County Employment and Wages News Release — 2020-08-19

From March 2019 to March 2020, employment increased in 202 of the 357 largest U.S. counties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In March 2020, national employment (as measured by the QCEW program) increased to 147.1 million, a 0.4-percent increase over the year. St. Johns, FL, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 3.7 percent. Employment data in this release are presented for March 2020, and average weekly wage data are presented for first quarter 2020. Among the 357 largest counties, 335 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the first quarter of 2020, average weekly wages for the nation increased to $1,222, a 3.3-percent increase over the year. McLean, IL, had the largest first quarter over-the-year wage gain at 13.3 percent. (See table 1.) St. Johns, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment (+3.7 percent). Within St.