Employment rose in Oklahoma’s two large counties from June 2011 to June 2012, 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 2011 annual average employment.) Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that employment in Oklahoma County increased 2.8 percent, while Tulsa County rose at a slower 1.6-percent pace. (See table 1.)

Employment nationwide advanced 1.8 percent during the 12-month period as 287 of the 328 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Yakima, Wash., recorded the fastest employment gain in the country, up 8.2 percent, with the natural resources and mining sector making the largest contribution to the increase. Three counties – Madison, Ill., St. Clair, Ill., and Clay, Mo. – experienced the largest over-the-year decreases among the largest counties with losses of 2.0 percent each.

Oklahoma’s two large counties accounted for half of the state’s total employment, with 432,300 in Oklahoma County and 335,700 in Tulsa County in June 2012. Nationwide, the 328 largest counties made up 70.9 percent of U.S. total employment.

From the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012, average weekly wages rose 2.7 percent in Tulsa County and were little changed in Oklahoma County, up 0.1 percent. (See table 1.) Tulsa County had the higher of the two average weekly wages at $837 per week, closely followed by Oklahoma at $832. Nationally, average weekly wages increased 1.3 percent over the year to $903.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 75 counties in Oklahoma with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of these counties were below the national average. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Tulsa County’s 2.7-percent rise in average weekly wages from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012 ranked 66th among the nation’s largest counties and was more than twice the U.S. average rate of increase (1.3 percent). In contrast, average weekly wages in Oklahoma County edged up only 0.1 percent, ranking 228th. (See table 1.)

Nationally, 233 of the 328 largest counties registered over-the-year wages increases. Washington, Ore., experienced the largest wage gain in the nation, up 8.5 percent. Within Washington County, the manufacturing industry had the largest impact on the county’s over-the-year increase in average weekly wages. Washington County, Pa. had the second largest overall increase (7.8 percent), followed by McLean, Ill. and San Mateo, Calif. (7.2 and 7.1 percent, respectively).

Nationwide, 86 of the largest counties registered wage declines during the period. Williamson, Texas, experienced the largest decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 17.0 percent over the year. A large decline in total wages within the trade, transportation, and utilities sector was a major contributor; the decline reflected a return to previously seen pay levels following a big payout in the second quarter of 2011. Kitsap, Wash., had the second largest overall decline, followed by Arlington, Va., Durham, N.C., and Benton, Wash.; declines in each of these counties were less than 5.0 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Although well below the national average of $903, average weekly wages in the state’s two large counties ranked in the middle of the 328 largest U.S. counties. In the second quarter of 2012, Tulsa County's average wage of $837 ranked 164th and Oklahoma County’s wage of $832 ranked 169th. (See table 1.)

Nationwide, average weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average ($903) in 109 of the 328 largest counties. Santa Clara, Calif., held the top position among the highest-paid large counties with an average weekly wage of $1,754. New York, N.Y., was second with an average weekly wage of $1,646, followed by Washington, D.C. ($1,544), and San Mateo, Calif. ($1,515).

Two-thirds of the largest U.S. counties (219) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2012. The lowest wage was reported in Horry, S.C. ($532), followed by the Texas counties of Cameron ($571) and Hidalgo ($583). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,754).

Average weekly wages in Oklahoma's smaller counties

All 75 of Oklahoma’s smaller counties – those with employment of less than 75,000 – reported weekly wages below the national average of $903 in the second quarter of 2012. Among these counties, Woodward posted the highest wage ($856), while Cimarron reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state ($482). (See table 2.)

When all 77 counties in Oklahoma were considered, 20 reported average wages under $600 per week, 20 registered wages from $600 to $649, 13 had wages from $650 to $699, 9 had wages from $700 to $749, and 15 had wages of $750 or more. (See chart 1.) The higher-paying counties were concentrated around the larger metropolitan areas of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as smaller cities including Duncan, Elk City, and Woodward. The lower-paying counties, those with weekly wages under $600, were generally located in the eastern third of the state.

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 2011 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 2012 version of the news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2011 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn11.htm.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 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 132.9 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 (see Technical Note below) 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.