County Employment and Wages News Release — 2010-04-01

From September 2008 to September 2009, employment declined in 329 of the 334 largest U.S. counties according to preliminary data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Elkhart County, Ind., located about 100 miles east of Chicago, posted the largest percentage decline, with a loss of 14.5 percent over the year, compared with a national job decrease of 5.3 percent. Two-thirds of the employment decline in Elkhart occurred in manufacturing, which lost 10,868 jobs over the year (-21.6 percent). Yakima County, Wash., experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., with a gain of 1.7 percent. The U.S. average weekly wage fell over the year by 0.1 percent in the third quarter of 2009.