County Employment and Wages News Release - 2021 Q03 Results — 2022-02-23

From September 2020 to September 2021, employment increased in 332 of the 343 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In September 2021, national employment increased to 144.9 million, a 4.4-percent increase over the year, as measured by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. Honolulu, HI, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 13.3 percent. Employment data in this release are presented for September 2021, and average weekly wage data are presented for third quarter 2021. Among the 343 largest counties, 333 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the third quarter of 2021, average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,251, a 6.7-percent increase over the year. San Mateo, CA, had the largest third quarter over-the-year wage gain at 27.2 percent. (See table 1.) Honolulu, HI, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (+13.3 percent).