County Employment And Wages In Kentucky – First Quarter 2020

News Release Information

20-1617-ATL
Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Employment rose in each of Kentucky's three large counties from March 2019 to March 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2019.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Boone County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 2.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Employment in the U.S. (as measured by the QCEW program) increased 0.4 percent over the year with 202 of the 357 largest U.S. counties reporting increases. St. Johns, FL, had the largest percentage increase in the country, up 3.7 percent. Ector, TX, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 5.5 percent.

Among the three largest counties in Kentucky, employment was highest in Jefferson (465,600) in March 2020. Within Jefferson County's private industry, health care and social assistance accounted for the largest employment share. Together, Kentucky's large counties accounted for 40.1 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 357 largest counties made up 73.7 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 117 counties in Kentucky with 2019 average annual employment levels below 75,000. Average weekly wages in these counties ranged from $1,453 to $525. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All three large Kentucky counties reported average weekly wage gains from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020. (See chart 2.) Two counties had rates of wage gains that were above the national rate of 3.3 percent: Fayette (+3.6 percent), and Boone (+3.4 percent).

Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 335 had over-the-year wage increases. McLean, IL, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.3 percent). Twenty large counties had wage declines during the period. Peoria, IL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-12.8 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in each of Kentucky's three large counties were below the U.S. average of $1,222. The average weekly wage in Jefferson County ($1,172, 110^th) placed in the top third of the national ranking. Average weekly wages in Fayette County ($989, 225^th), and Boone County ($949, 263^rd) placed in the bottom half of the national ranking.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 92 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the first quarter of 2020. New York, NY, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,270. Average weekly wages were below the national average in 265 counties. At $666 a week, Cameron, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in Kentucky's smaller counties

Among the 117 smaller counties in Kentucky-those with employment below 75,000-only Hancock ($1,453) had an average weekly wage above the national average of $1,222. Wolfe County ($525) had the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 120 counties in Kentucky were considered, 8 reported average weekly wages below $600, 44 had average weekly wages from $600 to $699, 30 had wages from $700 to $799, 22 had wages from $800 to $899, and 16 had wages at or above $900. (See chart 3.)

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 2019 edition of this publication was published in September 2020. Tables and additional content from the 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online are available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2019/home.htm. The 2020 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in 2021.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 18, 2020. The County Employment and Wages full data update for second quarter 2020 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

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 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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: [phone]; Federal Relay Service: [phone].

Area	Establishments, first quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage
		March 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2019-20	National ranking by percent change	First quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2019-20	National ranking by percent change
United States	10,447.2	147,088.9	0.4	--	$1,222	--	3.3	--
Kentucky	124.0	1,884.9	0.1	--	943	43	2.5	38
Boone	4.5	96.5	2.3	20	949	263	3.4	150
Fayette	11.5	193.1	0.7	122	989	225	3.6	128
Jefferson	26.0	465.6	0.2	182	1,172	110	2.6	214
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Area	Employment March 2020	Average weekly wage
United States	147,088,945	$1,222
Kentucky	1,884,855	943
Adair	4,386	632
Allen	4,605	712
Anderson	4,718	717
Ballard	1,580	975
Barren	16,024	728
Bath	2,011	739
Bell	8,024	634
Boone	96,477	949
Bourbon	6,651	821
Boyd	23,863	937
Boyle	14,091	790
Bracken	1,256	688
Breathitt	2,611	644
Breckinridge	3,417	678
Bullitt	26,038	788
Butler	2,790	677
Caldwell	4,263	690
Calloway	15,912	714
Campbell	29,873	855
Carlisle	987	649
Carroll	7,255	1,186
Carter	5,443	649
Casey	3,871	622
Christian	31,035	828
Clark	14,595	808
Clay	3,972	678
Clinton	3,972	584
Crittenden	1,905	609
Cumberland	2,005	689
Daviess	45,368	852
Edmonson	1,611	646
Elliott	897	616
Estill	2,339	721
Fayette	193,116	989
Fleming	3,115	714
Floyd	10,506	739
Franklin	31,469	860
Fulton	2,185	577
Gallatin	2,530	1,058
Garrard	2,113	646
Grant	5,093	791
Graves	11,447	759
Grayson	7,815	707
Green	1,821	624
Greenup	7,508	765
Hancock	4,115	1,453
Hardin	47,718	844
Harlan	6,345	658
Harrison	5,075	833
Hart	4,901	725
Henderson	18,946	851
Henry	2,722	728
Hickman	911	616
Hopkins	16,618	827
Jackson	1,656	622
Jefferson	465,630	1,172
Jessamine	17,178	794
Johnson	5,031	669
Kenton	67,932	1,195
Knott	2,088	759
Knox	7,965	644
Larue	2,540	672
Laurel	26,966	698
Lawrence	3,559	671
Lee	1,613	699
Leslie	1,577	686
Letcher	4,231	675
Lewis	1,953	626
Lincoln	4,036	668
Livingston	2,421	958
Logan	8,862	839
Lyon	2,511	635
McCracken	38,034	884
McCreary	2,823	657
McLean	1,881	720
Madison	34,014	795
Magoffin	1,812	576
Marion	8,555	808
Marshall	11,496	993
Martin	2,042	750
Mason	8,195	802
Meade	4,267	755
Menifee	937	645
Mercer	6,323	944
Metcalfe	1,848	690
Monroe	3,146	693
Montgomery	10,263	769
Morgan	2,837	676
Muhlenberg	8,099	788
Nelson	16,395	816
Nicholas	835	559
Ohio	7,569	695
Oldham	16,453	925
Owen	1,365	935
Owsley	649	580
Pendleton	2,248	786
Perry	11,476	765
Pike	20,350	819
Powell	2,717	608
Pulaski	25,976	703
Robertson	294	595
Rockcastle	3,936	633
Rowan	10,175	714
Russell	5,692	645
Scott	26,753	989
Shelby	16,087	835
Simpson	8,810	812
Spencer	2,074	676
Taylor	12,301	657
Todd	2,195	629
Trigg	2,879	616
Trimble	1,236	1,101
Union	5,064	895
Warren	65,142	857
Washington	3,324	769
Wayne	5,711	597
Webster	2,952	855
Whitley	12,560	700
Wolfe	1,377	525
Woodford	8,843	833
NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

State	Establishments, first quarter 2020 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage
		March 2020 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2019-20	First quarter 2020	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2019-20	National ranking by percent change
United States	10,447.2	147,088.9	0.4	$1,222	--	3.3	--
Alabama	132.6	1,983.8	0.3	974	36	3.2	23
Alaska	22.6	312.8	-0.1	1,130	19	2.1	44
Arizona	170.4	2,957.2	1.9	1,098	22	4.4	1
Arkansas	93.6	1,220.5	0.2	922	45	3.0	29
California	1,631.1	17,570.5	0.8	1,459	5	4.2	3
Colorado	214.5	2,725.2	1.2	1,284	9	4.3	2
Connecticut	124.1	1,639.4	-0.7	1,510	4	1.5	48
Delaware	34.6	443.7	-0.3	1,251	11	1.7	45
District of Columbia	42.3	778.1	0.6	1,994	1	3.8	14
Florida	740.5	8,975.1	0.8	1,051	25	3.6	18
Georgia	301.5	4,522.2	0.9	1,159	17	3.4	19
Hawaii	45.4	655.5	-1.0	1,033	27	3.0	29
Idaho	66.8	755.2	3.1	864	50	4.2	3
Illinois	381.5	5,872.9	-0.7	1,302	8	2.3	41
Indiana	171.1	3,028.5	-1.0	994	33	3.2	23
Iowa	104.8	1,523.4	-0.2	978	35	3.7	16
Kansas	89.8	1,383.3	0.2	969	37	3.2	23
Kentucky	124.0	1,884.9	0.1	943	43	2.5	38
Louisiana	137.4	1,897.0	-1.3	969	37	1.7	45
Maine	53.9	601.0	0.1	955	40	4.0	11
Maryland	175.7	2,661.5	-0.4	1,277	10	4.1	8
Massachusetts	263.3	3,565.1	-0.2	1,605	3	3.0	29
Michigan	267.0	4,281.4	-0.6	1,103	20	2.3	41
Minnesota	183.9	2,838.2	-0.1	1,235	12	2.7	35
Mississippi	73.9	1,128.1	-0.2	801	51	2.8	34
Missouri	214.8	2,795.7	0.3	1,016	31	3.0	29
Montana	50.6	465.2	1.5	869	49	3.1	27
Nebraska	72.3	972.4	0.8	956	39	4.1	8
Nevada	86.1	1,410.8	1.3	1,033	27	4.2	3
New Hampshire	54.3	657.0	0.2	1,194	15	3.3	20
New Jersey	285.8	4,052.7	0.4	1,455	6	3.9	13
New Mexico	64.0	835.6	0.9	923	44	3.7	16
New York	657.2	9,415.7	-0.3	1,693	2	3.3	20
North Carolina	296.0	4,501.1	0.9	1,094	23	4.1	8
North Dakota	32.2	414.3	0.0	1,046	26	2.4	39
Ohio	304.4	5,349.6	-0.3	1,063	24	2.9	33
Oklahoma	112.8	1,598.0	-1.3	949	42	-0.5	51
Oregon	162.4	1,938.9	0.7	1,103	20	4.2	3
Pennsylvania	363.5	5,851.3	0.0	1,177	16	2.7	35
Rhode Island	39.5	473.9	-0.2	1,132	18	2.7	35
South Carolina	142.7	2,112.8	0.1	922	45	2.2	43
South Dakota	34.7	420.6	0.4	901	48	4.2	3
Tennessee	171.2	3,033.5	1.0	1,027	29	3.1	27
Texas	725.7	12,626.2	1.2	1,232	14	2.4	39
Utah	109.8	1,526.8	1.8	1,026	30	3.2	23
Vermont	26.1	303.9	-1.8	980	34	3.3	20
Virginia	282.9	3,921.0	0.6	1,233	13	4.0	11
Washington	255.6	3,427.3	1.7	1,414	7	3.8	14
West Virginia	51.2	674.9	-1.8	904	47	0.9	49
Wisconsin	178.2	2,836.5	-0.2	1,008	32	1.7	45
Wyoming	27.2	268.5	-0.5	955	40	0.6	50
Puerto Rico	47.5	886.4	1.0	551		0.0
Virgin Islands	3.3	40.1	5.7	1,046		6.3
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.