	754	40	2.9	23
Kentucky	1,751.8	0.9	760	38	2.3	41
Louisiana	1,844.3	-0.1	794	28	3.1	18
Maine	593.8	0.3	712	46	1.9	48
Maryland	2,513.5	0.5	987	7	3.1	18
Massachusetts	3,230.4	0.9	1,120	2	5.6	3
Michigan	3,896.9	1.8	845	19	2.4	36
Minnesota	2,645.4	1.4	898	15	3.5	12
Mississippi	1,079.4	-0.6	664	50	1.8	49
Missouri	2,617.7	0.3	774	31	1.6	50
Montana	434.1	0.5	681	48	3.5	12
Nebraska	911.6	0.1	714	45	2.4	36
Nevada	1,123.0	0.5	816	24	2.5	32
New Hampshire	615.2	0.4	888	16	2.4	36
New Jersey	3,836.2	-0.3	1,056	5	2.6	27
New Mexico	788.7	-0.5	763	37	2.8	24
New York	8,575.3	1.0	1,092	4	1.0	51
North Carolina	3,865.9	1.5	783	30	2.5	32
North Dakota	382.4	5.1	769	33	8.2	1
Ohio	5,009.1	0.9	795	27	2.6	27
Oklahoma	1,510.3	0.7	749	41	4.5	5
Oregon	1,637.5	0.7	819	22	4.2	6
Pennsylvania	5,606.5	1.0	875	17	3.1	18
Rhode Island	458.1	0.3	862	18	3.5	12
South Carolina	1,801.6	1.1	726	43	2.3	41
South Dakota	404.8	0.8	656	51	3.8	9
Tennessee	2,616.9	1.3	794	28	2.3	41
Texas	10,462.4	2.1	900	13	4.0	7
Utah	1,183.9	2.0	756	39	3.1	18
Vermont	297.0	1.0	773	32	2.8	24
Virginia	3,619.7	0.9	949	8	2.2	46
Washington	2,875.8	0.6	928	11	3.5	12
West Virginia	702.9	0.3	765	36	5.4	4
Wisconsin	2,712.0	0.9	767	34	3.0	22
Wyoming	284.7	1.2	819	22	3.7	11
Puerto Rico	915.1	-1.4	496	(5)	0.6	(5)
Virgin Islands	44.1	0.6	747	(5)	5.5	(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: January 23, 2012