For Release: Thursday, July 07, 2016
MIDWEST INFORMATION OFFICE: Chicago, Ill.
Technical information: (312) 353-1880 [email protected]
Media contact:
(312) 353-1138
16-1187-CHI
www.bls.gov/regions/midwest
County Employment and Wages in Nebraska — Fourth Quarter 2015
The two largest counties in Nebraska reported employment gains from December 2014 to December 2015,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are defined as those with
employment of 75,000 or more as measured by 2014 annual average employment.) Assistant Commissioner
for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that employment rose 2.2 percent each in Douglas and
Lancaster Counties. (See table 1.)
Nationally, employment advanced 1.9 percent from December 2014 to December 2015 with 308 of the 342
largest U.S. counties registering increases. Williamson, Tenn., had the largest percentage increase in the
country, up 6.8 percent over the year. Ector, Texas, had the largest percentage employment decline among
the large counties, down 11.8 percent.
Among the two largest counties in Nebraska, employment was higher in Douglas (338,600) in December
2015. Lancaster County recorded an employment level of 168,800. Collectively, Nebraska’s two large
counties accounted for 52.2 percent of the state's employment. Nationwide, the 342 largest counties made
up 72.5 percent of total U.S. employment.
The average weekly wage in Douglas was $994 in the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 6.5 percent
from the fourth quarter of 2014. (See table 1.) Average weekly wages in Lancaster were $853, up 4.2
percent over the year. Nationally, the average weekly wage was $1,082, up 4.4 percent from a year ago.
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 91 counties in
Nebraska with employment levels below 75,000. All of these smaller counties had average weekly wages
below the national average. (See table 2.)
Large county wage changes
As noted, average weekly wages in Douglas County increased 6.5 percent, ranking it 53rd among the
nation's 342 largest counties. Lancaster County’s 4.2-percent wage gain ranked 218th nationwide. (See table
1.)
Among the 342 large U.S. counties, 325 had over-the-year wage increases. Wyandotte, Kan., had the largest
wage gain, up 10.4 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014. Sonoma, Calif., was second with a wage gain of
10.0 percent, followed by the counties of Lake, Ill. (9.8 percent) and Passaic, N.J. (9.4 percent).
Ten large U.S. counties experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Midland, Texas, had
the largest percentage decline in average weekly wages with a loss of 11.5 percent. Ector, Texas, had the
second largest decrease, down 8.0 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014, followed by Lafayette, La. (-4.3
percent) and Gregg, Texas (-3.2 percent).
Large county average weekly wages
Douglas County’s $994 average weekly wage placed near the middle of the national ranking at 170th in the
fourth quarter of 2015. Lancaster County’s average weekly wage of $853 ranked 295th among the nation’s
largest counties.
Seventy percent of the large U.S. counties (241) reported average weekly wages below the national average
of $1,082. Cameron, Texas, reported the lowest weekly wage ($649), followed by Horry, S.C. ($653) and
Hidalgo, Texas ($661).
Nationally, 100 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the fourth quarter
of 2015. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,335. New York, N.Y.,
was second at $2,235, followed by San Mateo, Calif., at $2,095. Average weekly wages in the highestranked county, Santa Clara, Calif., were more than three times the average weekly wage in the lowestranked county, Cameron, Texas ($649).
Average weekly wages in Nebraska’s smaller counties
Among the counties with employment below 75,000, Stanton ($1,060) and Washington ($1,009) had
average weekly wages above those of the state’s two largest counties. Loup County reported the lowest
weekly wage in the state, averaging $459 in the fourth quarter of 2015. (See table 2.)
When all 93 counties in the state were considered, 12 reported average weekly wages less than $600, 28
reported wages from $600 to $699, 35 reported wages from $700 to $799, and 18 had wages of $800 or
more. (See chart 1.)
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 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 2014 edition of this publication
contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well
as selected data from the first quarter 2015 version of the national news release. Tables and additional
content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2014 are now available online at https://
www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn14.htm. The 2015 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online
will be available in September 2016.
The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2016 is scheduled to be released on
Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
2
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 9.7 million employer reports cover 141.9 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-theyear 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.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice
phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
3
Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 2 largest counties in Nebraska, fourth
quarter 2015
Average weekly wage (1)
Employment
Area
December
2015
(thousands)
Percent
change,
December
2014-15 (2)
National
ranking by
percent
change (3)
Average
weekly
wage
National
ranking by
level (3)
Percent
change,
fourth
quarter
2014-15 (2)
National
ranking by
percent
change (3)
United States (4)...........................................
141,924.5
1.9
--
$1,082
--
4.4
--
Nebraska .................................................
Douglas, Neb........................................
Lancaster, Neb. ....................................
971.8
338.6
168.8
1.4
2.2
2.2
-144
144
880
994
853
42
170
295
5.1
6.5
4.2
18
53
218
Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
4
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Nebraska, fourth quarter
2015
Area
Employment December 2015
Average weekly wage (1)
(2)......................................................................................
141,924,459
$1,082
Nebraska .............................................................................................
Adams .............................................................................................
Antelope ..........................................................................................
Arthur...............................................................................................
Banner .............................................................................................
Blaine ..............................................................................................
Boone ..............................................................................................
Box Butte .........................................................................................
Boyd ................................................................................................
Brown ..............................................................................................
Buffalo .............................................................................................
Burt ..................................................................................................
Butler ...............................................................................................
Cass ................................................................................................
Cedar...............................................................................................
Chase ..............................................................................................
Cherry..............................................................................................
Cheyenne ........................................................................................
Clay .................................................................................................
Colfax ..............................................................................................
Cuming ............................................................................................
Custer ..............................................................................................
Dakota .............................................................................................
Dawes .............................................................................................
Dawson ...........................................................................................
Deuel ...............................................................................................
Dixon ...............................................................................................
Dodge ..............................................................................................
Douglas ...........................................................................................
Dundy ..............................................................................................
Fillmore............................................................................................
Franklin............................................................................................
Frontier ............................................................................................
Furnas .............................................................................................
Gage................................................................................................
Garden ............................................................................................
Garfield ............................................................................................
Gosper.............................................................................................
Grant ...............................................................................................
Greeley ............................................................................................
Hall ..................................................................................................
Hamilton ..........................................................................................
Harlan ..............................................................................................
Hayes ..............................................................................................
Hitchcock.........................................................................................
Holt ..................................................................................................
Hooker .............................................................................................
Howard ............................................................................................
Jefferson..........................................................................................
Johnson...........................................................................................
Kearney ...........................................................................................
Keith ................................................................................................
Keya Paha.......................................................................................
Kimball.............................................................................................
Knox ................................................................................................
971,774
15,374
2,077
91
145
126
2,398
3,857
618
1,169
27,102
1,907
2,627
5,397
2,699
1,900
2,325
5,648
2,447
5,091
3,734
4,430
12,592
3,332
11,456
601
1,613
17,328
338,551
595
2,227
775
802
2,078
9,250
562
848
402
267
612
34,656
3,451
849
207
679
4,571
248
1,604
3,470
1,634
2,194
3,382
160
1,390
2,927
880
748
705
517
814
626
696
709
561
696
781
709
747
738
712
699
595
956
822
805
782
788
814
603
732
604
714
753
994
799
773
775
673
678
709
630
619
706
723
597
776
820
620
633
721
701
498
658
667
695
734
673
624
871
619
United States
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
5
Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Nebraska, fourth quarter
2015 - Continued
Area
Employment December 2015
Lancaster.........................................................................................
Lincoln .............................................................................................
Logan ..............................................................................................
Loup ................................................................................................
Madison...........................................................................................
McPherson ......................................................................................
Merrick.............................................................................................
Morrill...............................................................................................
Nance ..............................................................................................
Nemaha...........................................................................................
Nuckolls...........................................................................................
Otoe.................................................................................................
Pawnee ...........................................................................................
Perkins ............................................................................................
Phelps .............................................................................................
Pierce ..............................................................................................
Platte ...............................................................................................
Polk .................................................................................................
Red Willow ......................................................................................
Richardson ......................................................................................
Rock ................................................................................................
Saline ..............................................................................................
Sarpy ...............................................................................................
Saunders .........................................................................................
Scotts Bluff ......................................................................................
Seward ............................................................................................
Sheridan ..........................................................................................
Sherman..........................................................................................
Sioux ...............................................................................................
Stanton ............................................................................................
Thayer .............................................................................................
Thomas ...........................................................................................
Thurston ..........................................................................................
Valley ...............................................................................................
Washington......................................................................................
Wayne .............................................................................................
Webster ...........................................................................................
Wheeler ...........................................................................................
York .................................................................................................
168,831
14,883
192
111
21,820
76
2,275
1,553
1,075
3,185
1,416
6,292
936
1,150
4,758
1,996
18,394
1,482
5,182
2,576
465
7,120
70,201
5,226
17,267
6,159
1,719
815
144
1,317
2,440
269
2,900
1,712
7,980
4,142
1,067
321
7,613
Average weekly wage (1)
853
759
577
459
777
603
789
746
668
933
595
728
620
854
835
740
844
735
689
627
631
819
881
707
760
789
574
550
657
1,060
784
584
843
687
1,009
685
571
631
787
Footnotes
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Data are preliminary.
6
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2015
Average weekly wage (1)
Employment
State
December
2015
(thousands)
Percent
change,
December
2014-15
Average
weekly wage
Percent
change, fourth
quarter
2014-15
National
ranking by
level
National
ranking by
percent
change
United States (2)...............................................
141,924.5
1.9
$1,082
--
4.4
--
Alabama .......................................................
Alaska...........................................................
Arizona .........................................................
Arkansas ......................................................
California ......................................................
Colorado.......................................................
Connecticut ..................................................
Delaware ......................................................
District of Columbia ......................................
Florida ..........................................................
Georgia.........................................................
Hawaii...........................................................
Idaho ............................................................
Illinois ...........................................................
Indiana..........................................................
Iowa ..............................................................
Kansas .........................................................
Kentucky.......................................................
Louisiana ......................................................
Maine............................................................
Maryland.......................................................
Massachusetts .............................................
Michigan .......................................................
Minnesota.....................................................
Mississippi ....................................................
Missouri ........................................................
Montana .......................................................
Nebraska ......................................................
Nevada .........................................................
New Hampshire............................................
New Jersey...................................................
New Mexico..................................................
New York ......................................................
North Carolina ..............................................
North Dakota ................................................
Ohio ..............................................................
Oklahoma .....................................................
Oregon .........................................................
Pennsylvania ................................................
Rhode Island ................................................
South Carolina..............................................
South Dakota................................................
Tennessee ....................................................
Texas ............................................................
Utah ..............................................................
Vermont ........................................................
Virginia..........................................................
Washington...................................................
West Virginia ................................................
Wisconsin .....................................................
Wyoming ......................................................
Puerto Rico...................................................
1,916.2
315.9
2,701.8
1,201.4
16,593.8
2,537.5
1,685.1
441.2
754.2
8,308.1
4,249.4
653.0
670.1
5,931.2
2,996.3
1,539.0
1,382.1
1,881.3
1,937.4
596.9
2,636.7
3,479.1
4,218.9
2,805.8
1,133.8
2,759.6
453.2
971.8
1,272.2
648.6
3,988.4
808.9
9,227.6
4,247.1
428.1
5,328.8
1,605.0
1,814.8
5,759.7
478.1
1,987.1
417.7
2,898.1
11,832.1
1,375.6
312.1
3,806.2
3,137.2
703.7
2,820.5
276.0
929.9
1.4
-0.5
2.6
1.7
3.1
2.5
0.3
1.8
2.2
3.7
2.9
2.2
3.4
1.4
1.7
0.7
0.4
1.6
-1.0
0.7
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.5
1.3
1.8
2.5
1.4
3.5
1.7
1.7
-0.1
1.7
2.5
-5.9
1.2
-0.7
3.3
0.7
1.5
2.8
1.2
2.8
1.4
3.8
0.3
3.0
2.3
-1.3
1.1
-2.9
-1.6
912
1,095
967
838
1,274
1,103
1,334
1,086
1,756
958
1,001
957
803
1,146
891
920
898
885
940
873
1,175
1,385
1,043
1,073
770
933
818
880
935
1,139
1,262
865
1,372
939
1,021
964
896
979
1,063
1,043
860
832
980
1,099
913
919
1,094
1,132
829
944
937
565
37
13
24
46
5
11
4
15
1
26
21
27
50
8
40
34
38
41
29
43
7
2
18
16
51
33
49
42
32
9
6
44
3
30
20
25
39
23
17
18
45
47
22
12
36
35
14
10
48
28
31
3.4
2.9
4.4
3.8
5.4
3.3
4.3
3.4
3.4
5.2
4.5
5.4
2.6
5.1
5.3
5.7
5.0
5.9
1.8
5.7
5.6
5.4
5.9
4.8
3.1
4.6
3.0
5.1
4.0
5.4
4.0
1.8
3.9
5.5
-2.8
4.6
2.3
5.5
4.9
4.0
5.3
5.2
5.6
2.7
4.7
4.1
3.5
4.7
1.3
5.6
-1.7
1.6
37
43
28
35
10
40
29
37
37
16
27
10
45
18
14
3
20
1
47
3
5
10
1
22
41
25
42
18
31
10
31
47
34
8
51
25
46
8
21
31
14
16
5
44
23
30
36
23
49
5
50
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
7
(3)
(3)
Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, fourth quarter 2015 - Continued
Average weekly wage (1)
Employment
State
Virgin Islands ................................................
December
2015
(thousands)
Percent
change,
December
2014-15
38.4
-0.3
Average
weekly wage
787
Percent
change, fourth
quarter
2014-15
National
ranking by
level
(3)
National
ranking by
percent
change
4.7
Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
8
(3)
9