Counties Around the Country Report Employment Gains

For the 12 month period between June 2010 and June 2011, 215 of the 322 largest counties reported increases in employment. The largest increase was seen in Ottawa, Michigan which posted a 4.7 percent rise in employment. The national rate of employment growth  during this same period was 0.9 percent. In Ottawa, most new jobs occurred within the manufacturing sector which added over 2,500 new jobs. The largest employment decrease was reported in San Joaquin, California, losing 4 percent of its jobs over the year.

The average national weekly wage rose by 3 percent over-the-year between second quarter 2010 and second quarter 2011; increasing to $891. Of the largest counties, Williamson, Texas reported the largest increase in weekly wages between second quarter 2010 and 2011. Williamson saw an average weekly wage gain of 18 percent, while experiencing a total wage increase of nearly $200 million; most of which was generated in the trade, transportation, and utilities industries.

National employment in June 2011 was up by 1.1 million employees over the year; equating to 130.5 million workers nationwide.  The 322 largest U.S. counties accounted for over 70 percent of those jobs representing 76 percent of the nation’s total wages. The largest increases took place in Harris Texas, New York, New York, Cook, Illinois, Maricopa, Arizona, and Dallas Texas. Combined, these locations added almost 175,000 jobs amounting to 15.4 percent of the nation’s total employment increase. The largest employment declines took place in San Joaquin, California, Yakima, Washington, Montgomery, Alabama, Marion, Oregon, and Monterey, California.