BLS U S Bureau of Labor Statistics : County Employment and Wages in Rhode Island — Second Quarter 2018

News Release Information

19-111-BOS
Friday, January 25, 2019

Rhode Island's two large counties, Providence and Kent, reported employment gains of 0.7 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, from June 2017 to June 2018, 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 2017 annual average employment.)

Nationally, employment grew by1.5 percent during the 12 month period as 309 of the 349 large counties had employment gains from June 2017 to June 2018. The largest over-the-year percentage gain was recorded in Midland, TX (11.6 percent). McLean, IL, had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment (-2.0 percent).

Employment was highest in Providence County (289,300) in June 2018, followed by Kent County (77,200). Employment in Rhode Island's largest counties accounted for 74.6 percent of statewide employment in June 2018. Nationwide, the 349 largest counties made up 72.9 percent of total U.S. employment in June 2018.

The average weekly wage in Providence County was $1,033 in the second quarter of 2018, 1.7 percent higher than it was one year earlier. Kent County had an average weekly wage of $906, 0.9 percent higher than a year ago. (See table 1.) Nationally, the average weekly wage increased 3.4 percent over the year to $1,055 in the second quarter of 2018.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the three counties in Rhode Island with employment below 75,000. None of these counties had an average weekly wage above the national average in the second quarter of 2018. (See table 2.)

Large County Wage Changes

Both of the largest counties in Rhode Island recorded wage growth below the national increase of 3.4 percent. Providence County's 1.7-percent annual wage gain ranked 289^th among the 349 largest U.S. counties in the second quarter of June 2018, while Kent County's 0.9 percent wage gain, ranked 325^th.

Of the 349 largest U.S. counties, 340 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. Nationwide, Marin, CA, ranked first in average weekly wage growth, with an increase of 11.7 percent from the second quarter of 2017. Eight large U.S. counties had wage declines over the year. New Hanover, NC, had the largest percentage decline in average weekly wages with a loss of 6.4 percent.

Large County Average Weekly Wages

Providence ($1,033, 112th) and Kent ($906, 224^th) were among the 255 large counties nationwide with wages below the U.S. average of $1,055 in the second quarter of 2018.

Average weekly wages were higher than the national average in 94 of the 349 largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,573. San Mateo, CA, was second with an average weekly wage of $2,357, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,083), New York, NY ($2,025), and Washington, DC ($1,713).

More than two-thirds of the largest U.S. counties (255) reported average weekly wages below the national average in the second quarter of 2018. The lowest weekly wage was reported in Horry, SC ($625), followed by the Texas counties Cameron ($642), Hidalgo ($645), and Webb ($687). Wages in these lowest-ranked counties were less than one-third of the average weekly wage reported for the highest-ranked county, Santa Clara, CA ($2,573).

Average Weekly Wages in Rhode Island's Smaller Counties

All three counties in Rhode Island with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,055. Bristol County ($840) had the lowest weekly wage in the state, followed by Washington ($904).(See table 2.)

When all five counties in Rhode Island were considered, none had wages above the national average at $1,055. Overall, one had wages ranging from $800 to $899, three had wages from $900 to $999 and one had wages above $1,000.(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 the QCEW Web site at 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 2017 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2018, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2018 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages 2017 are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/cewbultn17.htm. The 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online will be available in September 2019.

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

Area	Employment			Average weekly wage
	June 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2017-18	National ranking by percent change	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2017-18	National ranking by percent change
United States	147,431.2	1.5	--	$1,055	--	3.4	--
Rhode Island	491.0	0.7	--	998	19	1.7	47
Kent, RI	77.2	0.4	271	906	224	0.9	325
Providence, RI	289.3	0.7	235	1,033	112	1.7	289
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 June 2018	Average Weekly Wage
United States	147,431,154	$1,055
Rhode Island	491,000	998
Bristol	13,784	840
Kent	77,244	906
Newport	43,421	975
Providence	289,299	1033
Washington	56,604	904
NOTE: Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

State	Employment		Average weekly wage
	June 2018 (thousands)	Percent change, June 2017-18	Average weekly wage	National ranking by level	Percent change, second quarter 2017-18	National ranking by percent change
United States	147,431.2	1.5	$1,055	--	3.4	--
Alabama	1,969.9	1.2	882	37	2.8	35
Alaska	335.8	-0.9	1,043	15	3.7	9
Arizona	2,770.8	2.6	973	23	3.3	19
Arkansas	1,214.6	0.7	824	47	1.7	47
California	17,473.1	1.9	1,265	4	4.6	3
Colorado	2,704.4	2.4	1,075	10	3.2	27
Connecticut	1,704.5	0.3	1,218	5	0.1	50
Delaware	454.3	1.3	1,023	17	1.4	49
District of Columbia	777.3	1.3	1,713	1	2.6	39
Florida	8,568.9	2.1	931	28	2.9	32
Georgia	4,440.5	2.0	979	22	2.3	43
Hawaii	658.3	0.5	956	24	2.5	41
Idaho	745.3	3.1	794	50	3.8	8
Illinois	6,061.1	0.8	1,097	9	3.4	14
Indiana	3,075.8	1.1	883	36	2.8	35
Iowa	1,583.7	0.8	880	39	3.3	19
Kansas	1,393.3	1.0	879	40	3.4	14
Kentucky	1,905.9	0.9	882	37	2.3	43
Louisiana	1,918.6	0.4	901	33	3.7	9
Maine	636.8	1.0	843	45	3.6	11
Maryland	2,712.0	0.7	1,141	8	3.4	14
Massachusetts	3,650.1	1.0	1,322	2	3.5	12
Michigan	4,424.7	1.3	997	20	2.9	32
Minnesota	2,925.6	0.8	1,072	12	3.3	19
Mississippi	1,130.7	0.2	752	51	2.7	38
Missouri	2,829.0	0.5	924	30	3.9	7
Montana	478.7	1.1	817	48	2.5	41
Nebraska	990.8	0.6	859	43	3.1	29
Nevada	1,372.4	3.1	931	28	3.3	19
New Hampshire	670.8	0.8	1,049	14	3.3	19
New Jersey	4,157.0	0.9	1,201	7	2.3	43
New Mexico	823.6	1.0	852	44	3.5	12
New York	9,579.2	1.7	1,297	3	4.5	4
North Carolina	4,450.2	2.2	933	25	3.3	19
North Dakota	426.1	0.8	986	21	3.4	14
Ohio	5,461.3	0.7	933	25	2.3	43
Oklahoma	1,606.4	1.2	875	41	3.2	27
Oregon	1,947.3	1.5	999	18	3.3	19
Pennsylvania	5,924.9	1.1	1,031	16	3.1	29
Rhode Island	491.0	0.7	998	19	1.7	47
South Carolina	2,126.5	3.4	833	46	0.0	51
South Dakota	439.7	0.9	807	49	2.8	35
Tennessee	2,994.1	1.6	932	27	2.9	32
Texas	12,326.3	2.2	1,062	13	3.4	14
Utah	1,483.9	3.4	899	35	4.3	5
Vermont	312.4	-0.8	907	31	4.3	5
Virginia	3,941.0	1.3	1,073	11	2.6	39
Washington	3,444.1	2.7	1,218	5	6.9	1
West Virginia	702.9	1.6	868	42	4.8	2
Wisconsin	2,933.5	0.9	904	32	3.3	19
Wyoming	282.2	0.5	901	33	3.0	31
Puerto Rico	853.5	-2.3	543		5.2
Virgin Islands	33.4	-14.4	838		12.8
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.