For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Tuesday, March 29, 2011 USDL-11-0434
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www.bls.gov/cew
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County Employment and Wages
Third Quarter 2010
From September 2009 to September 2010, employment increased in 162 of
the 326 largest U.S. counties according to preliminary data, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Elkhart, Ind., posted the
largest percentage increase, with a gain of 6.8 percent over the
year, compared with national job growth of 0.2 percent. Within
Elkhart, the largest employment increase occurred in manufacturing,
which gained 5,570 jobs over the year (14.2 percent). Sacramento,
Calif., experienced the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in
employment among the largest counties in the U.S. with a loss of 3.7
percent. Within Sacramento, state government had the largest
percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 7.5 percent.
The U.S. average weekly wage increased over the year by 3.4 percent
to $870 in the third quarter of 2010. Among the large counties in the
U.S., Rock Island, Ill., had the largest over-the-year increase in
average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2010 with a gain of 12.2
percent. Within Rock Island, professional and business services had
the largest impact on the county’s over-the-year increase in average
weekly wages. Sacramento, Calif., experienced the only decline in
average weekly wages among the largest U.S. counties with a loss of
2.2 percent over the year. County employment and wage data are
compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
program.
Table A. Top 10 large counties ranked by September 2010 employment, September 2009-10 employment
increase, and September 2009-10 percent increase in employment
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Employment in large counties
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September 2010 employment | Increase in employment, | Percent increase in employment,
(thousands) | September 2009-10 | September 2009-10
| (thousands) |
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| |
United States 128,440.4| United States 310.8| United States 0.2
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Los Angeles, Calif. 3,844.5| New York, N.Y. 26.9| Elkhart, Ind. 6.8
Cook, Ill. 2,354.8| Harris, Texas 21.2| Denton, Texas 3.2
New York, N.Y. 2,273.0| Washington, D.C. 13.7| Bell, Texas 3.1
Harris, Texas 1,995.8| Dallas, Texas 12.7| Arlington, Va. 3.1
Maricopa, Ariz. 1,597.0| Hennepin, Minn. 11.0| Washington, Pa. 2.7
Dallas, Texas 1,415.0| Travis, Texas 10.9| Benton, Wash. 2.6
Orange, Calif. 1,348.8| Kings, N.Y. 9.7| Washtenaw, Mich. 2.5
San Diego, Calif. 1,238.6| Philadelphia, Pa. 9.7| Boone, Mo. 2.5
King, Wash. 1,121.8| Fairfax, Va. 7.5| Brazoria, Texas 2.5
Miami-Dade, Fla. 940.9| Bexar, Texas 7.4| Hamilton, Tenn. 2.4
| | Collin, Texas 2.4
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Large County Employment
In September 2010, national employment, as measured by the QCEW
program, was 128.4 million, up by 0.2 percent, or 310,800 workers,
from September 2009. The 326 U.S. counties with 75,000 or more
employees accounted for 70.6 percent of total U.S. employment and
76.1 percent of total wages. These 326 counties had a net job growth
of 80,826 over the year, accounting for 26.0 percent of the overall
U.S. employment increase.
Elkhart, Ind., had the largest percentage increase in employment
among the largest U.S. counties. The top five counties with the
greatest increases in employment level (New York, N.Y.; Harris,
Texas; Washington, D.C.; Dallas, Texas; and Hennepin, Minn.) had a 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics