County Employment and Wages News Release — 2010-07-07

From December 2008 to December 2009, employment declined in 325 of the 334 largest U.S. counties according to preliminary data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Trumbull, Ohio, posted the largest percentage decline, with a loss of 8.6 percent over the year, compared with a national job decrease of 4.1 percent. Almost 54 percent of the employment decline in Trumbull occurred in manufacturing, which lost 3,504 jobs over the year (-22.7 percent). Arlington, Va., experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a gain of 0.5 percent. The U.S. average weekly wage increased by 2.5 percent over the year. Among the large counties in the U.S., Douglas, Colo., had the largest over-the-year increase in average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2009, with a gain of 26.1 percent.